Several Ways to Sync Your Outlook Calendar Your With iPhone

Microsoft Outlook helps keep people organized by acting as a task manager, contact manager, journal, note taker, sender of emails and, as we will discuss today, a calendar. Because these busy Outlook users can’t always carry their computer around wherever they go, they sometimes need to synchronize their Outlook calendars with their more mobile devices, specifically their iPhones. This allows them to access their calendars anywhere and at anytime. If you’re interested in syncing your Outlook calendar with your iPhone, you’ve come to the right place. There are several methods to synchronize the two and below are the step by step processes of how to do this and hopefully simplify your life just a bit. You can also check out our course on mastering your iPhone if you want even more tips to help simply your life with the use of this device.

Using iTunes to Synchronize

Assuming you are an iTunes user, this is the easiest way to sync up Outlook with your iPhone.

1. Make sure the iTunes plugin is enabled in Outlook.
2. Connect your iPhone to your computer. iTunes should open up automatically. If it doesn’t, you may manually open it by clicking on the iTunes icon.
3. Open the Info tab in iTunes. Next, select “Outlook” from the “sync contacts with:” and “sync calendars with:” drop down. Below is a screen shot of what this step looks like. 
4. Finally, click the “sync” button, and there you have it.

Seems easy enough, but this method does have a few pitfalls.

• You need to connect your iPhone to your computer every time you need to sync.
• It’s only a one-way sync, meaning your Outlook information will appear on your iPhone, but not vice versa.

Syncing With HyperOffice

HyperOffice is recommended for groups, not individuals, and the smallest plan is for 5 users. HyperOffice is a cloud based service that syncs with both Outlook and iPhone, and acts as a bridge that allows bi-directional sync between Outlook and your iPhone.

1. Sign up online for HyperOffice and log in.
2. Set up synching between HyperOffice and Outlook using the HyperShare add-in.
3. Go to the “Settings” tab, and then “Mobile Sync”.
4. Click “Setup Phone”, and select the manufacturer, model and carrier of the phone and enter the phone number. Click “Continue”.
5. Next, enter the code received on your mobile device and click “Verify”.
6. On the next screen, select data items to sync.
7. Once HyperOffice is set up, you now need to set up your iPhone. First you click on “Settings” on your iPhone and scroll down & tap “Mail, Contacts, Calendars”.
8. Tap “Add Account” & select Microsoft Exchange as the type of account.
9. Enter HyperOffice email address and the password.
10. In the new server field enter hypersync.hyperoffice.com and hit next and select the services (Mail, Contacts, Calendars) you wish to sync.

Here are some of the benefits of syncing in this fashion:

• There is no need to install any dedicated servers or software.
• You are not tethered to a single computer, and your information is synched wirelessly over the air in real time even when you are traveling.
• HyperOffice also includes support for a wide range of other device, and allows you to sync Outlook with devices like BlackBerry, Android, Nokia, etc.

Syncing With the iCloud

1. Go to iCloud. Log-in, click on the gear located in the upper right corner to access the preferences. Verify that you are in 24h mode.
2. Add or edit events.

The cloud service from Apple can synchronize data with multiple platforms, unfortunately, it is not always easy to use and many users have reported errors concerning proper detection of the devices and synchronization issues.

Syncing With Microsoft Exchange or Other Enterprise Message Server

This option is applicable if you have Microsoft Exchange (2003, 2007, 2010) set up at your company, and powering Outlook. iPhone syncs with Exchange through the ActiveSync protocol.

1. Set up your Outlook account using Exchange.
2. On your iPhone screen, click “Settings”.
3. Click on “Mail, contacts, calendars”.
4. Next, click on “Add account” and select “Exchange”.
5. On the next screen, fill out your Email, Domain, Username, Password, and Description.
6. If auto-discovery is enabled in Exchange, the next screen will be automatically prepopulated. If not, you need to fill out the server information, then click “Next”.
7. Now iPhone displays a list of data types you want to sync – mail, contacts and calendars. Click on “save” to complete the process.

Using this process, you need to have Exchange Server installed, which is typically an enterprise product costing up to thousands of dollars. This is not an optimal solution for SMBs. Also, if you want to extend syncing capabilities beyond iPhone, Exchange does not support non ActiveSync devices.

Setting Up Exchange ActiveSync

The Microsoft Exchange server is a very popular and collaborative messaging server and is used by businesses and organizations utilizing Microsoft infrastructure solutions. In other words, Exchange is what powers Outlook. It supports IMAP, POP and web email clients such as Microsoft Outlook and lets users share information using either Outlook Web Access or Outlook. The benefits of Exchange are that it is very secure against viruses, spam and hackers.

1. On your iPhone, tap Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Add Account > Microsoft Exchange.
2. Enter the information in the following fields: 
3. Your iOS device will now try to locate your Exchange Server. If necessary, you will need to enter your front-end Exchange Server’s complete address in the Server field.
4. Choose which content you would like to synchronize: “Mail, Contacts, and Calendars”. Tap “Save” when finished.

Note: To modify your exchange settings, Tap Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars, select your Exchange account, and tap Account Info. See, now that wasn’t so hard, was it? Hopefully one of these options for synchronizing your Outlook calendar with your iPhone was ideal for you. If it turned out to be a bit of a hassle, the newly found convenience from completing this process should more than make up for it. If you’re still having issues, the office IT ner… person, will be happy to help out. Good luck and happy consolidating. Want even more tips to help you conquer the world with your iPhone? Check out this course on iPhone and iPad development for beginners.