diff --git a/addressbook/inc/class.addressbook_ui.inc.php b/addressbook/inc/class.addressbook_ui.inc.php
index c97317437d..5317d5a6cd 100644
--- a/addressbook/inc/class.addressbook_ui.inc.php
+++ b/addressbook/inc/class.addressbook_ui.inc.php
@@ -2046,7 +2046,7 @@ class addressbook_ui extends addressbook_bo
 				{
 					$row[$name] .= ' '.($row['tel_prefer'] == $name ? $prefer_marker : '');		// .' ' to NOT remove the field
 				}
-				// allways show the prefered phone, if not already shown
+				// always show the prefered phone, if not already shown
 				if (!in_array($row['tel_prefer'],$tel2show) && $row[$row['tel_prefer']])
 				{
 					$row['tel_prefered'] = $row[$row['tel_prefer']].$prefer_marker;
@@ -2070,6 +2070,12 @@ class addressbook_ui extends addressbook_bo
 				}
 				$row['class'] .= 'contact_contact ';
 
+				if (!self::hasPhoto($row))
+				{
+					$row['lname'] = $row['n_family'];
+					$row['fname'] = $row['n_given'];
+					unset($row['photo']);   // no need to send, as there is no photo
+				}
 				unset($row['jpegphoto']);	// unused and messes up json encoding (not utf-8)
 
 				if (isset($customfields[$row['id']]))
diff --git a/api/src/Accounts.php b/api/src/Accounts.php
index fe08e2f845..f0b0b8e7b6 100644
--- a/api/src/Accounts.php
+++ b/api/src/Accounts.php
@@ -446,15 +446,15 @@ class Accounts
 					'lname' => $account['account_id'] < 0 ? $account['account_lid'] : $account['account_lastname'],
 					'fname' => $account['account_id'] < 0 ? lang('group') : $account['account_firstname']
 				];
-				// TODO: Ralf find a cheap way to get this
-				if($actual_picture)
+				// only if we have a real photo, send avatar-url, otherwise we use the above set lavatar (f|l)name
+				if(!empty($account['account_has_photo']))
 				{
 					$result['icon'] = Framework::link('/api/avatar.php', [
 						'account_id' => $account['account_id'],
 						'modified'   => $account['account_modified'],
 					]);
 				}
-				$accounts[] = $result;
+				$accounts[$account['account_id']] = $result;
 			}
 			else
 			{
@@ -516,7 +516,7 @@ class Accounts
 	function json($id)
 	{
 		static $keys = array(
-			'account_id','account_lid','person_id','account_status','memberships',
+			'account_id','account_lid','person_id','account_status','memberships','account_has_photo',
 			'account_firstname','account_lastname','account_email','account_fullname','account_phone',
 		);
 		if (($account = $this->read($id)))
diff --git a/api/src/Accounts/Sql.php b/api/src/Accounts/Sql.php
index 25e999439a..845079040a 100644
--- a/api/src/Accounts/Sql.php
+++ b/api/src/Accounts/Sql.php
@@ -501,7 +501,7 @@ class Sql
 				$filter[] = "(egw_addressbook.contact_owner=0 OR egw_addressbook.contact_owner IS NULL)";
 				break;
 		}
-		// fix ambigous account_id (used in accounts and contacts table)
+		// fix ambiguous account_id (used in accounts and contacts table)
 		if (array_key_exists('account_id', $filter))
 		{
 			if (!$filter['account_id'])	// eg. group without members (would give SQL error)
@@ -561,13 +561,13 @@ class Sql
 		if (!isset($this->contacts)) $this->contacts = new Api\Contacts();
 
 		$accounts = array();
-		foreach((array) $this->contacts->search($criteria,
-			array_merge(array(1,'n_given','n_family','id','created','modified',$this->table.'.account_id AS account_id'),$email_cols),
+		foreach($this->contacts->search($criteria,
+			array_merge(array(1,'n_given','n_family','id','created','modified','files',$this->table.'.account_id AS account_id'),$email_cols),
 			$order, "account_lid,account_type,account_status,account_expires,account_primary_group,account_description".
 			",account_lastlogin,account_lastloginfrom,account_lastpwd_change",
 			$wildcard,false,$query[0] == '!' ? 'AND' : 'OR',
 			!empty($param['offset']) ? array($param['start'], $param['offset']) : $param['start'] ?? false,
-			$filter,$join) as $contact)
+			$filter,$join) ?? [] as $contact)
 		{
 			if ($contact)
 			{
@@ -592,6 +592,7 @@ class Sql
 					'account_lastpwd_change'	=> $contact['account_lastpwd_change'] ?
 						Api\DateTime::user2server($contact['account_lastpwd_change']) : null,
 					'account_description' => $contact['account_description'],
+					'account_has_photo' => Api\Contacts::hasPhoto($contact),
 				);
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/api/src/Contacts.php b/api/src/Contacts.php
index 998127a959..62eff1ddec 100755
--- a/api/src/Contacts.php
+++ b/api/src/Contacts.php
@@ -1701,15 +1701,35 @@ class Contacts extends Contacts\Storage
 					$args[] = $result[$contact['id']];
 					$result[$contact['id']] = call_user_func_array('imap_rfc822_write_address', $args);
 				}
+				if (!is_array($result[$contact['id']]))
+				{
+					$result[$contact['id']] = ['label' => $result[$contact['id']]];
+				}
+				// if we have a real photo, add avatar.php URL
+				if (!empty($contact['jpegphoto']) || ($contact['files'] & self::FILES_BIT_PHOTO) &&
+					filesize($url= Api\Link::vfs_path('addressbook', $contact['id'], self::FILES_PHOTO)))
+				{
+					$result[$contact['id']] += [
+						'icon' => Framework::link('/api/avatar.php', [
+							'contact_id' => $contact['id'],
+							'modified'   => $contact['modified'],
+						])
+					];
+				}
+				// else add Lavatar information lname and fname
+				else
+				{
+					$result[$contact['id']] += [
+						'lname' => $contact['n_family'],
+						'fname' => $contact['n_given'],
+					];
+				}
 				// show category color
 				if ($contact['cat_id'] && ($color = Categories::cats2color($contact['cat_id'])))
 				{
-					$result[$contact['id']] = array(
-						'lname'                 => $contact['n_family'],
-						'fname'                 => $contact['n_given'],
-						'label'                 => $result[$contact['id']],
+					$result[$contact['id']] += [
 						'style.backgroundColor' => $color,
-					);
+					];
 				}
 			}
 		}
@@ -1854,14 +1874,14 @@ class Contacts extends Contacts\Storage
 				'app' => 'calendar',
 				'title' => $bocal->link_title($cal_id . ($start ? '-'.$start : '')),
 				'extra_args' => array(
-					'date' => \EGroupware\Api\DateTime::server2user($start,\EGroupware\Api\DateTime::ET2),
+					'date' => DateTime::server2user($start,DateTime::ET2),
 					'exception'=> 1
 				),
 			);
 			if ($extra_title)
 			{
 				$link['extra_title'] = $link['title'];
-				$link['title'] = \EGroupware\Api\DateTime::server2user($start, true);
+				$link['title'] = DateTime::server2user($start, true);
 			}
 			$user_id = ($type == 'u' ? '' : $type) . $contact['user_id'];
 			$calendars[$user_id][$key.'_event'] = $start;
@@ -2700,6 +2720,21 @@ class Contacts extends Contacts\Storage
 		return $ctag;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Check if given contact has a real photo attached
+	 *
+	 * @param array $contact
+	 * @param string|null &$url on return vfs URL of photo
+	 * @param int|null &$size on return size of photo
+	 * @return bool
+	 */
+	public static function hasPhoto(array $contact, string &$url=null, int &$size=null)
+	{
+		return !empty($contact['jpegphoto']) ||                           // LDAP/AD (not updated SQL)
+			($contact['files'] & self::FILES_BIT_PHOTO) && // new SQL in VFS
+				($size = filesize($url = Link::vfs_path('addressbook', $contact['id'], self::FILES_PHOTO)));
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * download photo of the given ($_GET['contact_id'] or $_GET['account_id']) contact
 	 */
@@ -2718,10 +2753,7 @@ class Contacts extends Contacts\Storage
 
 		$contact = $this->read($contact_id);
 
-		if (!($contact) ||
-			empty($contact['jpegphoto']) &&                           // LDAP/AD (not updated SQL)
-			!(($contact['files'] & \EGroupware\Api\Contacts::FILES_BIT_PHOTO) && // new SQL in VFS
-				($size = filesize($url= \EGroupware\Api\Link::vfs_path('addressbook', $contact_id, \EGroupware\Api\Contacts::FILES_PHOTO)))))
+		if (!$contact || !self::hasPhoto($contact, $url, $size))
 		{
 			if(!$contact_id && $id < 0)
 			{
@@ -2752,7 +2784,7 @@ class Contacts extends Contacts\Storage
 			// different url with different etag parameter will force a reload
 			if (isset($_GET['etag']))
 			{
-				\EGroupware\Api\Session::cache_control(30*86400);	// cache for 30 days
+				Session::cache_control(30*86400);	// cache for 30 days
 			}
 			// if servers send a If-None-Match header, response with 304 Not Modified, if etag matches
 			if (isset($_SERVER['HTTP_IF_NONE_MATCH']) && $_SERVER['HTTP_IF_NONE_MATCH'] === $etag)
@@ -2771,7 +2803,7 @@ class Contacts extends Contacts\Storage
 			}
 			exit();
 		}
-		Egw::redirect(\EGroupware\Api\Image::find('addressbook','photo'));
+		Egw::redirect(Image::find('addressbook','photo'));
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/calendar/inc/class.calendar_owner_etemplate_widget.inc.php b/calendar/inc/class.calendar_owner_etemplate_widget.inc.php
index a9f9684f6b..f77f69d3bb 100644
--- a/calendar/inc/class.calendar_owner_etemplate_widget.inc.php
+++ b/calendar/inc/class.calendar_owner_etemplate_widget.inc.php
@@ -164,6 +164,8 @@ class calendar_owner_etemplate_widget extends Etemplate\Widget\Taglist
 
 	public static function ajax_search($search_text=null, array $search_options = [])
 	{
+		// close session now, to not block other user actions
+		$GLOBALS['egw']->session->commit_session();
 
 		$bo = new calendar_bo();
 
@@ -193,7 +195,7 @@ class calendar_owner_etemplate_widget extends Etemplate\Widget\Taglist
 			{
 				$owngroup_options = $options+array('account_type'=>'owngroups');
 				$own_groups = Api\Accounts::link_query('',$owngroup_options);
-				$account_options = $options + array('account_type' => 'both');
+				$account_options = $options + ['account_type' => 'both', 'tag_list' => true];
 				$_results += $remove_contacts = Api\Accounts::link_query($search_text, $account_options);
 				$total += $account_options['total'];
 				if (!empty($_REQUEST['checkgrants']))
@@ -314,11 +316,23 @@ class calendar_owner_etemplate_widget extends Etemplate\Widget\Taglist
 				break;
 			case 'c':
 			case '':
-				$contact = $contacts_obj->read($type === '' ? 'account:'.$id : $id, true);
-				if (is_array($contact)) $value['icon'] = Api\Framework::link('/api/avatar.php', array(
-					'contact_id' => $contact['id'],
-					'etag' => $contact['etag'] ? $contact['etag'] : 1
-				));
+				// check if link-search already returned either icon or (l|f)name and only if not, query contact again
+				if (!(isset($value['icon']) || isset($value['lname']) && isset($value['fname'])) &&
+					($contact = $contacts_obj->read($type === '' ? 'account:'.$id : $id, true)))
+				{
+					if (Api\Contacts::hasPhoto($contact))
+					{
+						$value['icon'] = Api\Framework::link('/api/avatar.php', array(
+							'contact_id' => $contact['id'],
+							'etag' => $contact['etag'] ? $contact['etag'] : 1
+						));
+					}
+					else
+					{
+						$value['lname'] = $contact['n_family'];
+						$value['fname'] = $contact['n_given'];
+					}
+				}
 				if($id < 0)
 				{
 					$value['resources'] = array_map('strval',$GLOBALS['egw']->accounts->members($id, true));