Just bought the new iPad. Is there a way to sync birthdays between Contacts and Calendar, without having to install some special app, or having to use Google calendars, or the like? Or, must I type them into Calendar myself one at a time?
iPad, iOS 5.1, iPad (3rd gen)
You don't really even need to sync it for the birthday calendar to copy between devices. It probably would go better syncing by iCloud but It happens locally to the device. On a Mac computer you can make the Birthdays calendar show up the same way in iCal although it appears in the same drop down menu as a "Subscribed" calendar. It is populated the same way using the Contacts counterpart on the Mac, Address Book which is the same program, different name.
So roughly between an iPad, iPhone and a Mac, you enter the birth date in Contacts or Address Book which can syn via iCloud. You enable the Birthdays calendar in iCal or Calendar on the device which gets it's data from it's own version of Contacts.
You don't really even need to sync it for the birthday calendar to copy between devices. It probably would go better syncing by iCloud but It happens locally to the device. On a Mac computer you can make the Birthdays calendar show up the same way in iCal although it appears in the same drop down menu as a "Subscribed" calendar. It is populated the same way using the Contacts counterpart on the Mac, Address Book which is the same program, different name.
So roughly between an iPad, iPhone and a Mac, you enter the birth date in Contacts or Address Book which can syn via iCloud. You enable the Birthdays calendar in iCal or Calendar on the device which gets it's data from it's own version of Contacts.
I missed one step to get it to appear in iCal on the Mac. Open iCal/Preferences/General and check the "Show Birthdays Calendar". The birthday events should show if not check the Subscribed Calendars, it should be there once enabled.
I have just been working through this same setup with a couple other family member's Apple set ups and this post has help me find it is possible on the iCloud Calendar. Even though I previously thought Birthdays not available on the iCloud Calendar it too has the setting in it's preferences. Open Calendar in iCloud in your web browser, click the gear icon in the top right corner selecting Preferences. Check the "Show Birthdays calendar" option in the General tab. The "Subscribed" section will appear on the left column and Birthday events will show up when checked.
Again, this is calendar or setting does not appear to be enabled through iCloud. The info is being read from the Contacts/Address Book on the local level which is synced by iCloud. If you edit a contact in Contacts/Address Book on any of the devices, including iCloud, the change will be updated in Contacts/Address Book which in turn will update the calendar it is associated with. As any changes in iCloud be patient, they may take time to update the change between devices.
Once again a feature in iCloud which is more complicated than it needs to be. We can only hope they work on it to make it better. Please send in some feedback
I'm sorry but if you have got a Mac iTunes doesn't sync the birthday entries in the calendar. But on the mac the birthdays are in the Address Book application so you can view them there. but if you want to view them in iCal you have to create them by hand.
If you have the birth dates entered in Contacts on the iPad you should have a "Birthdays" entry in Calendar. Open Calendar then tap the "Calendars" button in the top left corner and there should be an entry for Birthdays under Other, check it for it to be displayed.
I'm syncing my iPhone (with Birthdays in the iOS calender) with iCloud. But there is no birthday caleder in iCal. And there is also no entry in the online calender at icloud.com! But i enabled calender sync in Settings->iCloud->Calender!
At my Mac there is no entry called Birthdays in iCal, also not under subscribed. Why do i have no Birthday calender in iCal? (one side information: i switched from mobileMe to iCloud. Could there be a bug so there is no support for Birthdays?)
Sorry, I made a huge mistake! If you sync your calender with iCloud there are no birthdays, but if you do it with iTunes and not over iCloud then you are able to sync the calender, I'm so sorry! 😊
Auto-sync birthdays between Contacts and Calendar?
