How to make the best use of the iOS calendar app

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There are numerous functionalities and options in the iOS Calendar app that are just below the surface. Here’s how to discover them and utilize the app to its full potential.

Since its inception, Apple has offered a calendar app. Though it’s almost unrecognisable from how it began.

Like everything else, Apple has made it easy to get started with and more complex as you dig deeper. Here’s how to get going as well as some things you might not have known about.

How to create a calendar

You can create and customize your own calendars to be for specific categories (like work, family, and/or specific calendars for different friend groups), despite the fact that some calendars may be pre-set and fully configured.

Here’s how to make your calendar your own and customize it.

Go into the Calendar app and select “Calendar” in the bottom-center of the screen
Tap on “Add Calendar” on the bottom left of the screen
You can choose if you want to add a regular calendar (personal customization), a subscription calendar (by link), or a holiday calendar (choosing a specific region correlating to the holidays).
Select “Add Calendar” to customize your own
Give your calendar the preferred name you want for it
Select which account you want the calendar connected to (Outlook, Gmail, or iCloud)
Select the color you want the calendar to be corresponding with. This will allow your calendar to stand out from the other(s).

When you first set up your device, Apple pre-sets a default calendar for you, but you may go in and choose the calendar you wish to be your default calendar. The app will be set to this calendar when creating a new event, though it can be modified at a later time.

Go into Settings and scroll down till you see Calendar
Tap on Calendar and select “Default Calendar”
Select which calendar you want to be set as your default calendar

A excellent method to keep your personal and group schedules tidy and organized is to create calendars that are connected to particular activities and/or groups. The chosen colors, which may be whatever color you choose, picked for each calendar will also assist you in determining which event belongs to which group.

Created calendars will be found under the account you chose to correspond to the calendar too.

The process of creating a calendar does not have to be done alone; invites can also be sent. These enable many users to browse and add events to the shared calendar.

Here’s how to make calendars that you can share with others.

Select Calendars at the bottom of the Calendar app
Create a new calendar under your iCloud account. No other account will allow you to share it with others via the Calendar app.
Once created, find it in your lists of calendars under iCloud and tap on it
Tap on “Add Person”
Type in the person or their email address to send them an invite to collaborate on the calendar together. You can select if you want them to be able to view and edit the calendar or just view it.
Once they accept the invite, they can do what you allowed them to do.
If you no longer want to share the calendar information with certain people, you can tap on their name and select “Stop Sharing”

You can choose the color you want the calendar to be when you share it so that it stands out from your other events that are shown in other calendars.

To be alerted when someone or more who are sharing the calendar add, alter, or delete events, you can toggle on “Show Changes.”

The calendar can also be set to be a Public Calendar. Anyone with access to the shareable link will be able to view the calendar but not update it as a result.

The “Event Notifications” toggle in the calendar’s settings allows you to disable alerts if you do not wish to be informed of events on the calendar.

A fun approach to locate spare time to plan a trip, go out to dinner, or just spend time with one another is to share calendars with family, friends, and/or coworkers.

You may now check the shared calendar to confirm your availability rather than having to enquire about someone else’s availability. It really is a wonderful way to spend time with the ones you value most.

How to deal with event invites

Even though you can make shared calendars with others, there are occasions when you only want them to see one event (like a party, wedding, etc.). You can invite folks who own Apple devices using Calendar.

You will need their email address to send an invitation, preferably the email associated with their Apple ID. Calendar invites cannot currently be sent using iMessage or any other messaging app.

To invite someone to an event, select “Invitees” when creating the event.

The receiver will be alerted via a notification and a banner on their Calendar app when they receive your invitation. They have the choice to agree to the event, reject it, or say “maybe.” You will see “pending” until they choose one of the choices.

Even after you’ve completed creating the event, you can still invite people.

How to handle location and links

When creating an event that will take place at a specific location, you can put the address just under the event’s name. Apple improved the feature in iOS 15 by allowing you to add phone numbers and websites instead of addresses.

In the “Location or Video Call” box under “Title,” paste the phone number or video chat link (from Zoom, Microsoft Teams, FaceTime Links, or any other video-chatting platform that includes a shareable link). Once you’ve pasted your details, a tiny icon will show up next to the link’s related phone number, app icon, or app name.

You can choose “Call” for phone calls or “Join” for video calls when it’s time to make a call. When you join a video call, the app and the call will open immediately.

By clicking the share symbol next to the “Join” option on the calendar event, you may distribute the video call link directly to anyone else who needs it.

When you’re ready to leave, you can click on the event’s address and be taken to maps by adding the address. When you are close to the time of the event, your device will also simply recommend the location when opening maps.

Tap and create

You can tap on dates and times to add them immediately to your calendar when using an iOS native app, such as iMessage or Mail. Currently, this does not function with third-party mail, messaging, or website applications.

You have the choice to create an event, set up a reminder, display the information in your calendar, or copy the event details after tapping on the information. When you choose “Create Event,” the identical sheet that appears when you add a new event to Calendar will appear.

The information you selected with your tap will already be filled in. If you press on a time, the time will already be entered for the event’s start time, and if you tap on a date, the date and time will already be pre-set on the event information sheet.

You will save a ton of time by doing this when setting up events and setting up your calendar. You won’t ever forget to be reminded of an occasion again once you learn how to create calendar events this way.

Setting Focus modes

Apple increased the functionality of Focus Modes by introducing Focus filters in iOS 16.

During the keynote address for WWDC 2022, Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering at Apple, stated that “Focus filters allow you block out distracting content.”

In Calendar, you can configure a Focus Mode to only display specific events in a calendar that relate to the Focus Mode’s intended use.

You can scroll down and choose “Focus Filters” in the settings menu to customise your Focus Mode. You may choose whatever app you want to filter once you press on it; in this case, it will be Calendar. Once you’ve done that, you can choose which calendar you want to appear just when this Focus Mode is activated.

Use focus filters to see events that are most pertinent to the situation you are in right now. If you’re a student, they might simply display your class schedule, or if you’re employed, they might only display significant meetings.

Focus filters assist you be present in the moment without being distracted by other obligations in your life when they are integrated into your new or existing modes.

The little (convenient) things

Despite the fact that these are not really substantial features, you can still use them to filter the calendar experience and personalize your home screen.

File attachment

You can attach a file to your calendar event if you’re organising a meeting and want to make it simple for attendees to view your notes or files.

You can choose a file from the Files app by scrolling down and choosing “Add attachment” while creating the event. When the time comes, you can directly access the file you’ve chosen from the Event Details page.

Widgets

You can simply check your future event or what you have planned for the present day by adding the Calendar widget to your home screen. There are three sizes available, each with the same functionality but displaying different amounts of information.

Three different variants are also available. “Up Next” displays your upcoming events for the present day and is available in all sizes (large can display your events occurring the following day), “Month” provides a calendar view and emphasizes the present date (available only in the small size), and “List” displays your upcoming events for the present day and the days that follow (only available in large).

Tapping on the widget will bring you straight into the Calendar app.

Staying on top

The Calendar app has a ton of potential, and if you open it and use the useful features it provides, you’ll see how well-designed and practical they are. People using the app may readily and conveniently locate these modification choices because to the app’s extensive customizability.

The Calendar app gives you easy-to-use tools for everything from adding new events to viewing and organising them.

By enabling you to add, modify, and/or remove any events from any device, iCloud makes using Calendar across the whole Apple ecosystem a great blessing. Any changes you make on one device will immediately be reflected on the others.

It is no secret that Apple will keep adding new features and methods for viewing and changing your calendar(s) in order to improve the functionality and simplicity of the programme even as they update their operating systems.

All Apple operating systems support the calendar app, which is also accessible online via the iCloud website.

Source :

Pangaro, N. (2022, September 1). How to get the most from the calendar app in IOS. AppleInsider. Retrieved September 9, 2022, from https://appleinsider.com/inside/ios/tips/how-to-get-the-most-from-the-calendar-app-in-ios

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