Syncing with Ovi on the N97

by Timi Cantisano on June 26, 2009

In recent years it has become quite common for users to sync their mobile devices to their computer.  This provides among other tools a great way for users to back up their information in case of a mobile malfunction.  While not always the best software, for the past couple years Nokia has been bundling most of its handsets with PC Suite.   I have personally used this program to back up my settings, messages, etc.  and after a hard reset it has saved me many times by restoring my data.  While I never had issues with using this suite (other than its clunkiness) it never really occurred to me that there could be something better, faster, and more accesible.  This is where Ovi.com and its syncing capabilities come into play.  Ovi.com has been in development over the years and has grown into a multi featured hub for use from a PC or mobile phone.  One of the more useful capabilities is the sync and backup capabilities.  The site is free and only requires users to register and some quick set up on your mobile phone.  *I must warn you that syncing with Ovi might cause data loss so please do have a backup in case that you experinece any issues.*  

While I thought that using the Ovi service on the N97 would be pretty straight forward it turns out that it took a little bit of trial and error for me to get it working. One of the main hurdles of using Ovi on the N97 is that the settings for Ovi are not built into the phone.   Since the N97 does not come with built in settings for Ovi, you will need to head to the Ovi website (Ovi.com) and either create an account or log-in to an existing account.  Once you have logged in it is important to add the N97 (or any other compatible device) to your account.

addingadevice

Once the N97 has been added, insert the appropriate information, you will be sent a text message to your device.  The text will require you to input a password (which is displayed in the final step in device setup on Ovi) and save it to the phone.

addadevicen97

Once saved the information will automatically configure the settings for Ovi.com.  Now you can begin syncing your device to Ovi by going to
Settings >Connectivity>Data Transfer>Sync.  From here you will be given a choice to sync various information from the phone to Ovi.

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Once you have completed that step you will want to change the active profile from PC Suite to Ovi.com.  In the same window above you will go to Options>Change Active Profile and select Ovi.com.

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When you have changed that setting you a ready to sync.  Although not a difficult process  I found that the directions on the Ovi site were not clear and furthermore why couldn’t the setting for Ovi.com just be in the N97 by default.  I can only imagine the frustration someone new to S60, Ovi and the N97 would be going through.  Hopefully this quick walk through was able to help out anyone who was experiencing issues with Ovi and syncing.

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  • http://www.n97fanatics.com Mike Macias

    Timi, I got some weird errors on my N97 when I actually tried to perform the Ovi sync. Did you get this? I'm only trying to sync Contacts and Notes.

  • http://phoneomenon.com/ Timi

    Try unchecking notes and see what happens. If it still has the same error Im not too sure. I know I experienced some errors when I tried to sync Multimedia, Bookmarks, etc. I think that you might have to activate Ovi Sync for each individual piece besides the basics like contacts, calendar.

  • http://www.twitter.com/MHlongwane MHlongwane

    Great article Mike. I am a fan of Ovi Sync. I have used a number of these sync tools (e.g, Zyb, Mobical) but Ovi sync is by far the best. Just one issue that I have with it is that should you format your phone, you need to go to the site and Restore the device. Unfortunately this always creates duplicates on both your handset and the web. I wish one could just request the SMS settings without Restoring the device. Then go to the sync settings on your handset/ Applications/ Synchronisation type/ To phone only – in order to restore the backup from the web to your phone.

    Another thing, up to now (S60 FP1), you cant do an automatic sync (not sure about FP2). Which means that you have to always remember to do a manual sync. Moreover, you cant initiate a sync from the web, it has to be done from the phone. Fortunately I have an application called “Swim”, this allows timed automatic sync (15min/ 1hr/ 12hrs or Daily) mine is set on 12hrs.

    As far as I know, or just to say in South Africa, you can only sync Contacts, Calendar and Notes.

  • Frank

    Hi, recently I bought the N97. It works great and it is a great phone, but I have one issue. I would like to sink my phone book with my carp hone via Bluetooth. But it is not working. Is there any body who has a solution.

  • seso

    i wanna thank you so much for this post….i'm from italy and the ovi.com in italian doesn't explain good how to sync and also looking for some informations in the web i couldn't find nothing in italian that could help me and like you you said i was going frustated !
    thank you again

  • http://www.blackbeak.com/ Steve

    Thanks for this. I was that frustrated dude with no idea how to find “where” the sync menu even was. Once I went through your walk through it was fine thanks.

  • Name

    Hello after a lot of frustration I looked on google using the search terms: sync n97 , and landed on your site. And in moments I had my new phoned synct. Thanks Ricardo The Netherlands

  • http://www.planetfrank.us/ frank

    this is better info than ovi itself, thanks a lot, you help me organize my 500 contacts

  • n97

    thank you very much for this!:)

  • gtwod

    thanks for this guide I was going mad!!!, it was much more simplewr on the n96 & n95

  • puredfly

    Thank you so much for posting this, I had such a hard time trying to figure out what the website waas trying to tell me and i found your tutorial and it basically saved me. Thank you sooo much!

  • larryginsberg

    Sir,

    Will Ovi synching help me better organize my contacts, which are hampered by labeling issues after transferring from my N95. specifically many multi-numbered contacts list each number as “Mobile,” and one cannot edit the labels.

  • jonjuk

    Just like to say thanks also. Sync isn't as easy to use on the N97 as it was on the N95 so thanks for clearing things up!

  • gdcox

    Great article. Nokia should reward you. I am on the point of giving up though. The synch process when I click synch forces me to use Blue Tooth but that does not work. Why does it do that when my USB connection is in and PC suite selected. Would appreciate advice.

  • gdcox

    These are the official Nokia instructions. They refer to selecting 'Tools' and Ovi.com.There are no such options on the N97. How can they be so incompetent?

    'Synchronization instructions
    To start syncing, complete the following steps on your device:
    1. Go to Menu, select and open “Tools” icon
    Tools menu is opened
    2. Select and open “Sync” icon from the grid
    Select “Ovi.com” from the opened list. Wait until syncing is complete. Need help with syncing or other Ovi features? Please visit our Support pages

  • TheLemonAid

    Hey! Great article!
    But I still have a problem, and I hope that you'll be able to help me out!
    Ovi.com does not allow me to chose which device/phone I have, so I do not get to the stage where I have to enter the certain pin code. What is the problem here?

    Thank you very much for help in advance :) I would really appreciate it if I received advice.

  • bafplus

    Hy, i'm trying to get Swim to work on my N97, it installs but when i try to start the app the screen only flickers one time and nothing happens. If i look in taskmanager no swim app is running. Did you get it to work on a N97 and how did you do it? ( i signed it as explained, running firmware 20.0)

  • Shafeeg

    When I sync I get server error. How to sort this out for Nokia N97 with ovi.com

  • ram4ufriends

    This is very useful article. I fed up by trying all over the web and finally came to this forum. Very useful and of course as said we will not be able to sync Messages

  • bobthehandyman

    Thanks, spent two hours trying to follow on screen instructions, what a load of crap. 20 mins after trying the steps here all great. Thanks a great help.

  • bobthehandyman

    Thanks, spent two hours trying to follow on screen instructions, what a load of crap. 20 mins after trying the steps here all great. Thanks a great help.

  • maartenj

    I can sync my contacts with outlook. Are there any other email clients with which you can sync your contacts.
    When I sync I use PC suite. Does anyone now if you can sync using ovi. Or is that only to sync between phone and and ovi and not to sync with outlook/or other emailprog.

  • http://s60inside.wordpress.com/2010/02/18/ovi-sync-mit-dem-nokia-n97/ Ovi Sync mit dem Nokia N97 « S60inside

    [...] Link [...]

  • nuche336356

    Hi, can anybody tell me how can I synchronized my N97 with outlook??? It is incredible that a company like Nokia with revenues of more than 50,000 Mill Euros can upload clear instructions to synchronize their phones!!!

  • releived

    Thankyou for this post, the help at Nokia is shocking… took me 10 hours

  • http://www.best-registrycleaner.net registrycleaner

    This is better info than ovi itself, thanks a lot!

  • http://security-wire.com/10/how-to-remove-antivirus-action-rogue-anti-spyware.html remove antivirus action virus

    Your article is really helpful!

  • Janthonykaye

    Really helpful this. I have been trying to sync my N97 mini for a year now. With this blog I did it in 2 minutes. Super stuff. Tony

  • Janthonykaye

    Really helpful this. I have been trying to sync my N97 mini for a year now. With this blog I did it in 2 minutes. Super stuff. Tony

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