How to Share a Family Calendar Between iPhone and Android

Why iCloud doesn't work for a mixed family

Apple's shared calendars are built for Apple Accounts. When you share an iCloud calendar with specific people, each person needs an Apple Account and has to use iCloud to see it. There is no Apple Calendar app for Android, and Apple says Calendar on iCloud.com needs a tablet or computer, so an Android phone has no practical way to edit it.

iCloud's other option is a public calendar: you turn on Public Calendar and share a link that anyone can subscribe to. But only the owner can change a public calendar, so the Android parent can see events and can't add any. Subscribed calendars also refresh on the calendar app's schedule, and Google Calendar can take several hours to pick up a change.

Google Calendar has neither problem. Everyone needs a free Google account, and the calendar works the same on both kinds of phone. Android users already have a Google account.

Step 1: Give every adult a Google account

Android users already have one. iPhone users can create one for free at accounts.google.com. It doesn't have to be a Gmail address; Google lets you sign up with an email you already use.

Step 2: Create the Family calendar on a computer

Google only lets you create new calendars in a web browser, not in its phone apps. Apple's Calendar app can't create Google calendars either.

1. Go to calendar.google.com on a computer and sign in.
2. On the left, next to "Other calendars," click the plus sign, then "Create new calendar."
3. Name it "Family," check the time zone, and click "Create calendar."

Shortcut: if you set up a Google family group (up to 6 people), Google creates a calendar called "Family" automatically, and everyone in the group can add and edit events. You may already have one if you share a Google One or YouTube Premium family plan. Look for "Family" in the left column of Google Calendar before making a new one. If you use it, skip Step 3.

Step 3: Share it with each person

1. In Google Calendar on the computer, find Family under "My calendars."
2. Click the three dots next to it, then "Settings and sharing."
3. Under "Shared with," click "Add people and groups."
4. Enter the person's email, choose a permission, and click "Send."

Which permission to choose:

Each person gets an email and has to click the link in it to add the calendar. If it doesn't arrive, ask them to check spam, or remove them and add them again.

Step 4: Put it on every phone

Android: open Google Calendar, tap the menu, and make sure Family is checked. On Samsung phones that use Samsung Calendar, the Family calendar appears under your Google account in the menu once the account is added to the phone.

iPhone, the easy way: install the free Google Calendar app from the App Store and sign in. Family appears right away, and everyone in the house sees the same layout.

iPhone, in Apple's Calendar app: if you'd rather keep Apple's app, add your Google account:

1. Open Settings, then Apps, then Calendar, then Calendar Accounts. (On older iOS: Settings, then Calendar, then Accounts.)
2. Tap Add Account, then Google, and sign in.
3. Make sure Calendars is turned on for that account.

Shared Google calendars sometimes don't appear in Apple's app. If Family is missing, open google.com/calendar/syncselect in Safari, sign in, check Family, click Save, then close and reopen Calendar.

Step 5: Save new events to Family, not iCloud

This is the most common mistake in mixed households. An iPhone saves new events to its default calendar, which is usually an iCloud calendar the Android phone can't see.

On iPhone, go to Settings, then Apps, then Calendar, then Default Calendar, and pick Family under your Google account. On any phone, glance at the calendar field before you tap save. It should say Family.

Step 6: Each person sets their own reminders

Google Calendar notifications are personal. A reminder you set on an event only goes off on your phone; the rest of the family won't get it.

To give everyone a sensible default, each person opens Google Calendar settings in a browser, selects Family on the left, and sets "Event notifications" (for example, 30 minutes before) and "All-day event notifications" (for example, 5 p.m. the day before). It takes a minute, and it saves the "I didn't know that was today" conversation.

If something isn't showing up

When a shared calendar isn't enough

A shared Google calendar solves the main problem: everyone sees the same events on any phone. What it doesn't hold is everything around those events, like the dinner plan for a late practice night, the grocery list, or whose turn it is to drive. If those still live in group texts, a family organizer app that runs on both iPhone and Android can keep them in one place. Our guide to choosing a shared family calendar app covers what to look for.