FTM and Ancestry

[worthybobs]

Please help - I have an old iMac late 2012 and last month FTM 2019 would not sync with Ancestry. I have been told it is a known issue with Ancestry, then I was told it was my OS on the iMac needs to be updated. On investigation the two updates seem to cause more problems and that my iMac is too old. Before I consider changing purchasing a new iMac or laptop has anyone else had this issue?

[Biggles50]

Same issue in this thread.

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=869476.9

I suggest you start a online Chat with FTM Tech Support if it is available.

[worthybobs]

Thanks for the forum link, did not seem to help my issue as I have the latest FTM version. The advice I got was from the FTM tech support team, very helpful, but not sure where to go now so hoping for guidance.

[Mike Morrell (NL)]

It's strange that the synch. problem only occurred last month.

I'm running FTM 2019 under Windows 11 and don't have a problem synching with Ancestry.

Here a few resources that may help:

- https://familytreemakerhelp.com/ancestry-media-sync-issues-ftm-2019/

- https://www.familytreemakerhelps.com/family-tree-makers-sync-issues/

- https://genealogisthelp.com/troubleshooting-sync-in-ftm-2017-and-ftm-2019/

Mike

[worthybobs]

Mike, thanks for your help, will look at the links you sent. Seems it is a known problem and MacKiev are working on it, FTM on Facebook are keeping us in the loop. I may have an additional problem of an old iMac!!

[Mike Morrell (NL)]

Good to hear that it's a 'known problem' and that MacKiev are keeping you in the loop.

If I right click on the Ancestry icon, one of the menu choices is 'synch options'. I have 'manually' selected. With an internet connection, I'm logged in to Ancestry (with my username and password) automatically.

- If I 'hover' with my cursor over the Ancestry icon, I get some info about whether I need to synch

- By 'right clicking' on the icon, I see a menu of options:
   > view my 'linked tree' (in a browser) from FTM
    >'synch';  I first see a message 'connecting to server' and then a 'weather report' for synching: green is fine, orange is doubtful, red is probably will fail.

Just out of curiosity, at what point are you unable to synch?  Do you have no connection with Ancestry at all (logging in, on hover over icon), no connection with the 'server' when trying to synch? Or does the synch start but fail?

[worthybobs]

Mike, I have no connection at all, the only option when on the Ancestry icon is to login, a window is opened for me to login to Ancestry, I enter my details then nothing happens. I have the upated version of FTM. It is either the known problem or my iMac is too old. It was working in December and in January it wasn't. Seems I'm not the only one.

[Mike Morrell (NL)]

Hmm.

MacKiev would know much more about this than me. I just note that FTM and Ancestry communicate with each other via a so-called "application programming interface" (API). A kind of 'handshake' whereby FTM (and Rootschat) agree to communicate with with Ancestry and exchange 'data' such as login details, synch info and finally exchange data.  Sounds simple but the 'handshake' eventually translates into the details of an exchange of 'bits and bytes'.

API's are updated from time to time. For example to update the security (or efficiency) of data transmission. The updates may be either on the Ancestry side or (less likely) the FTM side or (ideally) both. If Ancestry have updated their API, it probably won't affect 'supported versions' of applications (like FTM and Rootschat) running on 'supported' operating systems. But it's possible (just pure speculation on my part) that older IMacs running on older versions of Mac OS might not be able to translate any updated 'API' into the stream of 'bits and bytes' that Ancestry currently expects.

One way of testing this theory would be to install a 'trial version'' of FTM on a different computer/IMac. Unfortunately, MacKiev doesn't generally provide 'trial versions'. You might - via MacKiev support - be able to install a temporary (trial) version on a different PC/IMac. You might even be able to persuade an IMac shop assistant to let you (temporarily) install FTM as a 'test' as to whether you might buy a new IMac.

If you can easily acces Ancestry via FTM on a different PC/IMac, then the changes are that your older IMac/ Mac OS are a major factor in making a connection. If not, then the jury's still out.

[worthybobs]

Thanks for your help Mike. Will keep trying and it will work one of these days!!