iCloud ↔ Google, both directions

When this is for you

Your phone writes to iCloud and your laptop writes to Google, and you're tired of typing everything twice.

Before you turn it on

How it works

Both calendars send and both receive, so it stops mattering which device you booked something on. Edit an event on either side and the other is updated to match; if you managed to edit both before they met, the more recent change is the one that survives. Your iCloud side can be an Apple account, Fastmail, or any other CalDAV server — the setup is identical and the calendar list you pick from looks the same.

What you'll pick

Setting it up

1. 1Connect your iCloud calendar through Apple, Fastmail, or another CalDAV account.
2. 2Connect the Google account you want kept in step.
3. 3Choose "Use original title" and set Reminders to "Off".

Variations

Two filters you can add to this sync at any point, without rebuilding it.

• Sync everything except all-day events

  Add an "All-day events" exclude rule and holidays, birthdays and travel banners stay out of the calendar you sync into. It also catches birthdays from a subscribed calendar, which "Special dates from contacts" cannot — those arrive as ordinary events, so only the all-day rule sees them.

• Only invitations you've accepted

  Set "Which events to sync (RSVP)" to "Only-yes" and meeting requests you haven't answered stay out of the calendar you sync into until you accept them.