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Apple Calendar

See your Reception.ai bookings in Apple Calendar on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Apple doesn’t let other apps sign in to iCloud Calendar, so Reception.ai can’t connect to it directly. Instead, connect a Google calendar to Reception.ai, then add the same Google account to Apple Calendar. Bookings your receptionist makes appear in Apple Calendar, and events you add to that calendar from your iPhone block the time for bookings.

You need a Google account. A free Gmail account works.

Set up

1

Connect Google Calendar

Connect Google Calendar for each staff member. Under Sync new bookings to, choose the calendar you want to see on your phone, and select it under Check availability from too.

2

Add the Google account on your iPhone or iPad

Open Settings → Apps → Calendar → Calendar Accounts → Add Account → Google, and sign in with the same Google account. Make sure Calendars is on. On iOS 17 and earlier, the path is Settings → Calendar → Accounts.

3

Add the Google account on your Mac

In Apple Calendar, open Calendar → Settings (Preferences on older macOS) → Accounts, select +, choose Google, and sign in.

4

Make it your default calendar

So that events you add on your phone block bookings, set the Google calendar as the default: Settings → Apps → Calendar → Default Calendar on iPhone, or Calendar → Settings → General → Default calendar on Mac.

5

Test it

Test your receptionist by booking an appointment. It appears in Apple Calendar after the next refresh.

What syncs

DirectionWhat happens
Reception.ai → AppleNew bookings appear on the calendar chosen under Sync new bookings to. Cancelled bookings stay with a “[Cancelled]” prefix.
Apple → Reception.aiEvents you add to the Google calendar in Apple Calendar block that time, if the calendar is selected under Check availability from.
iCloud calendarsNot read. Events on an iCloud or On My iPhone calendar don’t block bookings.

If you keep appointments in an iCloud calendar, your receptionist can’t see them and may book over them. Add them to the Google calendar instead, or move them there.

Limitations

  • Reception.ai can’t read or write iCloud calendars.
  • Subscribing Google Calendar to a public iCloud calendar link isn’t a good workaround. Anyone with the link can see your events, and Google refreshes subscribed calendars only every few hours, so new events wouldn’t block bookings in time.
  • Apple Calendar fetches Google events on a schedule rather than instantly, so a new booking can take a few minutes to appear.
  • Google Calendar can’t be connected while Calendly or Cal.com is connected.

Troubleshooting

ProblemWhat to check
Bookings don’t appear in Apple CalendarCheck that Sync new bookings to is set, then open Calendars in Apple Calendar and make sure that calendar is ticked. Pull down on the list to refresh.
A shared or secondary Google calendar is missingApple Calendar only shows your own Google calendars by default. Select the others at calendar.google.com/calendar/syncselect, then refresh.
Events from your phone don’t block bookingsCheck the event is on the Google calendar, not iCloud, and that the calendar is selected under Check availability from.
A staff member’s calendar says it needs reconnectingGo to Staff, select the staff member, open Calendars, and select Reconnect.