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Where is the "show as busy/free" setting for events in Mavericks calendar?

After upgrading to OS X Mavericks - I no longer see the "show as busy/free" option when adding, viewing or editing an event. This option is available on the calendar in iOS 7 and appears to work there - but when I add a new appointment via calendar in Mavericks - there is no longer an option to specify show time as busy or free - and when I view the event/appointment in iOS 7 - the event shows the time as "free". Did this setting go away in Mavericks?

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), 15"

Posted on Oct 26, 2013 9:47 AM

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42 replies

Oct 26, 2013 11:59 PM in response to SForrest

I just logged into iCloud and opened the calendar there. The busy/free option is also missing in iCloud as well. The busy/free setting seems to only be available on iOS devices - and does in-fact sync between the devices when the setting is changed. I am now thinking this is an improved feature vs a bug. Prior to Mavericks - I was having to switch the busy setting back to "free" whenever I would create an all day appointment. This was the only time I would ever use the setting. In Mavericks (and iCloud) - when you create an all-day appointment - the show as setting defaults to free - and when you create a regular appointment - it shows as busy. This is actually the behavior I want.


I have been googling this all day and so far nobody is mentioning the fact that this setting has disappeared.


~Scott

Oct 27, 2013 5:31 AM in response to SBeattie2

I also did notice that the busy / free syncs between iOS devices but I would still like to have this option back on the Mac Calendar as I use this feature quite frequently. For example, we're having work done on the house and the contractor will be here for two half days, I want to mark that time on my calendar but also leave my time as free so now I either have to create the event on my iDevice or create it on my Mac and edit the time to free on my iDevice. KInd of defeats the whole purpose of having a nice new Calendar app on my Mac!


While I do think the way the app functions now in regard to full day events being free does make sense for perhaps the majority of users it doesn't work for me.

Oct 27, 2013 5:00 PM in response to SForrest

Your point is well taken - and I just ran into this very circumstance myself - where I needed actual events to track something that somebody else is doing - and the "all day" event was not appropriate. I have submitted feedback on this to Apple - at http://apple.com/feedback - and others may want to do this as well. I have not gone as far as submitting a bug report - but I may do that in the next day or so.


~Scott

Oct 31, 2013 11:19 PM in response to Bryan Schramm

After digging through calendar help


For status (busy/free) - I found the following information:


If the Calendar account you’re using displays your status for an event, you can change the status at any time and still be available to meet during an event.

By default, Calendar sets your status as free during all-day events and as busy during all other events.

... This would indicate that not all calendar (accounts) are going to display this status.


For private appointments - I found the following information:

If your calendar is administered through a CalDAV or Exchange server (for example, through your workplace), you can make a Calendar event private. Private events can’t be viewed by other users, even if you shared your calendar account with them.

.. This might explain why I don't see the private option.

I'm now wondering if this is also true for the visibility of the busy/free status option?

Nov 3, 2013 9:31 AM in response to Bryan Schramm

Bryan - I wonder if the fact that you are connecting to an exchange server is what is causing the busy/free to appear. By any chance can you create an icloud calendar and see if the busy/free option disappears for events on that calendar?


I'm in the process of setting up the calendar functionality on my OS X Server - to see if those calendars will show the busy/free. It's taking longer than I was expecting. No results yet.


~Scott

Nov 3, 2013 12:04 PM in response to SBeattie2

Here is some additional information:


I added my Google calendar account to the calendar app - and I now see the show as busy/free options whenever I create or view events on the Google calendar.


I also got the calender server working on Mac OS X Server (Mavericks) - and when I add that calendar account to my calendar app - I see the busy/free setting as well as the private checkbox.


I am wondering if Apple has decided to remove the busy/free option from iCloud calendars entirely - and they just haven't removed it yet from iOS 7?


~Scott

Where is the "show as busy/free" setting for events in Mavericks calendar?

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