iPhone and Outlook 365 contacts not syncing

Hello Everyone.

GOOD NEWS.  (At least partially).

I appreciate all the comments about “try this” and “try that”. Believe me, I’ve tried all of the recommended and typical fixes.  As I said in my last post I would try to revert back to using iTunes to sync in lieu of Microsoft’s iCloud for Windows.  GOOD NEWS (at least partially- I have yet to test redownloading iCloud for Windows to sync calendars and reminders (it didn’t sync Music either, which i didn’t realize until reinstalling iTunes).

GOOD NEWS. By reverting back to iTunes as the Contact sync method it worked as it should (and did) before installing iCoud for Windows.  

Here is the simple fix (no change in registry).

1. Delete completely iCloud for Windows. If your installation also installed iCloud for Outlook, uninstall that too.
2. Restart your PC.  
3. Install the latest iTunes.  

Voila...

Within minutes (whatever your sync schedule/method -mine syncs over wifi- you’ll soon see all the contacts you added to your native iPhone app show up in your Outlook 365 contacts, and vice versa.  

It works as it did before installing iCloud for Windows (I orginally thought it was Oulook for iOS, but no, the problem is a conflict with iCloud for Windows).

4. In iTunes, review and customize your settings the way you like.  I found that iCloud for Windows was not syncing my music library both directions either. With Groove discontinued I made iTunes the default music app and it synced all my music files (once I showed iTunes where I keep my music files).  Yes, this caused duplicates that i manually deleted, but well worth it; i now have my entire music library on my phone and PC and they sync like they should. 

Note* iTunes also does not sync calendar or reminders, so iCloud for Windows might still be necessary.  I have Outlook for Windows on my SurfacePro... (*Note- I did not delete iCloud for Windows on my Surface Pro, so there is still an iCloud folder in Outlook on my SurfacePro).  

I’ll test...

I added an event to my iPhone native calendar.  Did it sync to my SurfacePro?

 ...the answer... YES.!

The event is on both my iPhone calendar and my SurfacePro’s Outlook iCloud calendar (it’s not on my PC because I uninstalled iCloud for Windows (with iCloud for Outlook) from my PC and haven’t reinstalled it... yet.

All that remains to test:

Reinstall iCloud for Windows on my PC.  Select only Calender and Reminders (photos back to OneDrive and Contacts and Music to iCloud via iTunes).  Hopefully, once reinstalled with only Calendars and Reminders selected to sync, the reinstall of iCloud for Windows (with Outlook) will not recreate the sync conflict.  If so I will follow steps 1 - 3 again then manually add calendar events and reminders to both the iPhone native app and Outlook iOS/desktop.  I remain hopeful a reinstall of iCloud for Windows on my PC will not recreate the sync conflcts.  

Bottom Line: Microsoft, please fix the sync issues in iCloud for Windows (use the same code that’s used for iTunes).

I hope this helps the thousands of others with this issue.

*Remember you MUST uninstall iCloud for Windows (and iCloud for Outlook if it’s installed), restart, install or update iTunes before iTunes will begin to sync. 

If this works for you and its worth a charitable donation of a buck or two, please send your donation to The Shriner’s Hospital of Houston c/o The Maurice B. Gordon Memorial Annual Fishing Tournament for Charity.

I am having the exact same issue so please include me on the fix.  Creating new contact on iPhone 8 is not replicating to my desktop & laptop contacts running Outlook 365.

Thank you in advance.

Hello Jeff,

The solution I had didn't sync iPhone Calendar or Reminders, so I was forced to reinstall iCloud for Windows.  I hoped iTunes would still sync Contacts and that iCloud for Windows would sync Calendar or Reminders.  No such luck; iTunes recognized that I had iCloud for Windows and the setting says "syncs are conducted through iCloud".

After troubleshooting with Microsoft it was explained that, unlike iTunes which syncs to my live.com contacts (outlook.pst I assume), after installing iCloud for Windows (and iCloud Outlook) you will find a new folder in Outlook under Contacts named "iCloud" with two subfolders, "Contacts - iCloud", and another simply called "Outlook" (I haven't any idea why that is there). 

However, the iPhone now syncs contacts into this: "iCloud --> Contacts - iCloud" folder. 

Why could they not have designed the application to sync to the Outlook default email *pst file as it did in the past?  If they had, or at least given us a choice, there wouldn't be over 2500 +/- people posting that iPhone doesn't sync with Outlook.  Maybe if Microsoft would publish a guide "Using an iPhone with Outlook" with sections on "syncing iPhone to Outlook through...", "easily removing duplicates", "adding to Outlook PC to sync to iPhone", "Outlook for iOS - does it do anything?', "How to delete a contact from your device without deleting from all devices or the primary database", How to delete a contact from all devices and the primary database", "Setting up a new PC and importing Contacts from [where now]..."etc..".

Microsoft should explain the process. 

EXAMPLE: Add a contact to iPhone native app and it syncs to iCloud, then iCloud syncs with Outlook Cloud, and Outlook Cloud syncs with Outlook in the iCloud folder/Contacts-iCloud. 

(iPhone--> iCloud--> Outlook Cloud --> Outlook PC in iCloud folder and Contacts - iCloud subfolder).  To [do the following] follow these steps...

REVERSE EXAMPLE: To add a contact to Outlook on your PC and have it sync to your iPhone, add the contact to Outlook's iCloud folder and Contacts - iCloud subfolder.  Do not add the contact to your default Outlook mail address Contacts folder because this folder is not setup to sync to Outlook Cloud --> iCloud --> iPhone.  To [do the following] follow these steps...

These flows seems the logical process, but Microsoft could have had everything sync to the original default location, or at least give us an option, right? Or maybe it does with the correct settings, in which case Support should be educated. 

Support, chime in...

"New contacts made in the phone do not sync."

In case other people still have this issue, this may be a more classic problem & not that technical at all.   I would check to make sure you are creating a contact on iPhone under your O365 account not iCloud or GMail etc.

iPhones supports multiple contact lists. Your default iPhone contacts more likely isn't your O365's.     It is an Apple thing, usually if you have O365, you will be using O365 contacts not iCloud or Gmail contacts as your primary contacts. 

They seem to be missing some basic points in their design as they always do!  That is always been my observation.  Too much emphasis on aesthetic than functionality.  A simple user prompt to choose which contact/calendar etc should be default when adding a new account would've done the trick.

On your iPhone, check Settings, Contacts, Default account

Also different contact accounts have different color coding so you should be able to tell if your newly added contact on iPhone is not going to O365 account by looking at what color assigned to it & compare it to your existing O365 contacts.

The link you reference does NOT solve the issue. Doesn't even address the issue that was brought up.  Please don't respond to clog up threads with directions to "solutions" that aren't solutions and not for the problem posted.