iPhone calendar <---> Google calendar two-way sync

Question

iPhone calendar <---> Google calendar two-way sync

Hi folks,
I know this topic has been discussed, but I need further clarity. I have iPhone 3GS filled with calendar entries. I want it to sync with Google Calendar and vice versa so that I can see calendar and enter stuff online or on the iPhone and each updates the other.
So I set up a Google calendar for myself. I set up the sync'ing relationship (so I think) per these directions.
http://www.iphonedownloadblog.com/2009/06/30/how-to-sync-google-calendar-with-ip hone-calendar/
BUT, my iPhone calendar now shows several calendars, one from Google which is blank, one from my home MacBook which has all the previous entries. Furthermore, I entered a test entry on the Google calendar and it goes over to the iPhone's Google calendar, but new entries on the iPhone do not sync back to the Google calendar.
What I want is simple. One single calendar, not several, and they are identical, they update each other whether I add entries on my iPhone or on a desktop with Google calendar. How do I unite all this stuff and make it sync both ways?
Thanks everyone,
-- Josh

MacBook Intel 2.16 mHz, Mac OS X (10.5.8), 2 gb RAM, 160 GB HD, AExpress, iPhone 3gs & iPod Touch 2nd gen

Posted on Jan 14, 2010 12:57 PM

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Answer 1

shayer

Level 1

0 points

Jan 14, 2010 1:22 PM in response to Joshua Steinberg

Google Sync, which uses the Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync® protocol, works for me. Set up instructions here:

http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?answer=138740&topic=14252

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Answer 2

Sean Dale1

Level 5

4,439 points

Jan 14, 2010 3:42 PM in response to Joshua Steinberg

I favour the CalDAV approach to this.

You can follow the instructions here but I have had problems with adding additional calendars using the delegation method in iCal and have found the instructions for multiple Google calendars on the iPhone inadequate so after much research and trail and error come up with the following which works.

First, in the Google Calendar settings (in the browser, at google.com), go to the settings menu, and find the secondary calendar you want to add to your iPhone.

Go to Settings> Calendars> Click on the secondary calendar you want to add to your iPhone ... scroll down to the bottom of the window and look for the Calendar ID - it's beside the three colored buttons (XML, iCAL, HTML).

It should look like this: a string of numbers and letters@group.calendar.google.com

You need to copy that address (the entire thing, including the @group.calendar.google.com).

Next, you are going to supplement that email address for your regular @gmail.com email address in the long URL. This is the long URL structure (what you will add to the CalDAV address box on the iPhone):

https://www.google.com/calendar/dav/string of numbers and letters@group.calendar.google.com/user/

iPhone
Settings -> Mail, Contacts, Calendars -> Add Account -> Other -> Add CalDAV Account

Server: https://www.google.com:443/calendar/dav/{string of characters}@group.calendar.google.com/user/

Username: {account}@googlemail.com (or gmail.com in most cases)
Password: {password}
Description: {whatever}

Tap 'Next' button at the top.

Doing it this way, using the personal account's credentials, results in the message saying 'verifying calendar', followed by 'calendar verified'.

iCal

iCal Menu -> Preferences -> Accounts -> +

Description: {whatever}
Username: {account}@googlemail.com (or gmail.com in most cases)
Password: {password}

Account URL: https://www.google.com:443/calendar/dav/{string of characters}@group.calendar.google.com/user/’

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Answer 3

Jan 14, 2010 7:17 PM in response to shayer

This may be a dumb question, but I have no idea what "Microsoft Echange Active Sync" is, and I don't use any Microsoft PC's, corporate email servers, etc. Do I still follow these directions? Sounds like I should, just want to make sure. Thanks.
-- Josh

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Answer 4

Jan 14, 2010 7:46 PM in response to shayer

I'm afraid i tried all the steps here but got nowhere. I'll try the method in the other reply tomorrow.

It seems like it should be easier than this, like I'm missing something obvious. So keep answers coming, please.
-- Josh

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Answer 5

Jan 14, 2010 7:55 PM in response to Joshua Steinberg

http://www.google.com/mobile/sync/

http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?answer=138740&topic=14252

Google Sync (ActiveSync): Known Limitations
Google Sync for iPhone is still in beta. We're constantly working on improvements, but we've listed below some known limitations of Google Sync for iPhone.

iPhone: All OS Versions

* Mail Search and Mail Drafts
Full search capability of your Gmail is not yet available. We don't yet support editable drafts.

* Custom From: Address
At this time Google Sync does not support custom "From:" addresses.

* Actions in Gmail
When using Google Sync, certain actions in Gmail may have different behavior than you're used to. For instance, if you "delete" a message from your Inbox, this will actually archive the message. Check out our complete list of how actions taken on your device will affect your Gmail interface.

* Attendee Status for Calendar Events
The iPhone doesn't reflect the attendee status (Yes/No/Maybe) of guests in the user interface of the Calendar application. Google Sync provides a hint in the form of a checkmark in front of a guest's first name.

* Imported Recurring Events May Not Sync
If you've imported calendar entries from another calendar system into Google Calendar, you may find that only the first occurrence of the event is synchronized, or - in some cases - the event may not be synchronized at all. Events which occur multiple times per month (for example "the first and last Monday of each month") cannot be accurately represented in the ActiveSync protocol. Recurring events created within Google Calendar will sync correctly.

* Limited Contact Information
The iPhone can synchronize up to 3 email address. Phone number synchronization is limited to 2 Home numbers, 1 Home Fax, 1 Mobile, 1 Pager, 3 Work (one will be labeled 'Company Main') and one Work Fax number.

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Answer 6

Jan 17, 2010 5:55 PM in response to Sean Dale1

Go to Settings> Calendars> Click on the secondary calendar you want to add to your iPhone ... scroll down to the bottom of the window and look for the Calendar ID - it's beside the three colored buttons (XML, iCAL, HTML).

It should look like this: a string of numbers and letters@group.calendar.google.com

I'm afraid I'm already having trouble. My calendar ID is not a string of numbers and letters. Instead it is my Google gmail address. Really, the entire "Calendar ID" string listed is "MyUserName@gmail.com", nothing about group or calendar or google.com.

Does that ruin your approach? Should I make a new Google Calendar? The one I have I made 2 weeks ago and it has just a single test entry in it, so it is expendable. Everything I have in my real calendar is in the iPhone calendar which links to iCal when I sync to my MacBook. But what I want (as stated in my original post) is to sync my iPhone calendar with Google Calendar (or really, any other free and universally accessable online calendar, and Google's fits the bill).
-- Josh

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Answer 7

Jan 17, 2010 6:40 PM in response to shayer

Well, I tried this strategy, too. But all it did was create a second calendar in my iPhone calendar, my pre-existing one and a brand new one that sync's to Google calendar. BUT it does not unite them into a single syncing calendar.

Help!
-- Josh

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Answer 8

Dave Hutch

Level 4

1,497 points

Jan 18, 2010 2:26 AM in response to Joshua Steinberg

Hi Josh, this should be incredibly simple.
The account on the iPhone should be set up using the "Other" option in the account type list. There you will see a CalDav option and that's the one you use.
Enter you Google details and you're finished.
All other calendar accounts on the iPhone can be deleted if necessary.

Set up the same account on your Mac using iCal, using the same credentials and make sure you specify it's a CalDav account.

If you have additional, local calendars on your Mac, you can just delete them if you want to, as long as they are exactly the same as the Google calendars.

If you only have one Google calendar, that's it. All three locations will sync.

If you have more than one Google calendar, they can be added as "delegates" in the iCal account preferences and they will appear in their correct colours in iCal.
To get them to appear on the iPhone, go the following page on your Mac: http://www.google.com/calendars/iphoneselect
and simply tick the calendars you want to sync with your iPhone.

I sync four Google calendars this way and everything works perfectly.

Subscribed calendars can't be sync'd to youo iPhone so you will have to subscribe to those separately by sending yourself the link and then just clicking on it. The iPhone will ask if you want to subscribe and then add it to you list.

If I've misunderstood, let me know and I'll try to elaborate because it sounds like your situation is the same as mine

Message was edited by: Dave Hutch

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Answer 9

Jan 18, 2010 4:35 AM in response to Dave Hutch

Dear David,

Thanks so much for offering suggestions.

I'm afraid I have done all you suggested. I deleted everything and re-entered it all again just in case (to be clear:
(1) on iPhone entered Settings>Mail,Contacts,Calendar>Add Acct>Other>CalDAV Acct> entered the Google info;
(2) on iCal, Pref>Accts> entered CalDAV account with Google calendar info; and
(3) went to the Google Calendar iPhone select page, checked the box of the one calendar that I want to sync).
But no change, and here's what I've got:

On iPhone,
I've got THREE calendars, and here's the list.
Under "From my Mac" I have "Josh" (that's the one filled with pre-existing entries), I have Josh at G-cal[jds... (that contains the single test entry and nothing else I made online at Google Calendar).
Under a heading called "Google (CalDAV)" I have "All Google" which contains again the same single test entry from online Google Calendar.

On desktop iCal,
I've got TWO calendars, and here's that list.
On the left hand column in iCal, I have "Calendars" heading with the "Josh" calednar under it, that's the one that has thousands of pre-existing entries, no problem there. It does NOT have the test entry I made on my Google calendar
And again on the left column in iCal, under "Calendars" and "Josh" I have a second category of Calendars called "Link to Google Calendar" and the only calendar listed under it is "Josh at G-cal". The only thing this calendar has is the test entry that I placed online at Google Calendar.

Online at Google Calendar, I've got 2 calendars called "Josh at G-cal" and "Wilson Hospital" [the latter is just something I've been playing with for work, completely unrelated to my personal calendar]. That calendar "Josh at G-cal" contains only my test entry and nothing from my iPhone/iCal pre-existing calendar entries. The other google calendar is also unaffected.

So the problem remains, I have a Google calendar which does appear on iPhone and iCal and syncs properly, but it will not unite with my pre-existing calendar. All I want is a single calendar which syncs to all three locations -- iPhone, Google calendar, and iCal. And if that's too difficult, I'd drop iCal and just stick to iPhone and Google Calendar.

Oy, my fingers are tired. Too much typing, but can't use screenshots, so I'm doing best I can to be clear.

Thanks again for giving this some thought.
-- Josh

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Answer 10

Dave Hutch

Level 4

1,497 points

Jan 18, 2010 6:05 AM in response to Joshua Steinberg

Hi Josh, that's fine and all makes sense.
You need to move away from the desktop calendar if you want to sync over the air, so you will have to move all your "Josh" entries into your "Josh at G-Cal" calendar:
To do this, you will have to export the "Josh" calendar from your Mac as an iCal file onto your desktop and then import it to Google. The import option is found on your Google Calendar page if you click the link in the upper right-hand corner that says "settings", then select the "Calendars" option, next to the "General" option. (Blue text)
You will then get the choice as to which calendar you'd like to import all the entries into. Choose your main "Josh at G-Cal" Calendar.
It might take a while...and it might even say there too many entries. When I tried with my old Outlook calendar I had to split into several parts. See how you get on.
Once you've done that you can delete the desktop calendar and just run Google from then on.
Keep the iCal file you made on the desktop as a backup. You can always import it later if you change your mind.

On the next sync, the "Josh" calendar will disappear from your iPhone.
In order to get rid of the extra Google calendar on your iPhone, go into Settings...General...e-mail, contacts and calendars...then delete the offending account from the iPhone.

You should be left with one account on your mac (Josh at G-cal), one on your iPhone (Josh at G-cal) and two Google calendars (Josh) and (Wilson Hospital).
You can add the Wilson Hospital calendar to your iPhone by going to the http://www.google.com/calendars/iphoneselect page I mentioned before and just tick it.
You can also add it to your Mac as a "delegate" if it one of your main calendars.
The delegate option is in the Account preferences:
http://manuals.kerio.com/kmsug/en/img/caldavset5.png

Keep me up to date and let me know how you get on.
Happy to get to the bottom of this one as I've been setting mine and my wife's up for the past week or so...I know how frustrating it can seem at times, but what you're trying to do is straightforward.

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Answer 11

Dave Hutch

Level 4

1,497 points

Jan 21, 2010 12:51 AM in response to Dave Hutch

Have you had any luck with this Josh?

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Answer 12

Jan 21, 2010 3:59 AM in response to Dave Hutch

Dear David,
Very kind of you to check in. I was going to follow your advice, move all entries from iCal to Google Calendar and then use only the Google Calendar version. BUT, I'm going to hold off trying this until early February. My workplace uses (of all things) Lotus Notes. I have used nothing but the email piece, but it has a calendar piece. My only goal is to have online access to my calendar with easy entry of numerous activities, especially ones that repeat. iPhone is worst for direct entry of numerous items, Google Calendar is better, but after looking it over, Lotus Notes is actually best. We are going to get the iPhone sync software for Lotus Notes, and I'm first on the list to get it Feb. 1. If I'm satisfied, I'll go with that. If not, then I will return to your suggestions and pursue using Google Calendar.
Thanks so much for your generous help.
-- Josh

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Answer 13

Dave Hutch

Level 4

1,497 points

Jan 21, 2010 5:00 AM in response to Joshua Steinberg

No problem

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