a method and apparatus are disclosed that enable the synchronization of user profile information for m users who are sharing k telecommunications terminals , wherein m and k are not necessarily equal to each other . the disclosed technique addresses the problem that occurs when multiple users share multiple terminals , in which a user that selects a particular terminal to use has to contend with the contact lists , user preferences , and call log entries that are left over from the previous user or users of the selected terminal . in accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention , the user profile information is associated with and stored for each user in a group of users , in contrast to being associated with and stored for the telecommunications terminal . the user profile information comprises contact information , call or message activity , and user terminal preferences .