Take the headache out of calendar syncing with these quick tips

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Fantastical 2 uses iOS calendar settings to sync with Google. Screengrab: Flexibits
Fantastical 2 uses iOS calendar settings to sync with Google. Screengrab: Flexibits

As many of us use Google calendar to manage our daily lives, it’s an important thing to get this wondrous scheduling solution on our iPhones and iPads to better able to access it on the go.

Several third-party calendars, like the ever-useful and visually stunning Fantastical 2, use the iOS system for connecting to and synchronizing your calendars from Google to your mobile device.

Usually this works without a hitch, especially with newer iOS versions; you simply add an account and the calendar events you input on the web will show up on your iPhone, and vice versa.

When that doesn’t work, however, the settings you need to tweak can be a bit unintuitive. Here’s what they should look like for the best two-way Google to iOS sync.

googleBe sure you’ve set up Google calendar to work with iOS, going to the iPhone Select page while logged in to your Google account. Then, while still logged in, head to this Google Sync page on your iPhone to allow iOS to talk to Google.

The easiest way to make it all “just work” might be to delete your Google account and start anew. Tap into your Settings app, tap the Mail, Contacts, Calendars button, and then tap Add Account. Once there, tap on the Google icon and simply add your Google account details there. Your iPhone will validate your credentials and all should work just fine.

If it doesn’t, it’s time to dig a bit deeper. First, tap in to Settings, then Mail, Contacts, Calendars. Tap on your Google account to make sure that the Calendar toggle is set to ON.

Next, check to see how your iPhone is getting the data. Tap into Settings, Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and then tap on Fetch New Data. Leave Push ON at the top, but tap on your Google account in the list below that. Choose Fetch if you want your calendar data to get to your iPhone automatically, or Manual if you want it to only come in when you load a Calendar.

google4Finally (and this is the step that made this all work for me, with a little help from FlexibitsMichael Simmons), you want to make sure that iOS is pulling the correct default calendar from your Google account. Tap into Settings, Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and then swipe down tot he bottom of the page, to the Calendars section. Tap on Default Calendar, then choose your main Google calendar from the list there.

Now you should be able to add and edit your events from anywhere, be it your iPhone, web browser, or third-party app. Happy syncing!

Thanks, Michael!

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