Beginner’s guide to using iCloud Sync with multiple Apple TVs?

Platforms Apple TV
#1

Okay, please help a guy out:

I can’t figure out how to setup my two Apple TVs to take advantage of iCloud Sync.

What I have: two Apple TV 4Ks (5th Gen), Infuse Pro subscription, ridiculous amount of content on a local 40TB Synology NAS (3400+ movies, 10,800+ tv episodes). Not currently using Plex / Emby / Jellyfin etc. or Tract and would prefer not to, if possible. I create .nfo metadata with Kodi as part of my import process and download and archive relevant poster, folder, fanart, -thumb images with my files on the NAS. I also have an iPhone X and an old iPad Mini (that’s too old for Infuse 7), but I do not have a Mac.

What I’d like to do:

Synchronize shares, libraries, metadata, Infuse settings (including my Infuse Home Screen customizations), favorites, playlists, custom collections (when available), and current watch status (including ability to stop watching mid-movie/episode on one device and continue watching at that same point on the other) between both Apple TVs.

How do I begin?

I currently have two devices using the same source (my NAS) for content but with unsynchronized watch status and non-identical settings.

I recently turned on “iCloud Sync” on one of them.

What happens if I turn on iCloud Sync on the second device? Does 2nd device overwrite its current settings with the synced settings from the first device? Or do I need to first remove all existing shares and delete all metadata from the 2nd device prior to activating iCloud Sync on it?

Which items /won’t/ be synced?

Which items can only be synced if I use additional services/software?

Once both devices are synced, will watch status, playlists, settings, etc. changed on either device automatically populate to the other device?

Thanks!

Customizable collections
#2

Bump.

#3

Infuse will work to merge data from multiple devices after enabling iCloud.

After you enable iCloud on all devices (and they all have finished syncing) you take a look at one of them and see how things look.

It’s possible you may see things like duplicate shares (if these were added manually on each device) but removing them on one device will also remove the duplicates from other devices.

#4

The users guide gives a pretty good run down of this.

#5

I turned on iCloud Sync on one of my Apple TVs a few weeks ago.
I recently deleted Infuse and all its data from my iPhone and reinstalled it.

I turned on iCloud Sync.
I selected “Show Synced Videos”.
I enabled “Local Network”, “Media & Apple Music”, and “Background App Refresh” toggles in iPhone Settings.

Nothing has synced. There are no files in my iPhone Library.

Dumb this down for me. What am I not doing?

  • I set up a trial subscription to iCloud with ample cloud storage available prior to enabling iCloud on my Apple TV Infuse app.
#6

That users guide entry is next to useless. It doesn’t even explain how to make it work. Hence, this thread.

*Edit to Add:

I was really hoping you would jump in and answer all my questions in this thread. You’ve been very helpful and a great resource to date.

#7

Sorry for the confusion here.

Infuse can use iCloud to sync details about your library (saved network shares, favorites, playback settings, watched history, etc…). Local files you have stored on an iOS or macOS device will not be synced.

However, if you have a local copy of Top Gun on your Mac and another copy on your iPad, Infuse can use iCloud to sync watched history and playback position for that tile between your devices. This would allow you to continue watching across different devices. The same of course would apply to streamed titles.

#8

I’m still confused.

No. ALL my files are in a single share that lives on my Synology NAS (see first post).

On the same wifi network as that NAS, live two Apple TV 4Ks and my iPhone.

The documentation and your posts say that my various copies of Infuse should “sync details about my … saved network share” but I have yet to figure out how to do that.

There is no place I can find in Infuse to add a share (or content from a share) already synced with iCloud.

You suggest that if I add my share to my iPhone (that has no shares or files in its library) than I’ll then have duplicated that share in iCloud (since it already was added to my iCloud-enabled Apple TV) and I’ll have two copies of everything — which happened last time I tried turning iCloud on on both TVs. I don’t want that. So how do I get the 2nd Instance of Infuse to see the share that was synced to iCloud fron the 1st instance of Infuse?

PLEASE DUMB THIS DOWN. Step by step. Because I’m clearly not getting it.

#9

If you followed the link it should take you to the section of the guide labeled “What is Synced” which is in response to the part of your post I quoted,

I guess I misunderstood what you were asking and thought you wanted to know what items iCloud sync covered. Sorry about that.

If you like, I’ll run through how I added 3 additional ATVs on my LAN to my original ATV and they all sync watched status and the other functions listed in the users guide. I have 2 of the ATV HDs and 2 of the ATV4k (1st gen).

I don’t know if my way is technically the best way but it’s the way I’ve found that works for me.

I don’t run Plex or any other server and I don’t use Trakt. Just pure Infuse.

#10

Please!

#11

Big disclaimer here, I’ve tortured my system often and have had to start from zero more than once so you’re experiences may be similar. Hopefully not but hey, it’s only electrons. :wink:

I can tell you from experience regarding the Apple TVs, if you want them all to sync with iCloud the surest way is to pick the one you want to be the source to start with. The one that has the most correct watched status and any corrections for metadata you’ve made.

Make sure you have iCloud sync turned on that ATV and let it run through the complete sync. You can watch the status on the Settings > Library screen, on the left side it will show the different status messages and when it gets to the last updated on… message let it sit for a few minutes. Watch and see if it stays on this message or if it starts an additional iCloud sync. If it does start a new one just let it complete again. It may take a few times of this till it stays on the last updated message.

Now on the other ATV you want to match the first, make sure you’re using the same Apple ID for the master user as the first ATV and then delete the Infuse app. Then go to the app store and download it again.

When you launch the new copy of Infuse on the second ATV do NOT add any shares or input any other data, you’re going to let Infuse do this via iCloud.

Instead go directly to the settings > Library screen and watch the status messages on the left side. It should be doing an iCloud sync or possibly one of the other functions but I believe it starts with the sync. That’s what is going to match the second ATV to the first. This will be faster than the original process where it has to go through all of the fetching of metadata fresh but it will still take some time. Mine takes about an hour or two to rebuild Infuse from scratch on a new install.

Don’t get impatient, it may seem like it’s stuck but as long as it shows a status message of syncing or one of the other functions it’s working.

Don’t skip around or you may end up starting from zero again. :wink:

For more ATVs just repeat this for each in order.

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#12

Thanks for writing this.

That all sounds easy enough. That’s the way I expected it should work. Didn’t have any luck with my phone, though, when I tried. But I’ll try again with my 2nd Apple TV and cross my fingers … after some sleep. Blue skies.

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#13

Success! This was the key. I had to park the app on this page, and turn off my TV display (without turning off my Apple TV) and go away for a couple hours.

When it finished, I did had to delete a few Home Screen items that resurrected from the dead, and toggle a few settings options that didn’t sync (True Black Mode On, Watched Indicators & Picks of the Day Off, etc.) but otherwise … yeah … pretty easy. Cool.

Had to do a second “refresh data” when I noticed most of the 7.4 tv show logos didn’t download first time around (I’m hiding the movie ones) … but my primary Apple TV might not have even gotten 7.4 yet.

Thank you!

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#14

Glad it worked! There are some preferences that Infuse doesn’t carry over through iCloud. I believe that it’s more of a individual device preference like total black. You may want that in the bedroom or other dark areas and the lighter one for say a day room or other well lit area.

Now make sure you have the background app refresh turned on all ATVs and also if you can, turn off all other apps that are listed in background app refresh and Infuse does keep up syncing pretty well.

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