Sync issue with Microsoft Outlook CONTACTS

[JMoto]

Phone won't sync with Outlook Contacts.
Email syncs fine.
No issues with the desktop client.
Heard this was an issue after the last OTA update.
Syncs fine with my old DInc2.
Any recommendations?
Very frustrating.

 

[budven]

I did a sync of my Outlook contacts with my gmail account and then to my phone; this worked great.

 

[budven]

check out this link ... https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gappssync

 

[JMoto]

I'll check out the link.
Kinda feel like activesync should work on its own Merritt without help from Google.

 

[CURaven]

FYI --
google app sync is for business accounts only, wasted my time trying to use it on my free email acct.

 

[jdoherty]

We use exchange with outlook 2010 and I have no issues...

 

[BigSwoe]

You don't specifiy in your question but if you are on exchange then contacts should sync, if not and you are using Outlook to get Gmail, POP mail, etc. There is no way for the contacts to sync from outlook. They would need to sync using Gmail if that is the case.

 

[techgeek32#WN]

If you are not using exchange I would recommend a product called Android-Sync. It works flawlessly to sync Outlook contacts, calendar, notes and tasks with any Android device through a USB connection. I believe there is a one time cost of $19, but I think it is worth every penny. The developer is constantly adding new features and providing updates. They have a website, just do a Google search and you will find it. I am currently syncing a GNex, Maxx and a Thinkpad Android tablet with no issues.

 

[JMoto]

yes, I am using exchange.

After the last ota update, my contacts stopped syncing. Noticed it especially with adding contact photos. I'll add to the desktop client, and it won't sync to the phone.

Weird thing is that it syncs with the dinc2 but not the maxx. Read an article that this is a semi common issue. Maybe the ics update will solve....

Any suggestions?

 

[ihot]

Hi,
My Razor was sync'ing with Outlook 2010 exchange fine, till about a month ago (maybe May 2012?? ). Now Razor is sync'ing email and calendar fine, but not contacts. Instead, Razor is sync'ing with Google Contacts!! Even upgrading to IceCream did not help.

My temporary workaround is to sync my outlook with Gmail using a free software called Go Contact Sync. After I used it to upload contacts from Outlook to Gmail, I had to do the following:

Click PEOPLE on Droid, press RAZOR’s options button to get a menu - > select Accounts -> select your Google email account (daveho1@gmail.com) > click “Sync Contacts”.
It took 2 hours for gmail to update my droid contacts.

 

[xigz]

try Mobisynapse: Mobisynapse, Android desktop manager, Android Outlook sync, Android PC sync
It sync Outlook contacts, calendars, tasks, notes and reminders between Outlook and Android device

 

[jck76]

If it helps to narrow it down, I'm on exchange 2003, just running stock launcher and mail. Just created a test contact on my desktop and it quickly appeared on my phone. Deleted from phone and in a moment it was deleted from my desktop. I was concerned by the original post that I missed something so began with a quick check of the settings from my exchange account to be sure all sync choices including sync contacts were checked.

 

[DumbGuy]

Looks like you added your Exchange account to your phone as "EMAIL" instead of using the proper "Corporate" icon. Delete the "Email" account on your phone that has your company email address and then properly add your Exchange account using the "Corporate" icon - it does domain stuff... Also, if you have been adding contacts on your phone and they are not showing up on Exchange or your real computers running outlook - guess where they went: Backup+ or Gmail. There is a drop down box at the top of the "+add new contact" screen that indicates where the contact is going, Backup+, Gmail or... wait for it... Corporate (Exchange!). Select the Corporate icon to sync with your Exchange server. Once the new contact is pushed to Exchange all your other computers get the contact information. You can also change your default new contact storage location to Corporate so you don't have to pick it everytime, the default is usually backup+. And finally you can display what contacts you want displayed on the "People" icon, i just have a check in the Corporate box and let Exchange handle the mail, calendar and Contacts.
Google knows enough about me without sending them my contacts too...

 

[Costa Flocas]

I'm on an Galaxy SIII, running 4.1.2, syncing w/ Exchange 2003 Server at the office.

After repeated FACTORY RESETS (of my phone, not our Exchange server ;-) ), my existing contacts on the server will just NOT get transferred to my phone. Not a single one! It used to work like a charm, but for the last couple of days, while EMAILS & CALENDAR items SYNC FINE, old contacts do NOT get sent to my phone.

However, GET THIS: If I create a NEW dummy contact on my phone, it DOES get pushed to my laptop's Outlook (connected, of course, to the Exchange Server)! AND VICE VERSA (!!!): If I create a new dummy contact on my laptop, it DOES get pushed to my mobile! (This is proof that all syncing settings, e.g., under "Data Usage" options or Exchange items to sync, contacts to appear on contacts app, are all set up correctly.)

I have even tried editing an OLD contact on the server (i.e. adding a new phone number), to NO AVAIL: the old contact STILL does NOT get pushed to my mobile!

The thing that started it all was this: I used to use our Exchange server's CNAME to connect my phone to it: e.g. "exchange.domain.com". For testing purposes, I briefly changed that to its IP (from the CNAME). That's when all hell broke loose. Of course, when I switched it back to the CNAME, the problem did NOT get resolved. Hell, even after (as I said) FACTORY RESETS on my phone (and using the CNAME on the settings) the phone STILL does not get the old contacts. So, I'm starting to think that it must be a server issue and not a phone issue, but who knows...

I'm running really desperate here, any ideas would REALLY be appreciated!

Thanks folks,

Costa

 

[Costa Flocas]

Exact same issue thread here:

http://forums.androidcentral.com/sp...t-microsoft-exchange-contacts-jelly-bean.html

(In case someone has a suggestion...)

Best,
cf

 

[Paul Self]

What I am finding is that exchange contacts are not being stored locally on the phone. If you open people via People, Email, phone look-up, or to invite to a meeting, the contacts that you KNOW are there, aren't there. However, if you wait.................................. (about 20 - 30 minutes) it will connect to the exchange server and eventually find the contacts your looking for. This is really frustrating when trying to lookup a phone number while driving.

I suspect that the People synch is not storing the contact database locally like outlook does when you disconnect from a network

I base my suspicion on a few tests that include looking up contacts that I know are there and then waiting, plus Texting contact information is missing. Once it has synched everything, then the contact details are there. I also base this on the Direct Dial widget that I use for the people I call often. Once the People have been synched, then I can create a Direct Dial short cut for my wife, work etc. However, once I am NOT connected to exchange, I cannot even find my wife's name in the contact list. I can go into my exchange outlook contact and confirm she is in there.

Gingerbread seemed to store contacts locally, but Jellybean seems to be an effort to force you into the Google world and out of Microsoft's world.

So, I am looking for a contact app that will DOWNLOAD and STORE the contacts on the phone and synch with exchange on a regular basis. This is basically what an Outlook client does with exchange. It does not go to the server all the time. Any suggestions will be welcomed.

I am noticing a fair number of Jellybean things that are attempting to force us into the Google world. It "feels" like they are mirroring Apple by trying to create their own echosphere. If so, I am not a fan of this effort.

I am using a Motorola Razzr Max HD.

 

[Paul Self]

Still digging deeper and running more tests.

Other phone users were complaining about battery life and chased the problem down to auto-synch running all the time and eating up the battery.They turned off auto-synch and battery life came back.

Then I remembered an update from Verizon just happened. This made me research all of my account settings to see if they had turned off auto-synch. They had. The Razzr Maxx is supposed to have (and does have) really long battery life. Therefore, Verizon is turning off a lot of stuff to conserve energy.

I went into Contacts, pressed the 3 dot thingie, selected accounts, turned auto-synch back on and confirmed which accounts to synch. It is downloading all of my stuff now.

A word of caution on which accounts to display. I have 2 exchange accounts, one pop, facebook, linkedin, twitter, etc... If you don't control which Contacts to display, you may have multiples of the same contacts coming from each account. Do the 3 dot thingie and select Contacts to Display. I only display my personal exchange contacts, therefore reducing the duplicates displayed.

Still not sure this is the complete fix.

 

[Costa Flocas]

Paul, I hear what you say (about JB not storing exchange contacts locally) but I have to disagree. My SIII originally came with ICS. Back then, everything exchange (emails, contacts and calendar items) were being pushed and back just fine and, needless to say, contacts WERE stored locally as I, too, used the direct dial widget for family members on my home screen with no issues.

My OTA (over wifi, actually) JB update arrived a couple of months ago and all contacts were still working fine (showing up on my phone instantly, meaning, no need to connect to the exchange server in order to retrieve them). Yet, in all fairness, I cannot verify if--since the JB update--my phone's exchange contacts were being updated from the server. I can only assume so.

In my case, the trouble started when--for testing purposes--I entered my exchange's IP address, replacing its CNAME. The moment I did this, all locally stored exchange contacts disappeared, NEVER to return back, even when I entered again its CNAME or even after a complete factory reset of the phone.

I cannot support it with facts but I suspect it is an Exchange 2003 issue. For some reason, I guess it has registered my old setup with a certain mobile device "ID" and ever since the change or the factory reset, it just doesn't push my contacts to my "new" phone (to which, I assume, exchange has assigned a new device ID, even though it is still an Android device).

I also understand that Exchange 2007 and 2010 (but not 2003) have a special property within the OWA administration screens that DO show the mobile devices "connected" or "allowed to connect" to a specific exchange user account. Through the same screen, you can DELETE or REMOTELY WIPE all exchange data stored locally on the device, should you lose your phone for instance. Now, there is a MSFT-issued tool for 2003, (see: Download Microsoft Exchange Server ActiveSync Web Administration Tool from Official Microsoft Download Center) that essentially allows exchange admins to do just that, but my company's admins are a bit ...chicken to try it. If they weren't, I would just delete my android device from it and recreate from scratch my exchange account on my mobile, so that exchange would treat this as a "new" device, pushing everything to it.

What I have done, meanwhile, is an export of my exchange contacts into gmail, so that I now have them on my mobile, alas, not synced in any way with the "live" ones on the Exchange server. It's better than nothing.

Also, I would thing that Google playing it so dirty is just plain stupid, so I don't think that this is done purposefully... Strangest things have happened, though. ;-)
cf

 

[MrHost]

I had to reinstall exchange as well to get something else working. Works fine now. I am my exchange admin so I have the inside scoop. Lol

Sent from my Xoom using Android Central Forums

 

[Costa Flocas]

OK, I stand corrected. After careful and meticulous testing, I have to--conclusively and undeniably ;-) --declare this as a JB, NOT an Exchange 2003, issue:

In a friend's identical SIII (running 4.1.2), I setup my OWN exchange server credentials and it, too, like mine, DID NOT receive any contacts from the server.

I set up my own exchange settings on my wife's HTC One V (on ICS 4.0.4) and it DID download ALL my contacts from the Exchange server just fine!

Therefore, it's NOT the Exchange server that has an issue but it's Jelly Bean that chokes up. :-(

If this issue does not get resolved soon, I'm sorry, but I'm ditching my phone or I'll try upgrading/downgrading from JB as this is my biz phone and I cannot tolerate not having synced contacts.

Google, if you read this, pls do something about it, like, FAST!
cf