Google Calendar: Everything you need to know!

By Daniel Bader
published

Google Calendar is an amazing and useful app because it's more than that — it's a cross-platform service that is as elegant as it is versatile.

It starts by being pre-loaded on your Android phone, tablet or Chromebook, and it goes from there. It's on the web, and it's on iOS. You can use it by yourself or share it with others. You can even subscribe to public calendars that are separate but perfectly integrated into your own. And the best part is that it syncs seamlessly in the Google Cloud, so you never have to worry that you've lost something.

How to add events and reminders

Google Calendar allows you to easily keep track of your busy schedule. With events and reminders, you can ensure that you never forget the important days, no matter how busy you get. We're here to show you how to do it all the right way.

How to add events and reminders to Google Calendar for Android

How to change your Google Calendar view, the color of events, and return to today's date

Google Calendar is one of the easiest ways to keep track of all the moving parts in your life, from upcoming birthdays to meetings you need to attend. Now the default view on Calendar will show you your schedule, and what you've got coming up next. Sometimes you want to check on things further out on your schedule, though, and for that you may want to change your calendar view.

That includes changing the color of events so that they pop out when you take a quick look at your schedule. We've also got the details on quickly returning to today's date with just a tap, so you can ensure you're always looking in the right place. Thankfully Google has made this really easy, and we've got all the details.

How to change your Google Calendar view, the color of events, and return to today's date

How to add a goal

Plenty of us already use Google Calendar to keep track of the many different parts of our lives. On top of making events and reminders you can also set goals for yourself. These include goals for exercising, work, friends, and plenty more. We've got the details for you here on how to set one up.

How to add a goal to Google Calendar

It's the best calendar app out there

We love Android because it offers alternatives to the apps built into your phone. But what if Google Calendar is the best calendar app? That's what we determined when we pitted it against a bunch of third-party alternatives in our Best Calendar App roundup. Do you agree?

The best Calendar apps for Android

Google Calendar on the desktop is now more Material... and beautiful

If you've been digging the fact that Google Calendar on Android looks so good, and dreading using it on desktop for its old, non-Material workflow, you're in luck — Google Calendar on the desktop now looks like its mobile counterpart!

Google Calendar's Material Design refresh on desktop is officially rolling out

Want to see more?

How do you use Google Calendar? Is it an essential part of your daily routine? Let us know in the comments below!

Daniel Bader
Daniel Bader

Daniel Bader was a former Android Central Editor-in-Chief and Executive Editor for iMore and Windows Central. 

32 Comments
  • Can't live without my Google calendar! I use it for reminders, I use it for appointments, I use it to coordinate meetings (which is made especially easy when everyone involved is using Google Cal) and I use all of those functions to manage multiple calendars for work and home. It is a lifesaver!!!
  • it doesnt have a snooze function...how amazing could it possibly be????????????
  • This is my biggest issue with using calendar for reminders. It pops up with a notification in the morning, and you either leave it up to remind you, or dismiss it and never see it again. I accidentally dismiss them way too often.
  • Really? I just tested this, I get an option to be notified again in 5 minutes on the web view. That was for a quick test, something that was coming up soon with a 10 minute reminder. I also seem to recall getting an option with notifications on my phone to be reminded later, 10 minutes or an hour sometimes depending on when the actual appointment is. How are you using calendar (web, phone, i-Something)? You can also do a bit of a workaround and add a few reminders to your event. Sometimes I'll put things 2 weeks out, 1 week out, 1 day before and a few hours before depending on what it is and how badly I need to attend vs. just being aware of it.
  • Multiple calendars and calendar sharing! My wife and I can view each others calendars. She has a calendar set up for our son that either of us can edit/add appt's to. Our daughter has her own google account and her calendar is shared to both of us. There are also public calendars, for example; the local java developers group and android developers group as well as my homebrew club. Also, my alma mater's basketball and football schedules are available as public calendars! Gov't holiday as well as various religious holiday calendars.
  • Google Calendar is my one of choice, but I am puzzled why Google doesn't include a Year View...sometimes it's really helpful to see the entire year at a glance!
  • I guess if you integrate your google account into s planner or a MAC / iOS calendar you will have year view, but that defeats the purpose of using G Cal.
  • if you go onto the web view of Gcal and then setting in the "Labs" tab you can enable a year view.
  • Nice overall, but the inability to move an event from one calendar to another is complete deal breaker for me.
  • You can move events between calendars, assuming they're Google calendars. Edit the event, check about midway through for "Calendar"; anything you have access to would be in that drop down box. I've used it before to fix mistakes when I put something on my calendar that needed to be on a shared calendar instead. That's on the web by the way. I just checked the Google Calendar app and didn't see how to do that, but I typically use DigiCal (additional features I wanted) and I can update which calendar it's on through that.
  • If you have access to both calendars, it's easy. Just click the event, and change the calender(dropdown). We have 1 calendar for every family member(5 in total) and I use this feature all the time,
  • I use it to manage multiple personal calendars, but have two major grips about it. The one was mentioned above about not being able to move it to a different calendar. The other is the inability to duplicate an event inside the Android app, I know you can using the browser but not the app. Luckily, Today Calendar allows for both. So I still use Google Calendar, but I use Today Calendar on my phone to mange them since it has more functionality.
  • Copying my reply to lparsons in case you don't see it... You can move events between calendars, assuming they're Google calendars. Edit the event, check about midway through for "Calendar"; anything you have access to would be in that drop down box. I've used it before to fix mistakes when I put something on my calendar that needed to be on a shared calendar instead. That's on the web by the way. I just checked the Google Calendar app and didn't see how to do that, but I typically use DigiCal (additional features I wanted) and I can update which calendar it's on through that.
  • I knew how to do it on the browser side, it is the Android App that doesn't let you do that.
  • Understandable; I can see not wanting to install a whole new app just to move events between calendars too. :)
  • I need a clear month view and Google Cal is almost visually disturbing. And try to find today quickly. The color-filled event rectangles should be replaced with color text as with the other Cal apps with a month view. aCalendar wins for now.
  • It doesn't come preloaded in my Gionee M5 Mini.... It's one ugly calenders app that came preloaded.
  • Well that was a short "ulimate" guide
  • It's a great app use it everyday... I'd like a dark mode though..
  • I like it but if you use assistant for reminders, cant really use a third party calendar since they don't show up on them.
  • I like and use daily the BlackBerry Hub+ calendar app on my PRIV. The best calendar app in my opinion.
  • I like Samsung's calendar app the best. Like how it changes with the themes your using.
  • It isn't preloaded on my LG X Charge. There is a really good calendar app but I suppose it's LG's app. I'd rather have the google version but with only 16 gbs of storage i run my phone lean and clean and try to avoid redundancy.
  • Here is a widget that I have been using with Google Calendar. https://www.androidcentral.com/e?link=https2F2F... It is configurable - dark, light, transparent etc. Play with it a bit to find what you like and then back those settings up...
  • I'm looking for an option for a delayed reminder. Example bring daughter to dance at 7 PM and pick her up at 9 PM. Today I have to do two reminders one for the drop off and one for the pick up. Anyone have any thoughts around that?
  • Is there anyway to synchronise Outlook to Google calender?
  • https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/software/sync-google-outlook-calend...
  • Yes, I appreciate Google Calendar. The ability to sync your calendar, such as some thing like a work schedule, with famiy or friends is great.... And being able to customize what is shared. I'm having an ongoing discussion with the Google Calendar twitter account... At issue is the maximum forward date. The app will not pass January 3, 2037. But Google Calendar accessed through Chrome mobile web browser has no forward date limit.
  • Interesting.... The end of 2036 is the upper date limit for a reason in Google Calendar, and others. In North America, the year 2038 problem apparently manifests itself at tbe end of 2036. I'm no programmer, but the problem is similar to the Y2K date problem. The end of 2036 is only 18 years away... All premium phones would have no problem with a 64 bit Google Calendar app.... That's what is needed, moving from 32 bit. Details are in this fine Wiki article. If you don't trust my link, then google "year 2038 problem" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2038_problem Google Calendar accessed through Chrome mobile browser has no upper date issue.... Its only the app.
  • I have an S8 and I can't find it...the only one I see is the Samsung calendar. Can anyone help me find it?
  • "Drag & Drop - easily reschedule events, reminders and goals directly from day, 3 day and week views." This is supposedly the log for today's update. Does this new feature actually work on anybody's phone? I cannot seem to be able to make it work.
  • How far in advance can Google calendar sync onto my Samsung S9?
    Got an event booked in April 2019 and although I entered it into gcal on my old phone, and it's on the web version, it has not synced over to my new phone. I'm guessing there's a setting somewhere?