Push contacts to every phone without scripts
Pushing contacts to phones usually means PowerShell scripts or device profiles that someone has to maintain. With ModernSync a global admin approves the app once, chooses the groups and checks a test run. After that, contacts are kept up to date on every iPhone and Android phone each night.
Works withiPhoneAndroidOutlook for Windows, Mac and web
Why there is no simple way to push contacts
Microsoft 365 and Intune have no built-in way to push a shared contact list to every phone. The usual answer is scripts against the mailboxes, and they break easily when staff join or leave.
Your options in Microsoft 365
| Option | Works well | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Your own scripts against the mailboxes | Can do exactly what you want. | Someone has to write, run and maintain them, and keep an eye on whether they fail. |
| Device management (Intune) | Manages settings and apps on the phones. | Can't readily push a shared contact list and keep it up to date. |
| Ask employees to save contacts | No IT work. | Incomplete and out of date within weeks. |
How ModernSync does it
Set-up takes about five minutes.
Approve the app
A global admin approves ModernSync in Microsoft 365. Nothing is installed on phones or servers.
Choose the groups
Pick who becomes contacts and who receives them. A test run shows exactly what would change before anything is written.
Contacts on every phone
Every night the contacts are updated in employees' mailboxes, and phones and Outlook pick them up from there.
A test run first
The test run shows exactly how many contacts would be created, updated and removed in which mailboxes. Nothing is written until you switch synchronisation on.
Data, hosting and the DPA
- Contact data stays in Microsoft 365
- Contacts are written straight from Microsoft 365 to employees' mailboxes. We only keep what the portal needs to show status.
- Hosted in Azure in the EU
- Your data is processed in Microsoft Azure in the EU, and we hold no passwords. The app's permissions are listed on the permissions page.
- Data processing agreement included
- It is part of the terms and accepted when you sign up.
Questions
Does it need Intune or device management?
No. The contacts are written to the mailboxes in Microsoft 365, so they reach managed and unmanaged phones alike.
What does the test run show?
How many contacts would be created, updated and removed in which mailboxes. Nothing is written until you switch it on.
Which permissions does the app need?
The app may read users and group members and write contacts. It has no access to email, calendars or files. Every permission is listed on the permissions page.
Who keeps the list up to date?
It happens by itself every night from the groups in Microsoft 365. There are no scripts to maintain, and if a run fails, it shows on the Overview in the portal.
Related guides and other solutions
- Push contacts to iPhones with Intune and Microsoft 365
The two Intune settings that affect contacts on iOS, why neither delivers a company contact list, and the alternatives with and without scripts.
- Which permissions does ModernSync need?
The four permissions the app asks for, what they are used for, and how to remove access again.
- Getting started with ModernSync
The five steps from signing in to contacts on the phones, and what you need before you begin.
- Outlook contacts on iPhoneColleagues from Microsoft 365 in the iPhone's own contacts, so calls show a name.
- Outlook contacts on AndroidColleagues in the Android phone's contacts, Samsung included.
- Shared contacts in OutlookOne shared contact list in every mailbox and on every phone.
- GAL sync for iPhone and AndroidThe global address list as real contacts, so calls show who is ringing.
- Company directory on the phoneThe directory in the phone's own contacts app instead of one more app.
Try it on your own groups
Sign up in the portal and see the test run for your own groups before you decide. Free for 14 days.