Sharing Google Calendar on iPhone or Android Device

Understanding Google Calendar Sharing

Google Calendar allows you to share access to your schedule, making it easier to coordinate plans and appointments. You can share your entire planner or specific events with individuals or groups. You can also set different access levels to control who can view or edit the details.

📌 I use my Google calendar for time-blocking (in fact, this is my favorite productivity tip at work). If you look at mine, you'll see big chunks of time allocated for work to-dos (like writing or researching article topics) and personal tasks (like working out or getting groceries). You'll also find various work meetings, calls, and social events (like going to a family dinner.)

📌 When I share my schedule, I tend to send individual events relevant to the person I'm sending it to. Because mine has work and personal items, I tend to avoid giving full access permissions — which allow others to respond to invitations, edit my events, share them with others, and even delete my entire calendar!

📌 If I must give coworkers access so they know my availability, I'll usually manage the details I share (like chunks of time I'll be busy or free).

How you share your Google calendar boils down to how you use it. If your workplace or educational institution manages your account through Google Workspace, the administrator might even have restricted or disabled sharing outside your organization.

If you're like me, who uses it for everything, you can share your availability and send individual invites to friends or coworkers. If you happen to have separate ones for work or personal, you can also choose to share all the details in your planner.

Ways to Share Your Google Calendar

There are many ways to share your calendar — whether with family, coworkers, friends, or essentially anyone you need to give access to.

How to Share Google Calendar with Certain People

To share a Google Calendar with someone, use a web browser on your mobile device or follow these steps on your desktop:

1. Open Google Calendar on your browser.
2. Go to the My calendars section on the left. Click the down arrow to expand this section if it's not already open.
3. Find the one you'd like to share, hover over it, and select More followed by Settings and sharing.
4. Go to the Share with specific people or groups section and click Add people and groups.
5. Enter the email address of the individual or Google group you wish to share with. Choose the appropriate permission level from the drop-down menu.
6. Tap Send to share.

You will share the Google Calendar link with the person you sent it to. They must click this link to add it to their list.

How to Share Google Calendar with Family

I share my schedule with my spouse and immediate family members. Whether for special occasions or appointments we have to attend together, getting on the same page with events saves us from unnecessary misunderstandings (or missing someone's birthday!)

To share it with family members, you can start by creating a group.

1. Log in to Google Groups.
2. Tap Create group at the top.
3. Fill in the necessary details and configure the settings for your group.
4. Reference the settings guide if needed.
5. Click Create group.

Allow a few minutes for your new group to activate before sending messages to it to avoid delivery errors. Optional next steps include configuring advanced settings for your group.

Once you have your group and its members, just follow the instructions for adding specific people in the earlier section, except that instead of adding the email address, you're adding the group — in this case your family!

How to Share Google Calendar with Family on iPhone

While you can't officially share your Google Calendar using an iPhone or iPad app (nor share it on Android app), you can try a simple workaround. This can be handy, especially if you use an iPhone for work.

Here's how to do it:

1. Open Google Calendar in the web browser on your iPhone. Do not switch to the Google Calendar app if installed; stick with the browser.
2. At the bottom of the page, select Desktop to change the view.
3. Locate My calendars in the lower-left corner of the screen.
4. Choose the calendar you wish to share and tap the three dots next to it.
5. Select Settings and sharing.
6. Scroll down to find Share with specific people or groups.
7. In the provided field, enter the email address of the family Google Group you previously created.
8. Set the desired permission levels. For example, if you only want someone to know when you're free or busy without revealing event details, select See only free/busy.
9. Tap Send to share your calendar.

And there you go — your calendar is now shared with those you’ve added!

How to Share a Google Calendar Event on iPhone

1. Open the app and select the event you want to share.
2. Tap Edit (pencil icon) at the top.
3. Tap Add guests and select the people you want to share this event with.
4. Ensure the event visibility is set to your desired preference, then tap Done.
5. If you don’t have the email addresses of all invitees, tap Invite via link.
6. Send the link to the guests you wish to invite.

How to Share Google Calendar on iPhone in iOS 11

1. Access Google Calendar via a web browser on your iPhone.
2. Follow the same steps as above to share calendars or events directly from the browser.

How to Share Google Calendar on iPhone App

Unfortunately, you can’t directly share a Google Calendar from the Google Calendar app on iPhone. The app itself doesn’t have built-in sharing features. However, you can share your Google Calendar from a web browser by following the steps above.

How to Share a Calendar on iPhone from Another Google Account

1. Sign into the app with the secondary account that has the calendar you want to share, if you’re not already logged in.
2. Follow the same steps as above.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Encountering problems while sharing your Google Calendar can be frustrating, but most issues have straightforward solutions. Here are common problems and their fixes to ensure seamless schedule sharing.

📌 Recipient not receiving the calendar invite: Check that the email address is correct and the invitation hasn't been filtered to spam.

📌 Unable to share due to permission settings: Ensure you have the necessary permissions to share it and the account is properly synced.

📌 It's not visible on the recipient's device: Ask them to check their calendar settings and ensure the shared calendar is selected for viewing.

📌 Sharing events on Google Calendar app: As mentioned in earlier sections, sharing the entire planner or individual events isn't possible. You'll need to do it from the desktop.

Conclusion

Sharing your Google Calendar on iPhone or Android is a fantastic way to keep everyone on the same page and make coordinating a breeze. With these easy-to-follow steps and handy troubleshooting tips, you'll share your schedule in no time — and on the go!