The Microsoft Outlook mobile app now includes a dedicated contact editor. It replaces the system contacts editor, with a more consistent interface, more features, and better Intune integration for organizations using Outlook.
Before now, any update to a smartphone’s default contacts app could lead to bugs or inconsistencies in Outlook Mobile’s syncing process. And, importantly, third-party contacts apps tend to clash with organizational Intune policies. A Microsoft Intune policy that prevents business employees from copy-pasting contact info, for example, may be unenforceable in a smartphone’s default contacts app.
Outlook Mobile will continue to support its contact syncing feature. That said, the addition of an integrated Intune-compliant contact editor greatly reduces the need for contact syncing. It’s the ideal option for organizations that are reliant on Microsoft 365 services (and Intune in particular).
You can access the new contact editor from the “Apps” tab at the bottom of the Outlook Mobile app. Contacts can also be added from the “People” section of Outlook Mobile or by scanning a business card, though the scanning option is currently limited to Android devices.
Of course, Outlook Mobile’s contact editor offers most of the functionality that we see in the Outlook desktop app. Contacts can be organized into categories, and any contact that you create in Outlook Mobile may be synced to your smartphone’s native contacts app.
Microsoft began rolling out the Outlook Mobile contact editor in April 2024. The rollout is now complete on Android and iOS, meaning that the feature should be available to all users running a recent app version. Note that any contacts that were previously synced to Outlook will still be there after installing the latest update.
Source: Microsoft
