What does "full access" to my calendar actually mean?

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Level 1

12 points

What does "full access" to my calendar actually mean?

I use apps like Meetup that offer to add events to my calendar after I sign up for them. In Settings, Meetup has "add events only" authority. The other options are "none" and "full access." Right now, Events don't get added with "add events only," and Apple tech support told me that's because Meetup wants to add a map, note, and other things to the event (which would be fine with me). Tech support told me that because of this events won't be added unless I give Meetup full access.

I haven't been able to find anything written by Apple that explains what "full access" to my calendar means. To me it suggests that Meetup will have full access to (and can store on its servers) everything on my calendar, not just the events that relate to Meetup.

Does anyone know what "full access" means?

iPhone 12, iOS 17

Posted on Jun 6, 2024 6:25 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

timdifferent

Level 4

1,678 points

Jun 6, 2024 6:34 AM in response to alanfink

With the "Add Events Only" permission setting, apps should be able to add events with any amount of detail. Consider contacting the develop of Meetup for assistance in that regard.

Granting the "Full Access" Calendar permissions allows the application to access your entire calendar and all of its events and event data. Any information they collect is governed by their terms and privacy policies, and it is indeed possible for them to store the data they collect from your calendars on their servers.

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Answer 2

CDF8

Level 1

8 points

Jun 7, 2024 5:36 PM in response to alanfink

I now have the same problem with Meetup, Eventbrite, my healthcare app, MassageEnvy, and others. Previously having them as ‘Event Only’ worked perfectly but now every app is requiring Full Access which I won’t allow to protect my privacy.

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Answer 3

alanfink Author

Level 1

12 points

Jun 8, 2024 8:39 PM in response to timdifferent

Thanks Timdifferent. Suprisingly, the Apple tech support person I spoke with about this absolutely insisted that the app would not have access to all the data on my calendar. He passed me along to a supervisor, who admitted that he didn't know for certain what "full access" meant.

I did write to Meetup, and they sent a pretty bland response indicating that they know about this, and would pass along my concerns to their development team to possibly be addressed in a future release. I may be a cynic, but I'm guessing that they want the calendar data to harvest, aggregate and sell it.

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What does "full access" to my calendar actually mean?

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