iPhone and Outlook 365 contacts not syncing

Anonymous
2019-11-15T17:24:05+00:00

Good morning all -

I have an iPhone and Outlook 365.  I use the iPhone native contacts / calendar / email apps.  I use Outlook on my laptop.  I use a live.com account for my calendar and contacts.  I do not use the Outlook app on my phone.

When I make a calendar item it immediately syncs with my phone, regardless of whether I made the appointment on the phone or on the laptop in Outlook.

HOWEVER the same is not true with Contacts. 

  1. Contacts I make or edit in Outlook on my laptop sync right away in the phone.
  2. Existing contacts that are edited on the phone sync right away in Outlook.
  3. New contacts made in the phone do not sync.
  4. If I edit the new iPhone contact it still won't sync.

What is going on and how can I fix this?  This is happening on two phones in my family.

Thanks for any help,

Chris

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Contacts

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-07-24T19:43:21+00:00

    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).

    1. 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.

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-07-13T20:27:24+00:00

    and thank you!

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-07-13T20:27:13+00:00

    this makes perfect sense and is appreciated, BUT, here's the thing, sadly i have it set to email, not iCloud.

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-07-07T15:06:27+00:00

    i do need to use outlook.  it used to work years ago.  stopped and then i gave up trying to fix.  i even have IT support via work and they couldn't figure it out.  Who knows.  I've basically figure apple and microsoft products will never truly get along which is crazy to say in 2020, but why would things get better now.

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  5. Anonymous
    2020-07-07T14:44:52+00:00

    It sounds to me like there are too many programs involved in yours.  I just use the native iPhone apps for phone, calendar, notes and it all works with my Outlook on my laptop.  Originally the phone didn't sync contacts made on the phone.  Now it just magically does.  I suspect because of an update to either IOS or Outlook.  Both have happened since I started this thread.

    I have an iPhone 11 Pro, IOS 13.5.1, Outlook 365 on my laptop with all the latest updates.

    Maybe Outlook for IOS is making it not work.  I found that using iTunes for syncing isn't good because you don't get instantaneous syncs.  And I can't stand iTunes as an interface.

    Have you tried the native iPhone apps?  Do they not work for you?  Do you need to use some form of Outlook for iPhones?  If you can just go back to the simple versions and try that, it works. (Although could this be an older phone issue?)

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