Poppycal can pull in the events from your Google, Apple (iCloud), and Microsoft Outlook calendars and show them alongside everything else on the family calendar. It can also send the events you create in Poppycal back out to those calendars, so they show up on your phone wherever you already look. Every adult in the household can connect their own accounts, from the website or the Poppycal app.
Before you start
- Verify your email. If you see "Verify your email to unlock calendar sync, family invites, and more." at the top of the screen, open the link Poppycal emailed you first.
- Check your plan. Calendar sync works during the free trial and on both paid plans. If your trial has ended and you haven't subscribed, connecting won't work.
- For Apple, turn on two-factor authentication. Apple only lets you make the app-specific password Poppycal needs if your Apple Account uses two-factor authentication.
Two-way or view only
Every connection starts with one question: how should this calendar sync? You can change your answer later, so pick the one that fits today.
| Two-way | One-way (view only) | |
|---|---|---|
| Its events show in Poppycal | Yes | Yes |
| Poppycal adds its events to it | Yes | Never |
| A good fit for | Your own personal calendar | Work, school, holiday, or shared calendars you don't want changed |
Two-way means every Poppycal event. Each event created in Poppycal goes to every two-way calendar in your household, whoever the event is for. When you first connect a two-way calendar, Poppycal also adds the events that are already in Poppycal. If you'd rather keep your partner's dentist appointments off your work calendar, connect that one as view only.
Connect Google
- Tap your profile picture at the top of the screen and choose Settings.
- Scroll to Connected Calendars and choose + Google. On the website, before you've connected anything, the button reads Connect Google Calendar.
- When Poppycal asks "How should this calendar sync?", choose Two-way or One-way (view only), then Continue.
- Google's sign-in page opens. Sign in to the account whose calendar you want and allow access. Leave the calendar boxes ticked, because Poppycal can't connect without them.
- You'll come back to Poppycal's settings with the account listed under Connected Calendars. The first sync runs in the background, so give it a minute before you go looking for your events.
Poppycal starts with your main Google calendar. If you keep others, like a shared family calendar, add them under Choose which calendars sync.
Connect Outlook
Outlook works the same way as Google, and both personal Microsoft accounts and work or school accounts can connect.
- In Settings, under Connected Calendars, choose + Outlook (or Connect Outlook Calendar on the website if nothing's connected yet).
- Choose Two-way or One-way (view only), then Continue.
- Sign in with your Microsoft account and accept the permissions it asks for.
Poppycal starts with the account's default calendar. Some workplaces block outside apps from reaching their calendars, and if yours does, Microsoft will tell you an administrator has to approve it. That setting belongs to your IT department, so they're the ones to ask. A personal account isn't affected.
Connect Apple
Apple doesn't use a sign-in window. Instead, Poppycal needs your Apple Account email and an app-specific password, which is a separate password Apple makes for apps it didn't build. Your regular Apple Account password won't work here, and that's on purpose: it means Poppycal never sees it.
First, make the password at Apple
- Go to account.apple.com and sign in.
- In the Sign-In and Security section, select App-Specific Passwords.
- Select Generate an app-specific password, name it "Poppycal", and follow the steps on screen.
- Copy the password Apple shows you. It looks like
xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx. Keep that page open until you've pasted it into Poppycal.
Then connect it in Poppycal
- In Settings, under Connected Calendars, choose + Apple (or Connect Apple Calendar).
- Choose Two-way or One-way (view only), then Continue.
- In the Connect iCloud Calendar form, enter your Apple Account email in Apple ID Email and paste the password into App-Specific Password.
- Choose Connect iCloud.
Apple starts out syncing every calendar on the account. On the website, Poppycal opens Calendar Settings straight after you connect so you can trim that list down. In the app, choose Edit on the new account to do the same.
Changing your Apple Account password breaks the connection. Apple cancels every app-specific password whenever your main password changes or is reset. If that happens, make a new one and reconnect. The steps are in Fix calendar sync problems.
How syncing works
| How often | Every 15 minutes, on its own. To pull changes right away, choose Sync on the account. |
|---|---|
| Which dates | From 3 months ago to 12 months ahead. |
| Into Poppycal | Events from the calendars you've chosen for that account. |
| Out of Poppycal | Two-way only. Events created in Poppycal go to the calendar set in Add new events to:. |
| Between accounts | Never. An event from Google isn't copied to Outlook or Apple. |
| Colors | Events from other calendars aren't tied to anyone yet, so they show in gray. Open one and pick a person under Assign to to give it their color. |
| Repeating events | If one occurrence was changed in Google, Outlook, or Apple, it's read-only in Poppycal. Edit it in the calendar it came from. |
Choose which calendars sync
Most accounts hold more than one calendar. To pick the ones that show up in Poppycal, choose Edit on the account under Connected Calendars. That opens Calendar Settings.
- Under Choose which calendars to show in Poppycal, tick the ones you want. Changes save as soon as you tick them.
- For a two-way account, Add new events to: sets which of those calendars receives your Poppycal events.
- To change direction, choose Switch to one-way (view only) or Switch to two-way sync. Going to one-way after Poppycal has added events, you'll be asked whether to Remove them or Leave them. Going to two-way on Google or Outlook, you may need to sign in again so Poppycal has permission to add events.
Pause or disconnect
Pause syncing stops changes in both directions but keeps the connection and all your choices. The account shows "Syncing is turned off for this calendar." until you choose Resume. Resuming a two-way calendar asks you to confirm first, since Poppycal will start adding its events to it again.
Disconnect this account removes the connection. Events that came from that calendar disappear from Poppycal, and the events you made in Poppycal stay put. Anything Poppycal already added to the other calendar stays there too, so delete those in Google, Outlook, or Apple if you don't want them. You can reconnect whenever you like.