Colleague photos and company name on the phone
A call, and on the screen the name and face of the colleague: that is the moment a company address book on the phone feels complete. Whether the photo gets there depends on the route the contacts take into the phone, and that route is not the same on iPhone and Android. This post shows what Microsoft documents about it, which fields GALYNSKI transfers and how the “Colleagues’ photos” setting works.
What arrives on the phone from a colleague
GALYNSKI writes every colleague from the global address list or a group as a contact into its own contact folder in the recipients’ mailboxes. The fields come from the Microsoft 365 profile:
| Field | Where it comes from | What it gives you on the phone |
|---|---|---|
| First and last name, display name | User account in Microsoft 365 | Name on the screen when they call, hits in the search |
| Email address | User account | Email straight from the contact; the basis for “one card per person” |
| Job title, department | Profile fields | Who is this? The answer is in the contact |
| Mobile and business phone | Profile fields | Caller ID, call back with one tap |
| Company | Profile field “Company” | Search by company, group structures with several companies |
| Office | Profile field “Office” | Site or room, without asking |
| Business address | Address fields of the profile | Navigate to the site straight from the contact |
| Photo | Profile photo in Microsoft 365 | Picture on the call and in the contact list; can be switched off under “Colleagues’ photos” |
Photos: what Outlook mobile shows and what it does not
On the phone the Outlook app brings the mailbox’s contacts into the contacts app: on Android with “Sync Contacts”, on the iPhone with “Save Contacts”. The two differ when it comes to the photo.
In the FAQ for Outlook for iOS and Android Microsoft lists a table of which contact functions the app offers per platform. “Export Outlook contacts to native Contacts app” is listed for iOS; “Bi-directional sync of Outlook contacts with native Contacts app” and “Sync profile picture between Outlook contacts and the native Contacts app” only for Android (retrieved on 16 October 2026). So on the iPhone the Outlook app exports the contacts without the picture.
An Exchange account in Gmail or Samsung Email brings, according to a user report, only the default folder onto the phone, so not the GALYNSKI folder.
| Route onto the phone | Contact in the contacts app | Photo included |
|---|---|---|
| Outlook app for iOS, “Save Contacts” | Yes (export) | No |
| Outlook app for Android, contact sync | Yes (both directions) | Yes |
| Exchange account in Gmail or Samsung Email | According to a user report only the default folder | No reliable statement |
How GALYNSKI distributes photos
- One setting. Whether photos are distributed is controlled by the “Colleagues’ photos” setting in the settings; anyone setting up GALYNSKI finds it switched on. The profile photos from Microsoft 365 then go onto the distributed contacts in all mailboxes.
- The right size. GALYNSKI writes every photo at 240 × 240 pixels. If it is above 36 KB at that size, it uses 120 × 120 pixels. That keeps every photo below the size Microsoft sets for contact photos on phones.
- Over several runs. New contacts get their photo in the next run; large address books fill up over several runs.
- Switching off. Afterwards no new photos are distributed; existing ones stay on the contact. A photo removed in Microsoft 365 likewise stays until the contact is recreated.
- Colleagues only. The photos come from the Microsoft 365 profile, that is for the global address list and for groups. External contacts from the Exchange admin centre have no photo.
Company, office and address
Three fields that are often maintained in the profile and rarely used to reach the phone. The company helps in groups with several legal entities: whoever searches for “Miller” sees which one he belongs to. The office answers the question of site or room. The business address turns the contact into a navigation point when the field service drives to the branch. All three are included as soon as they are maintained in Microsoft 365; empty fields stay empty.
What you should know beforehand
- Photos are personal data. Hence the setting. What GALYNSKI processes is set out in the documentation Data protection, the agreement in the DPA.
- One direction. Maintenance happens in Microsoft 365. If someone changes a distributed contact on the phone, the next run overwrites the change.
- The device decides. Whether the photo is visible in the contacts app of a particular phone depends on the device, not on GALYNSKI. The table above shows what arrives.
- No extra app, no MDM. The folder appears by itself in Outlook on the computer and in the Outlook app. The contacts reach the contacts app and caller ID through the Outlook app: on Android with “Sync Contacts”, on the iPhone with “Save Contacts”. More in the post GAL on the phone without Intune or MDM.
GALYNSKI costs 4 € per user per month, less on the annual plan; photos and fields cost nothing extra. All prices on the pricing page, the source on the page GAL sync.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I see no photo on the iPhone although it is there in Outlook?
Because the Outlook app for iOS exports the contacts to the contacts app without the photo. According to Microsoft, only Outlook for Android syncs the profile picture with the contacts app. In the Outlook app itself the photo is visible on the iPhone too.
How large are the photos GALYNSKI distributes?
240 × 240 pixels. If a photo is above 36 KB at that size, GALYNSKI uses 120 × 120 pixels. That keeps every photo below the size Microsoft sets for contact photos on phones.
What happens when someone removes their photo in Microsoft 365?
The photo stays on the distributed contact until the contact is recreated. Switching the setting off distributes no new photos; existing ones also stay on the contact.
Do suppliers and external contacts get a photo too?
No. The photos come from the Microsoft 365 profile of colleagues, that is from the global address list and from groups. External contacts from the Exchange admin centre have no photo.
Which fields of a colleague are included?
First and last name, display name, email address, job title, department, mobile and business phone, company, office and business address from Microsoft 365, plus the profile photo unless you switch it off.