Apple's iOS 7 is out and you're probably wondering about compatibility with Kerio Connect. iOS 7 contains many changes, not only in UI but also in Mail, Calendar and Contact applications. Similarly, Kerio Connect 8.2 introduces new features for Apple iOS users. I will try to explain some of these changes and improvements in this blog post.

Public and shared contacts in CardDAV are available but you must re-configure your account.

Kerio Connect server delivers shared and public (GAL) contact folders to Apple iOS CardDAV users. This is a unique feature available only in Kerio Connect, you simply won't find it in Microsoft Exchange.

Apple redesigned CardDAV client setup in iOS 7. This means only a single CardDAV account is needed for both private and shared/public contacts, not two like before. Unfortunately this change is not compatible with CardDAV accounts created with the auto-configuration tool in pre-8.2 versions of Kerio Connect. Consequently, users with pre-existing configuration won't see public and shared contacts on their iOS 7 device, but instead their private contacts will be displayed twice.

The fix is easy: upgrade to Kerio Connect 8.2 and create a new configuration profile on your iOS 7 device with "Set up my device" auto-configuration from the Kerio Connect web interface.

The end of "Deleted Items" vs "Trash" confusion - New IMAP extension gives you a single set of correct folder names.

For a long time, no one could understand why each email client application used different folder names for a folder with same meaning (eg. Deleted Items, Deleted Messages, Trash, etc.). Sometimes we could see both Deleted Items and Deleted Messages in the folder tree.

Kerio Connect 8.2 implements a new IMAP extension called Special-Use. It tells the email client application what each folder on the mail server is for, and the IMAP client then maps its own folder name to a correct server folder. This works great in the iOS Mail client and Apple Mail on OS X. Folders for Deleted and Sent messages are automatically configured and no longer duplicated in the client.

Here is a short Q&A that should answer some of remaining questions:

What Kerio Connect version do I need for iOS 7 devices?

Kerio Connect 8.2.0 and later is compatible with iOS 7 (both for iPhone and iPad). Prior Kerio Connect versions may not be fully compatible with iOS 7 devices and you may experience issues described above.

What happens after upgrade to iOS 7?

• iOS 7 users with Exchange ActiveSync accounts connected to Kerio Connect will not experience any changes.
   
• iOS 7 users with CardDAV accounts for public (GAL) or shared contacts need to remove the profile with configured accounts from Settings / General / Profiles. Then, users can install a new profile from "Set up my device" page simply by opening the Kerio Connect web interface in Safari on their iOS device. The profile automatically configures IMAP, CalDAV and CardDAV accounts in iOS.

What about new iPhone 5s/5c?

iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c are compatible with Kerio Connect 8.2 and so are iPhone 4, 4s and 5 with iOS 7.

What if I don't or can't upgrade to iOS 7?

Improvements in Kerio Connect 8.2 are also available for older iOS versions. With iOS 6, users will enjoy simplified CardDAV account set-up and IMAP folder name mapping the same way as iOS 7 users.