How to use and troubleshoot issues with Lync Mobile on Google Android mobile devices

Users can download the Lync 2010 mobile client for Google Android for free from Android Market. Users can use the client to connect to Lync Online if they have been assigned a Lync Online license. This article describes some common issues and their resolutions when using the Lync 2010 mobile client for Google Android.

Install the app

The Lync 2010 mobile client for Google Android is available for free from Android Market. Users should install the app directly to their device and use their Office 365 user ID to sign in.

If users experience issues when they download or install the Lync 2010 mobile client, have the user change their connection type from 3G to Wi-Fi or from Wi-Fi to 3G. Then, try downloading again. If the user still cannot install the client, they should contact their cellular service provider or contact Android Market Support (http://support.google.com/androidmarket/?hl=en) .

Sign in requirements for Google Android

When users sign in to the Lync Mobile app, the sign-in information that is required to successfully authenticate depends on the following scenarios:

• Whether a user’s Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) address is the same as the user’s user principal name (UPN)
• Whether users are hosted on an on-premises Lync server or on Lync Online in Office 365.

The following table describes the sign-in fields required for Android users.
If automatic discovery for mobile clients has not been configured, users have to enter the following internal and external discovery addresses in addition to the fields that are listed in the table:

• Internal discovery address: https://webdir.online.lync.com/Autodiscover/autodiscoverservice.svc/Root
• External discovery address: https://webdir.online.lync.com/Autodiscover/autodiscoverservice.svc/Root

Note The Sign-in address and Password fields are displayed on the sign-in screen. To access the User name, Domain, Internal discovery address, and External discovery address fields, select Server Settings on the sign-in screen.

Troubleshoot Auto-Detect

The Lync 2010 mobile client for Google Android looks for different DNS records than the Lync 2010 desktop client. For the Auto-Detect process to discover the correct Lync Online service, a CNAME record that meets the following criteria must be created for the SIP domain that is being used:To troubleshoot, use one or more of the following methods, as appropriate for your situation:

• Use the nslookup command and a public DNS server to determine whether the DNS CNAME record is configured correctly.
• If the user has the option, have the user switch between Wi-Fi and 3G to determine whether the issue can be scoped to one kind of connection. If sign in continues to fail on a 3G data connection, although the CNAME DNS records are configured, it may be an issue with the cellular service provider’s data connection.
  
• The user receives the following error message:
  Cannot connect to the server. It might be unavailable. Also please check your network connection, sign-in address and server addresses.
  This error message usually indicates one of the following conditions:
  • A DNS lookup issue exists.
  • The Auto-Detect CNAME records are configured incorrectly or are not configured at all.
  
  
• The user receives the following error message when the user tries to sign in:
  Can’t sign in. Please check your account information and try again.
  This error message indicates one of the following conditions:
  • The Lync 2010 mobile client for Google Android can discover the correct Lync Online server. However, it cannot find the sign-in address that was entered by the user.
  • The password is incorrect.

Connecting over Wi-Fi through an authenticating proxy

If the Wi-Fi connection that is used requires authentication before connecting, Lync may not connect because it cannot use the credentials to connect through a proxy. To work around this, connect through the mobile carrier’s data connection instead of Wi-Fi.

Contact lists

The contact list that is displayed in the Lync 2010 mobile client for Google Android is read-only and cannot be changed from the mobile device. If a user wants to add or remove a contact from the list, the user must use the Lync 2010 desktop client or Outlook Web App (OWA) Instant Messaging (IM).

Contact photos are displayed only if they are stored in the global address list (GAL). A contact who specified images through web URLs on the desktop client will not have a photo displayed for the contact.

Chats tab and conversation history

The Chats tab on the Lync mobile client for Google Android only keeps track of the conversations that occurred on the mobile device. It will not display chats from desktop clients. Chats on mobile devices are not displayed in the conversation history folder in the user’s Exchange mailbox.

Differences with other mobile clients

For a feature comparison of Lync 2010 mobile clients, visit the following Microsoft TechNet website:

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.