Sneaky default contacts set-up with Microsoft Outlook

Hi

I had the exact same issue, I go to download a contact via VCF and even though I click save to contacts the Outlook app hijacks the Vcard and places in the outlook app and not in the native contact app on my iPhone.

I would think Apple would want the contacts to stay native and do not realize Outlook is hijacking the contact.

I had to go into settings and force my contacts into Apple.

Please fix this bug ASAP -- Thx

Try something like this:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/contact-mover-account-sync/id582605968?mt=8

I don't believe apps have any ability to change the default account for addresses. However, if your school required that you install a profile to get your school email, that could have done it.

Hey Abozzuto,

I had the same thing happen to me. It seems like once I sync'd the outlook email service with my native Apple Mail app, Outlook changed my contact settings. I noticed this because I have been burned by lost contacts before so I like to know exactly where my back ups are. Once I sync'd my work email (outlook) to my phone, the contact settings changed over to the new Outlook server.

To your point, I never noticed any permissions or questions regarding where all my contacts could be stored. In your Apple ID portal you are able to download all your contacts as a zip folder and import them into a Google Account. That's what I ended up doing because my Google account is synced with my contacts too.

I obviously then switched the default contact account setting which, oddly enough, never effected the usability of Outlook on the mail app. I agree with you, I am disappointed this changed was never mentioned as I am sure there is many people out there who leave a job or school in your case, and lose all their contacts.

hope this helps!

Hey Abozzuto,

I would like to know the answers to these questions as well. I first notice this when I got a new phone and all my contacts were not saved into iCloud. I went to the apple store several times and spoke with customer service and they were unsure why this was happening.

I am glad I recently figure out that I need to reset my contact settings so that now my contacts save into iCloud instead of the Outlook server. But as you mentioned, I think this issue should be resolved for future users such as ourselves. It is a terrible inconvenience to lose all of your contacts.

Microsoft should not change where your default contacts are saved on your IPhone. That would mean you could potentially loose all your contacts if you left your company to go somewhere else.

In Android, when saving a contact, it asks you where you would like to save it and whether you should make it default. It would be nice to see this implemented.

In the meantime, I would suggest you document to your users how to go into General\settings\contacts and change it back.

I installed Outlook and an outlook account on my phone without it changing my default contacts or email accounts.

I have the Outlook account in Settings>Accounts & Passwords. Adding the account to my phone had no effect on my default account for contacts.

I'm having the same issue.

I just tried this with our corporate Exchange server, and the default has gone from Gmail to Exchange. I wonder what the difference is?

Don't know what to tell you. It didn't do this to me when I added my work account. Did adding your work email account require adding a profile?

Then you weren't required to add a device management profile. I don't know why your default changed.