Comment 14 for bug 1306078

There are several issues to consider here:

Using the Phone as an example is a bad idea because it is a special case. The phone app does NOT requite sync but access to different areas on the device. Notifications, contacts, even messages to some extent. Calls, incoming, missed and outgoing are associated with the phone hence a list of recent calls wold be naturally found within the phone app.

Syncing however can be both, specific and generic. As per comment #9 you might be wondering why your data for a specific app is outdated while you are using it (C) but this might have nothing to do with the actual app but with the fact that you are not willing to use 3G/4G for syncing and instead WiFi. If a user has to set that generic setting for every single application which requires sync and is installed on the device, then it starts to become a very cumbersome and very annoying.

I agree with Renato, we need a way to have an overview on all apps which need sync and the best place for that are System Settings. Also, not every developer will invest time into sync settings and might even assume that we are handling at least the high level ones. I also agree with Matthew, some app specific settings (e.g. do not sync images over a certain size) should be app specific.

We do not know how often users will use different apps, apart from the default ones. Some might want to handle private and work related events in different calendars, different email applications for work and family, etc. Meaning, the argument that we do not have alternatives to default apps yet, doesn't mean we won't have it in (near) future (C). In design and development we always deal with theoretical problems and trying to solve them before the user actually complains. ;)

Bottom line:
We need decisions and agreement on what is considered a "generic" setting for sync. Anything which goes outside this definition will have to go into app specific settings.