How to Sync Outlook Contacts on Android

[Hostile]

My parents both recently got Android phones and we're trying to figure out the best way for them to manage their contacts.

They both use Outlook for their personal Verizon (FiOS) email accounts and then they both have GMail accounts since Android pretty much requires them- dad has one to have and mom has one for her business.

So what is the best way to sync their contacts between Outlook (Verizon email) and their GMail accounts?

Dad has an LG Spectrum and mom has a Samsung Galaxy S3.

[joe97]

My work email (Exchange) and my personal email (Gmail) were sync'd automatically on the Galaxy S III as soon as I had them set up. Have a look at email sync settings.

[Hostile]

Exchange accounts work completely different from standard POP3 accounts in Outlook.

Besides, I'm asking about contacts. Their emails sync up just fine.

[joe97]

Exchange accounts work completely different from standard POP3 accounts in Outlook.

Besides, I'm asking about contacts. Their emails sync up just fine.

I was talking about contacts. Let me clarify then, my contacts were auto sync'd as soon as I had my email accounts setup.

[Hostile]

But your using an exchange server- exchange syncing works fine.

[JimmyD]

Hostile... Do your parents care if their Outlook contacts are mingled with their Gmail contacts?

If it's not a big deal, why not import the Outlook contacts into Gmail, then simply use Gmail as the primary email client? (....or are they married to using Outlook for some reason or another?)

[Slowkums]

A quick browse of Google Play shows that there are apps that can sync contacts to phone from outlook, but you have to purchase a desktop client for $10+, depending on the app.

There are others that let you export via csv file, but the convenience factor for that depends on how often your parents collect new email addresses.

[mozcar78]

As others have mentioned,
i just bricked my iphone and picked up the s3. I exported a csv file of my contacts from icloud.com, then i wen to gmail and imported them into the contacts in there. After that i sync'd my gmail contacts with my phone. Easy capresi sandwhich.


In other words. Export your contacts in a csv file and keep it in your computer as a safety caution for whenever **** like this happens.

Also, i sync'd my entire exchange/outlook to my calendar and contacts as well on the phone. Fairly capresi sandwhich as well.

[Hostile]

The csv exports are fine for a one-time transfers out of outlook but that appears to be it- new contacts on the phone don't make it back into Outlook.

So basically if I want contacts to truly sync between phone and Outlook I have to buy an app.

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

[AutobahnTDI]

When you say sync do you mean with a USB cable?

Are they opposed to using their Gmail account as their main email account? That would make things much easier. Any contact info that is changed through the Gmail web interface would automatically update the phone OTA and vice versa. Another advantage of this is that contacts are always backed up.

I have my OS X contacts, Gmail contacts and Android phone contacts all linked up. Any changes made on one of these simultaneously updates the other two. My calendars also work this way. Works pretty good.

[Hostile]

Their Verizon accounts are their main accounts and they won't switch- mom's gmail is for her business and dad's is a less-than flattering nickname he got while in the British Army. :p

[rmchung]

i use Android Sync Manager app. You also install a version on the desktop and it will sync across your wireless network. It allows you to select which specific contacts you want to sync up between outlook and your phone, calendars, photos, etc.

[theevilshiftkey]

I recently setup gSyncIt for a client and it works great. Syncs Outlook to Google... then phone syncs with Google. Seamless. Worked so well that I set it up on my computer too even though I already had an Exchange account, that way other Google users could see my calendar.