How to Share Google Calendar on iPhone

You share a Google Calendar from the Google Calendar app on your iPhone or from Google Calendar on the web (calendar.google.com). Add the person's email address and choose what they can see or change. They get an email with a link and must click it to add your calendar. The calendar then appears in their Google Calendar app on iPhone. To see it in the built-in iPhone Calendar app as well, add the Google Account in iOS Settings.

Make the sharing change in Google Calendar, either in its app or on the web. Google's help describes sharing only there, and the settings apply on every device.

How to share a Google Calendar from your iPhone

Use the Google Calendar app, not Apple's Calendar app.

1. Open the Google Calendar app.
2. Tap Menu, then Settings.
3. Select the calendar you want to share.
4. Under Shared with, tap Add people or groups.
5. Search for and choose the people or groups. You can add several at once.
6. Choose a permission level for each person.
7. Tap Save.

Each person gets an email and has to click the link in it to add your calendar. These steps follow Google's Share your calendar with someone help page for iPhone and iPad.

To stop sharing, open the same screen and tap Remove next to the person's name.

How to share a Google Calendar from a computer

1. Open Google Calendar.
2. Under My calendars on the left, find the calendar you want to share.
3. Click More (three dots) next to it, then Settings and sharing.
4. In the left menu, click Shared with.
5. Click Add people and groups and enter an email address or a Google group.
6. Choose a permission level and click Send.

See Google's computer steps.

Which permission to choose

Start with the lowest level the person needs. Use See only free/busy for scheduling and See event details for family or assistants who need to know what's happening. Give Make changes and manage sharing only to people who should control who else has access.

If the calendar belongs to a work or school account, your administrator decides whether you can share it, and with whom.

How to add a shared Google Calendar on iPhone

In the Google Calendar app

1. Open the sharing email on your iPhone and tap the link to add the calendar.
2. Open the Google Calendar app and tap Menu.
3. Make sure the box next to the shared calendar is ticked. Unticked calendars are hidden.

If you can't find the email, ask the owner to check your address, look in Spam and Trash, or ask them to remove you and add you again.

In the iPhone Calendar app

Apple's Calendar app shows Google calendars through the Google Account added in iOS Settings. Google's Apple Calendar instructions use this path:

1. Open Settings and go to Calendar > Accounts.
2. Tap Add Account > Google, or tap your Google Account if it's already listed.
3. Sign in, then make sure Calendars is turned on.
4. Open the Calendar app to see your Google events.

Some Google Calendar features don't work in Apple Calendar, including email notifications for events, creating new Google calendars, and Room Scheduler. If a shared calendar doesn't appear in Apple Calendar, use the Google Calendar app to check that it has been added to your account.

Share one event instead of the whole calendar

If someone only needs one meeting, invite them as a guest to that event instead of sharing your calendar. They see that event and nothing else.

Troubleshooting

• The person can see events but can't edit them: they have a viewing permission. Change their permission to one of the Make changes levels.
• The shared calendar doesn't appear on the iPhone: make sure the link in the email was used, then tick the calendar in the Google Calendar app menu. For more fixes, see Google Calendar not syncing.
• You can't share a work calendar: your administrator may have limited sharing. Ask them to check the calendar sharing settings.
• You can't share someone else's calendar: you need the Make changes and manage sharing permission on it.

For the Apple side of the setup, see our guide to syncing iPhone Calendar with Google Calendar.

Keep tasks off the shared calendar

A shared calendar works best for meetings and fixed commitments. If you also add every to-do, it gets crowded fast. For tasks with owners and due dates, use a shared list such as shared task lists, or a board in Gmail like Kanban Tasks.

Frequently asked questions

Can I share a Google Calendar from the iPhone Calendar app?

Use the Google Calendar app or calendar.google.com instead. Google documents calendar sharing only in Google Calendar. The iPhone Calendar app can display your Google calendars once the Google Account is added in iOS Settings.

How do I stop sharing my calendar?

Open the calendar's sharing settings in the Google Calendar app or on the web and remove the person.