How to Set Up a Shared Family Calendar on iPhone or Google

A shared calendar lets your whole family see appointments, events, and reminders in one place — everyone stays on the same page without constant phone calls.

In this guide (4 steps):

1.Create a shared calendar in Google Calendar (recommended for all devices)
2.Set up a shared iCloud calendar (Apple/iPhone families)
3.Add events to the shared calendar
4.View the shared calendar on any device

Create a shared calendar in Google Calendar (recommended for all devices)

~36s

Open Google Calendar on your phone or at calendar.google.com. In the left sidebar, tap the + next to "Other calendars" → "Create new calendar." Give it a name like "Family Calendar." On the calendar settings page, find "Share with specific people" → enter a family member's Gmail address. Choose their permission level: "See all event details" (can view) or "Make changes to events" (can also add and edit). Click "Send." They receive an email invitation to subscribe.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: Once a family member accepts the invitation, the family calendar appears in their Google Calendar and syncs automatically. Events either of you adds appear for everyone in the group.

Set up a shared iCloud calendar (Apple/iPhone families)

~27s

Open the Calendar app on iPhone → tap "Calendars" at the bottom → tap the info icon (ⓘ) next to any calendar → tap "Add Person" → enter a family member's iCloud email address → tap "Add." They receive an invitation. Once they accept, events added to that calendar are visible to everyone you shared it with. To add a new event to the shared calendar: when creating an event, tap "Calendar" to change which calendar it goes to.

Add events to the shared calendar

~35s

When creating a new event, always confirm it is being added to the shared family calendar (not a personal calendar). In Google Calendar: tap the + to add an event → scroll down to the Calendar field → change it to your family calendar. In iPhone Calendar: tap + for a new event → find the Calendar field → select the shared family calendar by name. Events added to your personal calendar are not visible to others.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: For recurring family events (weekly dinners, regular medication reminders, grandkids' activities), set them as repeating events — they appear on the calendar automatically each week or month without re-entering.

View the shared calendar on any device

~23s

Google Calendar syncs automatically across the Google Calendar app on any device — iPhone, Android, tablet, or computer (calendar.google.com). iCloud Calendar syncs across Apple devices and can be viewed on iCloud.com on a computer. Family members can see events from their own calendar mixed with family calendar events — each calendar shows in a different color so you can tell whose events are whose at a glance.

You Did It!

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A shared family calendar is a calendar that multiple family members can all see and add events to. When one person adds a doctor's appointment, a grandchild's school play, or a family dinner, everyone in the family sees it on their own calendar automatically — no group text needed to coordinate.

Both Apple (through iCloud) and Google Calendar offer shared calendars. Apple's works best for families where everyone uses iPhones. Google Calendar works across iPhone and Android (or a mix), making it a better choice for mixed-device families.

This guide walks through setting up a shared calendar in both services.

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