The fastest way to share your iPhone calendar
Open the Calendar app on your iPhone, tap the Calendars tab at the bottom, then tap the plus sign next to "Add Calendar". Choose "Add Subscription Calendar" and enter the email address of the person you want to share with. They will receive an invitation to view your calendar on their own device.
If you want to let family members edit your calendar instead of just viewing it, use iCloud sharing instead. Tap and hold on the calendar name in the Calendars list, select "Edit Calendar", then tap "Add Person". Enter their email address and choose whether they can view only or make changes. They get an invitation and can accept it from any device signed into their Apple account.
Both methods work across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and the web version of iCloud Calendar. The person you share with does not need to own an Apple device — they can view a shared calendar through a web browser if they have an iCloud account.
Key Takeaways
- Subscription sharing lets family members view your calendar read-only; edit sharing lets them add and change events.
- You send an invitation through the Calendar app, and the other person accepts it on their own device.
- Shared calendars sync in real time across all devices, so changes show up when ready for everyone.
- Family members can view shared calendars on iPhone, iPad, Mac, or through iCloud.com in a web browser.
- You can stop sharing at any time by removing the person from the calendar settings.
Setting up edit access so family can add events
Edit access is useful when multiple people need to add events to the same calendar — a family schedule, a shared vacation plan, or a household chore list. Open Calendar, find the calendar you want to share, and tap and hold on its name. Select "Edit Calendar" from the menu that appears.
Tap "Add Person" and type in the email address of the family member. You will see two options: "View Only" and "Edit". Choose "Edit" if you want them to be able to add, change, or delete events. Tap "Add" and they will receive an invitation. Once they accept, they can make changes from their own device, and you will see those changes appear on yours when ready.
You can add multiple people to the same calendar this way. Each person you add gets their own invitation, and you can give different permission levels to different people — one family member might have edit access while another only views.
The difference between subscription and edit sharing
Subscription sharing is one-way. You send someone a link to view your calendar, but they cannot add or change anything. This works well if you want family to see your schedule but do not want them modifying it. The person viewing gets updates automatically whenever you add or change an event.
Edit sharing is two-way. Both people can add events, change times, and delete items. The calendar stays in sync across both devices in real time. This is better for shared family calendars where everyone needs to contribute — a household calendar, a sports schedule for kids, or a shared vacation itinerary.
Subscription sharing is also more flexible for people outside your family or people who do not use Apple devices regularly. Edit sharing requires the other person to have an iCloud account and to accept the invitation on one of their devices.
Inviting family members and managing permissions
When you add someone to a shared calendar, they receive an invitation through their email address. On iPhone, they will see a notification in the Calendar app. On Mac or iPad, the invitation appears in the Calendar app as well. They tap "Accept" to add the calendar to their device.
If someone does not see the invitation, ask them to check their email inbox — sometimes the invitation arrives as an email from Apple instead of appearing in the Calendar app. They can also open iCloud.com, sign in, and look for the invitation in the Calendar section.
To change someone's permission level later, open the calendar, tap and hold on its name, select "Edit Calendar", and tap on the person's name. You can switch them from "View Only" to "Edit" or remove them entirely. Changes take effect when ready on their device.
Troubleshooting when invitations do not go through
If a family member does not receive an invitation, first check that you entered their email address correctly. The email must match the Apple ID they use on their device. If they use a different email for their Apple ID than their main email address, use the Apple ID email instead.
Make sure both of you have iCloud Calendar turned on. On the inviting device, go to Settings, tap your name at the top, select iCloud, and make sure Calendar is toggled on. Ask the other person to do the same on their device. If Calendar is off, they will not receive or see invitations.
If the invitation still does not arrive, try removing the person and adding them again. Tap and hold the calendar name, select "Edit Calendar", tap the minus sign next to their name, then add them again with the correct email address. Sometimes resending the invitation fixes the problem.
Sharing a calendar with your whole family group
If you have set up a Family Sharing group in iCloud, you can share a calendar with everyone in that group at once. Open Calendar, tap and hold on the calendar name, select "Edit Calendar", and look for the option to share with your Family group. Everyone in the group will see the calendar without needing individual invitations.
Family Sharing is set up through Settings on one device. Go to Settings, tap your name, select Family Sharing, and tap "Create a Family" if you have not already. You can add up to six family members. Once the group exists, any calendar you share with the family group appears on everyone's device automatically.
This is the easiest way to maintain a household calendar that everyone can see and edit. Changes sync when ready, and new family members added to the group automatically see all shared calendars.
Viewing shared calendars on different devices
A calendar shared with you appears on every device where you are signed into the same iCloud account. If you share a calendar with someone on their iPhone, they will also see it on their iPad and Mac without doing anything extra — as long as they are signed in with the same Apple ID.
If someone does not have an Apple device, they can still view a shared calendar through a web browser. They go to iCloud.com, sign in with their Apple ID, and open Calendar. Shared calendars appear there just like they do on iPhone. They can view events and, if they have edit access, add or change them from the web.
Shared calendars do not appear in third-party calendar apps like Google Calendar or Outlook unless you export them. If a family member uses a different calendar service, you may need to export your calendar as an .ics file and send it to them, though this creates a one-time copy rather than a live-syncing calendar.
Stopping calendar sharing and removing access
You can remove someone from a shared calendar at any time. Open Calendar, tap and hold on the calendar name, select "Edit Calendar", and look for the person's name in the list. Tap the minus sign or swipe left on their name, then tap "Remove". They will no longer see that calendar on their device.
If you want to stop sharing a calendar entirely, you can delete it. Tap and hold on the calendar name and select "Delete Calendar". This removes it from your device and from everyone you shared it with. Be careful — this action cannot be undone, and everyone who had access will lose it.
You can also turn off Calendar sharing for your entire iCloud account. Go to Settings, tap your name, select iCloud, and toggle Calendar off. This stops all calendar sharing, though your calendars will still exist on your device.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share my calendar with someone who does not have an iPhone?
Yes. They can view a shared calendar through iCloud.com if they have an Apple ID, or you can export your calendar as an .ics file and email it to them. The web version works on any device with a browser. An exported file is a one-time copy, not a live-updating calendar.
What happens if I change an event on a shared calendar?
Everyone with access to that calendar sees the change when ready on their device. If you have edit access and someone else changes an event, you see their change right away too. There is no delay — the sync happens in real time as long as both devices have an internet connection.
Can I share just one event instead of a whole calendar?
No, you can only share entire calendars, not individual events. If you want to share one event, you can create a separate calendar just for that event and share that calendar, then delete it when you are done. Most people just share the whole calendar instead.
What if someone accepts a shared calendar invitation and then I want to take it back?
Open Calendar, tap and hold on the calendar name, select "Edit Calendar", and tap the minus sign next to their name. They will no longer see the calendar on their device. The removal takes effect when ready.
Do shared calendars use up iCloud storage?
No. Shared calendars count toward your iCloud storage only once, on the device where they were created. Everyone else viewing the calendar does not use extra storage on their device.