Outlook Mobile App "Contacts" not syncing

Question

Outlook Mobile App "Contacts" not syncing

Yves Bélanger 10

Recently switched phone from Samsung A50 to A36. Installed mobile app to the A36 and set-up my Microsoft *.com account.

Emails and calendar are syncing but NOT the "contacts". Instead I see a list of emails and phone numbers. It should be noted that I have no issue with the A50.

Deleted the mobile app and reinstalled. It's solve the problem for a few minutes (all my contacts are listed by "first name" as per my web desktop app) but doesn't last and revert to email list when I wake-up my phone after screen timeout. Reset of email account didn't do anything.

So far I a) turned OFF new Contacts feature on my outlook desktop web, b) on my mobile app, ensured that MS Exchange ActiveSync in ON for Contacts, c) the mobile app permission for Contacts are set to Allow, d) the mobile app settings for "Contacts" sync contacts is ON, e) removed my sync Samsung contact account on A36 and f)cleared Outlook mobile app cache.

Any suggestion?

Guille Fernández García 0 Reputation points

2026-04-09T14:10:00.3866667+00:00

I have exactly the same issue on my OnePlus 10T.

I have already followed the same steps mentioned by the original poster, including reinstalling the app, checking permissions, enabling contact sync, reviewing battery settings, clearing cache, and verifying the account configuration, but the problem is still there.

This seems to have started very recently. In my case, I first noticed something was wrong because all my contact photos suddenly disappeared. After that, it became clear that the contacts were no longer being listed properly, and instead the app started showing fragmented contact information rather than the normal contact view.

At this point, this does not look like an isolated configuration issue. It looks like a real bug affecting Outlook on Android.

Microsoft needs to acknowledge this problem publicly and provide an estimated date for when a fix will be released.
Yves Bélanger 10 Reputation points

2026-04-09T14:38:28.6433333+00:00

To clear this syncing problem I resetted my phone to the factory defaults. After one week of frustrations and wrestling with this issue it was faster to reset the phone, resink with my old phone and adjusted the missing permissions. Was back in business in 4 hours. PS: (I am almost positive that this is a Samsung issue as the phone was working before and then stopped syncing after I make some setting adjustments in the privacy and security and others and realized only after several days the syncing issue. I can't pinpoint which one switch affect the syncing of the contacts and calendar).
Alice-N 9,205 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-10T04:05:38.8433333+00:00

Hi Yves Bélanger — thank you for the update. I’m really glad you’re back up and running.

A factory reset + restoring the needed permissions typically points to something on the phone’s Android/Samsung side blocking contact/calendar sync (often after privacy/security changes), rather than a problem with your Outlook.com data itself.

If it ever returns, please kindly use Outlook’s built‑in Help (?) > Contact Support / Send Feedback so they can review diagnostics from the app.

Once again, thank you for your understanding and time.

Have a lovely day!
Guille Fernández García 0 Reputation points

2026-04-13T15:42:03.9466667+00:00

Any news regarding this topic? Outlook Android APP has been updated but this bug is not resolved yet.
Alice-N 9,205 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-15T04:31:12.7066667+00:00

Hi Guille Fernández García

If there is a fix or any update on the issue, I will let you know. Thank you!
Chris P 36 Reputation points

2026-04-16T17:48:36.78+00:00

I'm having the same issue - it started a few days (maybe a week?) ago... I've been using the outlook app on this particular phone (Samsung S23 Ultra) for over a year now (and iv'e been using Outlook other Samsung phones for even longer) and haven't had this issue before.

The signal that there was a problem was that suddenly all my contacts in WhatsApp turned into just phone numbers. Thinking that WA could have been the culprit, I uninstalled it... that had no effect on the issue (still happens when it's gone)

The one thing I've found that temporarily fixes the issue is to either clear the app data for Outlook (essentially restoring the app to defaults) or uninstall/reinstall it - the contacts will sync correctly for a few hours but will eventually get borked again.

Resetting the account from within the Outlook app has no effect, nor does clearing the app cache, or disabling/re-enabling sync, or deleting the account and adding it back.

Copliot suggested setting the battery usage to unrestricted for Outlook - this had no effect.
Alice-N 9,205 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-17T04:28:30.7533333+00:00
Hi Chris P — to get better support, please start a new question on Microsoft Q&A:

Go to Microsoft Q&A and sign in with your Microsoft Learn profile. See: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/support/ask-question

Select Ask a question (top right).

Add a clear Title.

Pick the closest tag (Q&A uses a hierarchy; you can select 1 hierarchical tag). Choose the one that best matches Outlook + Android/mobile, then put the rest of the context in the details.

In the Details, include what you have tried and describe the situation clear.

Thank you for your understanding!

2 answers

Your answer

Guille Fernández García 0 Reputation points

2026-04-09T14:10:00.3866667+00:00

I have exactly the same issue on my OnePlus 10T.

I have already followed the same steps mentioned by the original poster, including reinstalling the app, checking permissions, enabling contact sync, reviewing battery settings, clearing cache, and verifying the account configuration, but the problem is still there.

This seems to have started very recently. In my case, I first noticed something was wrong because all my contact photos suddenly disappeared. After that, it became clear that the contacts were no longer being listed properly, and instead the app started showing fragmented contact information rather than the normal contact view.

At this point, this does not look like an isolated configuration issue. It looks like a real bug affecting Outlook on Android.

Microsoft needs to acknowledge this problem publicly and provide an estimated date for when a fix will be released.
Yves Bélanger 10 Reputation points

2026-04-09T14:38:28.6433333+00:00

To clear this syncing problem I resetted my phone to the factory defaults. After one week of frustrations and wrestling with this issue it was faster to reset the phone, resink with my old phone and adjusted the missing permissions. Was back in business in 4 hours. PS: (I am almost positive that this is a Samsung issue as the phone was working before and then stopped syncing after I make some setting adjustments in the privacy and security and others and realized only after several days the syncing issue. I can't pinpoint which one switch affect the syncing of the contacts and calendar).
Alice-N 9,205 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-10T04:05:38.8433333+00:00

Hi Yves Bélanger — thank you for the update. I’m really glad you’re back up and running.

A factory reset + restoring the needed permissions typically points to something on the phone’s Android/Samsung side blocking contact/calendar sync (often after privacy/security changes), rather than a problem with your Outlook.com data itself.

If it ever returns, please kindly use Outlook’s built‑in Help (?) > Contact Support / Send Feedback so they can review diagnostics from the app.

Once again, thank you for your understanding and time.

Have a lovely day!
Guille Fernández García 0 Reputation points

2026-04-13T15:42:03.9466667+00:00

Any news regarding this topic? Outlook Android APP has been updated but this bug is not resolved yet.
Alice-N 9,205 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-15T04:31:12.7066667+00:00

Hi Guille Fernández García

If there is a fix or any update on the issue, I will let you know. Thank you!
Chris P 36 Reputation points

2026-04-16T17:48:36.78+00:00

I'm having the same issue - it started a few days (maybe a week?) ago... I've been using the outlook app on this particular phone (Samsung S23 Ultra) for over a year now (and iv'e been using Outlook other Samsung phones for even longer) and haven't had this issue before.

The signal that there was a problem was that suddenly all my contacts in WhatsApp turned into just phone numbers. Thinking that WA could have been the culprit, I uninstalled it... that had no effect on the issue (still happens when it's gone)

The one thing I've found that temporarily fixes the issue is to either clear the app data for Outlook (essentially restoring the app to defaults) or uninstall/reinstall it - the contacts will sync correctly for a few hours but will eventually get borked again.

Resetting the account from within the Outlook app has no effect, nor does clearing the app cache, or disabling/re-enabling sync, or deleting the account and adding it back.

Copliot suggested setting the battery usage to unrestricted for Outlook - this had no effect.
Alice-N 9,205 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-17T04:28:30.7533333+00:00

Hi Chris P — to get better support, please start a new question on Microsoft Q&A:

Go to Microsoft Q&A and sign in with your Microsoft Learn profile. See: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/support/ask-question

Select Ask a question (top right).

Add a clear Title.

Pick the closest tag (Q&A uses a hierarchy; you can select 1 hierarchical tag). Choose the one that best matches Outlook + Android/mobile, then put the rest of the context in the details.

In the Details, include what you have tried and describe the situation clear.

Thank you for your understanding!

Answer 1

Dear Microsoft Support Team,

I am writing to follow up on the Outlook for Android contacts issue previously reported.

We are still experiencing the same problem, where contact information becomes fragmented in the app and individual phone numbers or email addresses appear as separate contacts instead of being correctly grouped under the main contact name.

Could you please let us know whether there are any updates on this issue?

In particular, we would appreciate confirmation on the following points:

Whether Microsoft has already identified this as a known issue.
Whether the engineering team is currently working on a fix.
Whether there is any estimated timeline for resolution.
Whether there is any official workaround available in the meantime.

This issue is having a significant impact on day-to-day usage, so any update you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much in advance.

Kind regards,

Guille

Answer 2

Alice-N 9,205 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Yves Bélanger

I understand how frustrating it is to switch to a new phone and have mail/calendar working but contacts keep reverting to an email/number list after the screen times out. In Android Settings > Accounts/Manage accounts, does your Microsoft/Outlook account show Contacts = On and does it show a recent “last synced” time after you turn on Auto sync data?

I look forward to hearing from you. Have a lovely day!

Yves Bélanger 10 Reputation points

2026-04-02T15:05:45.1533333+00:00

Hi Alice-N,

Thanks for your quick response.

Effectively in Manage accounts/ActiveSync account/Sync Account the Contacts and Calendar are ON but are not updating even when I use Sync now. Only the email and task are syncing.

Noticed that when you uninstall the Outlook mobile app, the ActiveSync account is still in the Manage account list. I then remove the ActiveSync account (thinking that it can be corrupted), and my email account from the list and restarted the phone. After the restart I ensured that there was no ActiveSync and email account in the Manage account list

a) reinstalled Outlook mobile app

b) In the mobile app, added permission to Contacts and Calendar

c) in my email account settings, ensured that Sync Contacts and Calendar were ON

d) Installed ActiveSync for my email and added Contact and Calendar = ON

e) Performed Sync now in the ActiveSync account and noticed that Contacts and Calendar are not syncing

f) Curiously in Accounts & Backup/Manage account/email account/Sync account I can see Contacts and Calendar = On and when I Sync now they are updating but do not update my contact list.

g) proceeded to close the Outlook mobile app and when restarted and looking at my contacts I received the following message: "You have no contact" and within a second the screen reverted to my list of emails and phone numbers as a contact list.

Summary: ActiveSync is being partially blocked and is definitively not syncing the contacts and calendar.

PS: I installed Outlook mobile app version [PII: Removed] on a [PII: Removed].

Hope this provides some clarity. Thanks for your help on this frustrating matter.
Alice-N 9,205 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-03T01:23:50.9333333+00:00
Please do not share your email address or any personal details in this public thread.

Hi Yves Bélanger — since Outlook briefly shows the correct contact list and then reverts after screen timeout, please check the Android system sync switch (this can block Outlook contact sync even when Outlook’s own toggles are ON):

Turn ON “Auto sync data”

Go to: Android Settings > Accounts (or Passwords & accounts) > menu > enable Auto sync data, then open the Outlook/Exchange/ActiveSync entry and confirm Contacts sync is enabled there. Contact sync can fail when Auto sync data is off.

Make sure Samsung isn’t putting Outlook to sleep

Go to: Samsung Settings > Battery and device care > Battery > Background usage limits. Ensure Outlook isn’t in Sleeping apps / Deep sleeping apps.

If Auto-sync is ON and Outlook isn’t being put to sleep but contacts still won’t stay synced, please kindly provide feedback via Feedback Hub. See: Send feedback to Microsoft with the Feedback Hub app - Microsoft Support.

Thank you for your time. Please let me know how it goes.

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Outlook Mobile App "Contacts" not syncing

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