I wrote this article because many people (and I) are searching for the best way to sync the global address list to Android devices. In fact, I spent six days reading many articles online and Reddit conversations to find the easiest solution.
I then spent two weeks working with our IT team to test each method.
Here are 6 ways to sync the global address list to Android devices.
Keep reading!
If you want to sync to iPhones, check out my guide on syncing the GAL to iPhone.
Key Takeaways:
- I found 6 ways to sync the GAL to Android devices: 1) Using Microsoft Outlook, 2. CiraSync, 2) Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, 3) Manual export of contacts, 4) Custom scripting and API integrations, and 5) LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol).
- CiraSync offers the best and easiest way to sync the Global Address List to Android devices.
- The GAL (Global Address List) does not sync automatically to Android devices unless you sync it using a third-party tool or manual process.
- Syncing the GAL to your Android device doesn’t affect your personal contacts.
How to Sync the Global Address List to Android Devices?
Method 1: Use Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft has confirmed that true GAL syncing to Android devices doesn’t exist. There is no built-in way to transfer your company’s entire address book to your phone.
The Outlook mobile app lets you search for colleagues when writing emails, but that’s about it.
You can type someone’s name in the « To » field and find them, but these contacts won’t show up in your phone’s regular Contacts app or anywhere else on your device.
Even worse, Microsoft limited this feature further in 2024.
Now, you can only find people you’ve emailed before, not everyone in your company directory.
You can search for contacts within the Outlook app, view basic information such as name and phone number, and make calls directly from the app. But that’s where it ends.
Why this sucks?
These contacts are trapped inside the Outlook app.
They won’t work with your phone’s dialer, text messages, WhatsApp, or any other apps. Every time you want to contact a colleague, you have to remember to search within Outlook first. It’s frustrating and time-consuming.
So, this method is more of a workaround than a real solution. Most people find it annoying and look for better alternatives like CiraSync.
Method 2: Use a Third-party App
CiraSync is a synchronization solution that allows users to sync the entire Global Address List to their smartphones (iPhones and Androids).
Users can sync an unlimited number of Office 365 Global Address Lists (GALs), public folders, CRMs, and shared calendars.
Here’s how to use Cirasync to sync the global address list to your Android!
1. Log in to the CiraSync Dashboard.
2. Click the + in the Contact Lists. (See figure below.)
3. Select the Contact source type. For this example, we will use Global Address List as the Contact source.
4. Click on Collections.
5. Select the desired Contact sources.
6. Click the NEXT button on the top-right corner.
7. Select the user contact you would like to use as a target.
8. Click NEXT in the top-right corner.
9. Name the contact list in the box under Provide Contact List Name.
10.Click the + next to Contacts.
11. Enter the preferred name of your subfolder.
12. Check Sync Contact Groups if you have groups in the contact list and would like to sync members of that group. You can choose to exclude Group members from syncing.
13. Check Populate Outlook Auto-Complete List if you want these sync contacts to appear in the Outlook Auto-Complete list.
14. By default, CiraSync will remove a Contact from the targeted mailbox if it is removed from the Source. If you would like to allow users to keep these obsolete items, check Retain obsolete items.
15. Click SAVE.
16. You will be taken to the sync summary dashboard.
17. Click the CiraSync icon in the top-left corner of the window to return to the CiraSync home dashboard.
18. Check the Update Cache box under the Sync Status pane in the top-right corner of the dashboard.
19. Click SYNC NOW to run a manual sync.
Method 3: Use Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync
1. Go to the Microsoft 365 admin center.
2. In the Microsoft 365 admin center, open the Admin centers menu and select Exchange.
3. Once inside the Exchange Admin Center, navigate to Recipients > Mailboxes.
4. Select the user mailbox for which you wish to enable or disable Exchange ActiveSync.
5. In the user’s mailbox properties, click on Mobile devices.
6. Under the Mobile Devices section, you can review sync settings and manage, add, remove, or block device access. This section also allows you to manage device policies, initiate remote wipes, and configure additional mobile device settings.
7. Click Browse to access and modify mobile device policy settings.
8. From here, you can view and adjust mobile device policy details, update synchronization status, and configure device encryption settings as needed.
Limitations of Using Exchange ActiveSync for GAL Syncing
Exchange ActiveSync has built-in restrictions that make proper GAL syncing impossible, no matter how the IT team sets it up.
ActiveSync only handles basic information, such as names, emails, phone numbers, and job titles. You won’t get addresses, manager info, departments, or any custom fields your company uses.
Instead of downloading contacts to your phone, ActiveSync makes you search every time you need someone. Each search needs an internet connection, and you need to type at least 3 characters before seeing results.
Contact info also isn’t saved on your device.
Lose your internet connection and you lose access to your colleagues’ information.
Even if IT wanted to help, they can’t work around these issues. They’re baked into how ActiveSync works and haven’t been updated in years.
The reality is that ActiveSync was built for email and calendar syncing. Microsoft added GAL support later as an afterthought, with strict restrictions that they haven’t improved.
Method 4: Manual Export and Import of Contacts
1. In Outlook, go to File.
2. Click on Import/Export under Open & Export.
3. Click “Export to File.”
4. Select Comma Separated Values.
5. Scroll to the top of the Select folder to export from your inbox and choose the Contacts folder located under your account. Select Next.
6. Click Browse, name your file, and click OK.
7. After confirming the location on your computer where your new contacts file will be saved, click Next.
8. Find the newly created CSV file on your computer and open it in Excel.
10. Your contacts are now copied to a.csv file, which you may import into another email service or onto another computer running Outlook for Windows.
11. Send the CSV file to your Android Smartphone.
Method 5. Custom Scripting and API Integrations (Advanced)
1. To access GAL information in an Office 365 environment, set up Microsoft Graph API. You’ll need an Azure AD application registered with the necessary permissions to read and access GAL data.
(For on-premises Exchange servers, use the EWS API to access the GAL. Ensure that you have permissions configured for secure access.)
2. Use PowerShell to access Exchange and Office 365 GAL data. A sample PowerShell script could retrieve contact details, export them as a CSV or JSON file, and store the data in a secure location or database.
3. Format the GAL data into a compatible format for Android devices, such as VCF (vCard) or CSV. You may need to create individual contact entries based on each GAL contact for easier management.
4. Write a sync adapter to automate the data pull from your server to Android devices. The sync adapter will periodically check for updates and add new contacts or update existing ones on Android.
5. Use Android’s Contacts API to add or update contacts directly on the device.
6. Set up a cron job (Linux) or Task Scheduler (Windows) to run the script at regular intervals (e.g., daily or weekly) to ensure GAL updates are reflected on the Android devices.
7. Test the entire workflow in a controlled environment to ensure proper data synchronization without duplications or data loss.
Method 6: LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol)
To sync the Global Address List (GAL) to Android devices using LDAP, follow these steps:
1. Ensure that your Active Directory is configured to allow LDAP queries. Enable port 389 for standard LDAP or port 636 for LDAPS (LDAP over SSL) to secure communications between devices and the Active Directory.
2. Identify the Active Directory server’s IP address or domain name. Gather the Base Distinguished Name (DN), which specifies the directory level to start the search (e.g., dc=company,dc=com).
Also, obtain the necessary credentials (username and password) to bind to the LDAP server and access GAL data.
3. On each Android device, install an LDAP client app from the Google Play Store. Popular choices include LDAP Sync or CardDAV-Sync. These apps will allow the device to connect to and sync with the GAL via LDAP.
4. Open the LDAP client app on the Android device and enter the LDAP server address (IP or domain name), port number (389 or 636), Base DN, and the account credentials.
Set the appropriate search filters to limit the data retrieval to the GAL (e.g., (&(objectClass=user)(objectCategory=person))).
5. Once the LDAP client is configured, initiate the sync process. The client app will retrieve the GAL contacts from the Active Directory and store them in the Android device’s contacts app.
6. Configure the LDAP client app to periodically sync the contacts, ensuring that the GAL is kept up to date on the Android device. Most LDAP client apps allow you to set a sync interval (e.g., daily or weekly).
7. After the sync is completed, verify that the GAL contacts are properly listed in the Android contacts app. Ensure that the sync works as expected and that future updates to the GAL reflect on the Android device automatically.
Why is My Global Address List Not Syncing With My Android? – Troubleshooting Steps
Before you start troubleshooting, you should understand that Microsoft is still working well when people say “the GAL is not syncing.”
Nothing is actually broken; it’s working exactly as Microsoft designed it.
Actual GAL sync to your Android contacts simply doesn’t exist.
But here are three ways your organization’s employees might report this problem. I will also show how to fix them.
Problem 1: “I Can’t See GAL Contacts in My Phone’s Contacts App”
Sometimes, you may set up everything correctly, but your organization’s employees say, “I can’t see GAL contacts in my phone’s Contacts app.”
By default, Microsoft prevents company contacts from syncing to personal contact lists for security reasons.
So end users will never be able to access GAL contacts on their Android Contact app.
What the IT Team Can Do:
The IT team can only ask employees to find colleagues through the Outlook app. Then, they need to manually add important contacts to their personal list.
Now this is time-consuming, and you need to train your employees.
And just imagine the mess if your organization has 2,000+ employees. And things are worse if it’s a construction company, where you hire and fire contractors every month.
Users must manually add new contacts and delete old ones.The IT team needs to either create an in-house sync tool or use a third-party solution, like CiraSync.
Problem 2: “GAL Search Isn’t Working in Outlook Android”
You may see “Connect to the Internet for more results” when searching the GAL, or you can only find people you’ve emailed before.
How to solve this problem?
What the IT Team Can Do:
Ask employees to check their internet connection, restart the Outlook app, or clear the cache in their phone’s settings.
If you are an end user and this doesn’t solve the problem, contact your IT team. Your company may have changed server settings.
Note that Microsoft reduced this GAL search in Outlook in 2024, so it might just be worse than it used to be, not broken.
Problem 3: “I Can’t Set Up Exchange ActiveSync”
Getting “Can’t verify account” errors?
What the IT Team Can Do:
Use these settings:
- Server is outlook.office365.com
- Username is your full email address
- Enable SSL
- Use port 443
Samsung S21 and S22 have known issues and might need special workarounds.
If that’s not working, your IT department might need to approve your device in their admin center or check if it got blocked for some reason.
Problem 4: “GAL Search Used to Work But Stopped”
This happened to lots of people in 2024. Microsoft changed how the mobile app works, and many features got worse or disappeared entirely.
Dave, a user, reported this issue on the Microsoft forum,
“You can’t [search for contacts in the GAL using the Outlook app for iOS and Android by typing their name in the “To” field when composing an email] anymore.”
He continued,
“The directory search has been modified in the mobile app’s, such that it only finds the e-mail addresses of people you have previously contected from the GAL in the desktop app… so only works where you’ve previously sent or recieved a message to that person eg where the information is already in your outlook contacts by other means / cached there.”
You could try updating your Outlook app, testing it out on different internet connections, and comparing it with the desktop version.
If desktop Outlook works but the one on your phone doesn’t, it’s probably just Microsoft’s new limitations, not your setup.
Does Syncing GAL Contacts to My Android Affect My Personal Contacts?
No, syncing the GAL with your Android won’t impact your personal contacts. GAL contacts are stored separately from personal contacts. Many apps and services offer the option to enable or disable GAL contacts to avoid overlap with personal contacts.
How Often is the GAL Updated on My Android?
The GAL (Global Address List) does not update automatically on Android devices unless you synchronize it using a third-party tool or manual process.
FAQ
You can access the global address list by searching for contacts in the Android Outlook mobile app. Alternatively, you can use the web version of Outlook to view your GAL by signing in with your Microsoft account.
The GAL (Global Address List) is not syncing on your Android because Microsoft does not sync the GAL to Android devices. The only solution is to use a third-party platform like CiraSync.
Yes, third-party solutions, like CiraSync, allow you to select specific contact lists from the GAL to sync, giving you control over which contacts appear on your smartphone.
No, Microsoft doesn’t provide a built-in tool to sync the GAL to mobile devices. Microsoft has officially said this isn’t possible with their apps, and there’s no dedicated contacts app for Microsoft 365.
Syncing the global address list to Android devices doesn’t sync contact photos and job titles. Microsoft’s manual methods often lose photos and extra details when you export/import contacts.
Thankfully, CiraSync automatically syncs contact photos, job titles, departments, and other extra information from your Active Directory.
You cannot control which users receive the GAL sync from Microsoft. Only third-party solutions like CiraSync let you sync contacts to specific departments, groups, or individuals.
Microsoft’s tools don’t offer this control since they don’t actually sync anything.
If a contact in the GAL is deleted or modified, end users need to delete or edit the contact themselves. If the IT team uses an auto sync tool, the software will automatically update the users’ phones as soon as contacts are modified or deleted.
Yes, syncing the GAL to Android poses security risks because company contacts end up on personal phones. Plus, other apps can access them. The IT team must put security measures and offer user training to minimize these risks.
If you use Microsoft’s manual sync methods, syncing the GAL will create duplicate contacts on the user’s phone. However, a tool like CiraSync checks if the contacts already exist in the user’s phone. If it exists, it does nothing or updates it with the latest information.
You can’t really sync contact lists beyond the GAL because Microsoft’s built-in options are very limited to basic GAL exports. But if you use a dedicated contact sync tool (like CiraSync), you can sync from CRM systems, public folders, shared mailboxes, and other custom contact sources.
On Outlook for iOS and Android, users can’t manually stop or disable GAL sync because the app doesn’t actually download the full Global Address List. It just queries the server when you search for a name.
Since there’s no continuous sync happening in the background, there’s also nothing for you to toggle off. The only way GAL lookups can be restricted is if your organization’s Exchange or Microsoft 365 admin enforces policies that block directory access.
Once again, Microsoft doesn’t provide GAL syncing to either Android or iOS. However, with CiraSync, you can sync the GAL to users on both Android and iOS, at the same time.
Microsoft’s manual sync methods leave old contacts on phones indefinitely unless you clean them up. The only option is to use a third-party tool that auto-deletes old GAL contacts.
Distribution lists are usually converted to individual contacts since Android doesn’t handle email groups the same way.
Yes, you can see GAL sync logs if you use a solution like CiraSync.
Yes, GAL contacts appear in WhatsApp and other apps if you’ve synced them to your mobile device. This can be good (caller ID works) or bad (corporate info in personal apps).
Yes, some tools allow you to roll back the GAL sync if something goes wrong, but with limited options. Prevention through testing is better than trying to fix problems after contacts are already on hundreds of phones.
