Microsoft Delays Outlook Mobile Unified Contacts Feature Until May

It seems that Microsoft Outlook Mobile users will have to wait a bit longer for a streamlined contact management experience. The company has confirmed a delay for its unified contacts feature, which aims to simplify how contacts appear and behave.

Outlook Mobile unified contacts rollout pushed back

Microsoft initially planned to complete the rollout by the end of February. However, according to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center Message ID MC1093912, the timeline has now shifted to late May.

The delay affects a feature designed to address duplicate contact entries, which currently makes it harder for users to quickly select the correct email address when sending messages.

The unified contacts feature aims to simplify contact management

The upcoming update will merge duplicate entries into a single contact profile view. This change should make the process of finding and selecting contacts faster and more intuitive.

Microsoft is also enhancing contact profiles by adding organizational data from company directories, giving users more context about the people they are contacting.

What users can expect from the update?

With the new experience, Outlook Mobile will automatically hide duplicate contacts and present a unified profile instead. Each contact entry will include additional workplace details when available, helping users identify the correct person more easily.

The feature will be enabled by default, and Microsoft will not provide admin-level controls to disable or postpone it. Users will access their contacts through the Contacts section inside the Apps tab in Outlook Mobile.

Admin guidance ahead of the update

Microsoft advises administrators to prepare users for the change by updating internal documentation and communicating what to expect. Ensuring that users run the latest version of Outlook Mobile will also help avoid potential issues.

This delay follows a similar postponement affecting the People Hub feature in Outlook Web. Microsoft has also recently slowed its push toward the new Outlook for enterprise customers.

At the same time, the company continues investigating sync failures and server errors impacting classic Outlook, suggesting a broader effort to stabilize its email platform before rolling out major improvements.

Via Neowin