Solution · Global address list
Sync the global address list to every phone: a GAL sync tool for Microsoft 365
Anyone working with Microsoft 365 has every colleague in the global address list. None of it reaches the smartphone: when a colleague calls, the screen shows only a number. GALYNSKI closes this gap. It writes the global address list into every mailbox of the tenant as a contact folder, every night, with no extra app and no device management.
Why the GAL does not end up on the phone
The global address list (GAL) is a directory. Exchange Online and Outlook query it live with every search but never store it anywhere as contacts. Only what is stored as a contact in the mailbox reaches the phone. A directory entry that was never a contact in the mailbox cannot appear on the device.
What the built-in options can do and where they stop
| Option | What it does | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|
| Search in the Outlook app | Finds any person in the GAL while you write an email. | Online only, Outlook only. Caller ID, the phone app and WhatsApp see nothing. |
| “Save contacts” in Outlook, configurable via Intune | Mirrors your own Outlook contacts into the phone’s contacts app so that calls and texts show names. | Mirrors only what is stored as a contact in the mailbox. The GAL is not. |
| Copy GAL entries into your own contacts in desktop Outlook | Brings the current state onto the device once. | Every person does it themselves, nothing updates, leavers stay in the address book. |
| Your own script (PowerShell, Microsoft Graph) | Writes contacts into all mailboxes with an application permission. | Needs maintenance for changes, deletions, duplicates and throttling. Microsoft has been blocking EWS-based scripts gradually since 1 October 2026, and entirely from April 2027 at the latest. |
| Public folder with contacts | Central list in desktop Outlook. | “Outlook for Android or Outlook for iOS do not support connecting to public folders.” |
More on the built-in options and a comparison of the tools in the post Sync the global address list to iPhone and Android.
How GALYNSKI gets the GAL onto every device
- Connect. An administrator grants GALYNSKI admin consent in the tenant once. The app works with application permissions and without any user passwords. Which permissions those are and what for is on How GALYNSKI works.
- Create an address book. Name “Colleagues”, source “Global address list”, recipients all users or specific groups. Up to ten address books per organisation, for example one per site.
- Nightly run. In the window from 02:00 to 05:00 local time, GALYNSKI creates its own contact folder in every recipient’s mailbox (name of your choice) and writes the GAL entries into it as contacts. Rooms, resources and system accounts are filtered out; duplicates are merged by email address.
- Onto the device. 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”. No extra app, no MDM profile. More in the guide Company contacts on Android.
- Keeping up. New colleagues are on every device after the next run. When someone leaves the company, the next run removes the contact from the address books on the phones.
Not the whole GAL: departments and sites
Often not everyone should see everyone. There are two levers for this. The source “Group members” distributes only the members of an Entra ID or Microsoft 365 group, such as the field sales team or the management. With the recipients you decide who receives the contacts. Within one address book every person gets one card, even if they come through several sources. Details in the documentation Sources and recipients (German).
Data protection and operations
- The contracting party is SSIG-IT GmbH in Germany. The data processing agreement under Art. 28 GDPR is public (DPA, with English text), as are the sub-processors and the technical measures.
- Hosted in the EU. The contacts themselves stay where they belong: in the mailboxes of your tenant.
- What GALYNSKI processes and for how long is set out in the documentation Data protection.
- Protection against mass deletion: if a large part of the source suddenly disappears, GALYNSKI stops the affected address book before a single contact is changed, and reports the reason.
- Every run is in the dashboard with counts and notes. The report arrives by email when something changed or an error occurred.
Price
4.00 € per user per month, or 36 € per user per year on the annual plan. From 51 users 3.60 € or 33 €, from 251 users 3.20 € or 30 €, each plus VAT. The monthly plan can be cancelled monthly; invoicing on request. All prices on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Do employees have to set anything up on their phones?
At most once. GALYNSKI writes the contacts into a folder in the mailbox, and Outlook shows it by itself. For the contacts to appear in the contacts app and caller ID as well, switch on “Sync Contacts” (Android) or “Save Contacts” (iPhone) once in the Outlook app; Intune can preset this centrally. After that the contacts of every new address book come along by themselves.
Will caller ID then show the colleague’s name?
Yes, as soon as the mailbox’s contacts are in the phone’s contacts app: switch on “Sync Contacts” (Android) or “Save Contacts” (iPhone) once in the Outlook app. This can be set centrally via Intune, but it is not a prerequisite for GALYNSKI.
What happens to the users’ existing contacts?
Nothing. GALYNSKI creates its own contact folder and writes only there. Personal contacts, distribution lists and other folders stay untouched.
How quickly do new colleagues appear?
At the latest after the next nightly run. If you do not want to wait, start a manual run in the dashboard; at least five minutes lie between two manual runs.
Can I distribute only part of the global address list?
Yes. Instead of the whole GAL, the source can be the members of a group, and the recipients all users or specific groups. Up to ten address books per organisation cover sites, departments and special cases.
Do guests and disabled accounts end up on the phones?
Only if you want them to. GALYNSKI distributes neither guests from other organisations nor disabled accounts. Guest accounts can be included under “Exceptions”; disabled accounts cannot. The report after the run says how many accounts were left out for this reason.