How to Share Your Calendar on iPhone (2026 Guide)
Sharing a calendar on iPhone works differently depending on which account the calendar lives in. iCloud calendars share from inside the Calendar app. Google and Outlook calendars do not, and that is the step most guides skip.
Here is each path, plus the permission choice that matters most.
Share an iCloud calendar from the Calendar app
This only works for calendars under the iCloud heading. Calendars under Gmail or Exchange will not show the share option.
- Open the Calendar app and tap Calendars at the bottom of the screen.
- Find the calendar you want to share under iCloud and tap the circled “i” next to its name.
- Tap Add Person.
- Type a name, email address, or phone number, then tap Add.
Your recipient gets a notification and, once they accept, the calendar appears in their own Calendar app.
Choose the right permission level
After someone accepts, tap their name in that same sharing screen to set what they can do:
- View Only: they see your events but cannot change anything.
- View & Edit: they can add, edit, and delete events on that calendar.
There is no free/busy option for iCloud sharing, which is the important limitation. Anyone you share with sees your event titles, not just that you are busy. If that is a problem, skip to the availability section below.
Make an iCloud calendar public
If you want a read-only link anyone can subscribe to, such as a class schedule or a team roster:
- Tap the circled “i” next to the calendar.
- Turn on Public Calendar.
- Tap Share Link and send it however you like.
A public calendar is readable by anyone who has the URL, so keep personal calendars out of this.
Share a single event instead of a whole calendar
Often you only want one event shared, not your entire schedule.
- Open the event in the Calendar app.
- Tap Edit, then Invitees.
- Add the email addresses you want, then tap Done.
Each person gets an invitation and you can see who accepted. This is the safest option because it exposes exactly one event.
Share a Google Calendar from your iPhone
The iOS Calendar app cannot share a Google calendar. You have two options.
In the Google Calendar app: open the app, tap the three-line menu, tap the gear icon, choose the calendar, tap Add people, enter an address, pick a permission, and tap Send.
In a browser: go to calendar.google.com, request the desktop site, and use Settings and sharing on the calendar you want. This is the more reliable route because Google’s mobile app hides some permission options.
Our full walkthrough for Google Calendar sharing covers the desktop permission levels in detail.
Share an Outlook calendar from your iPhone
Same story. The Outlook mobile app handles this, not the iOS Calendar app.
- Open the Outlook app and tap the Calendar icon.
- Tap the calendar icon in the top left, then the gear next to the calendar you want.
- Tap Add People, enter an address, and choose a permission level.
Outlook does give you a genuine free/busy option, which iCloud does not. Our Outlook calendar sharing guide has the desktop steps.
When the invitation never arrives
A few things break this reliably.
- The calendar is not an iCloud calendar. Check that it sits under the iCloud heading, not Gmail or Exchange.
- iCloud Calendar is switched off. Go to Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, and confirm Calendars is on.
- The recipient has no Apple Account. iCloud sharing requires one. Send them a public link or a single event invite instead.
- The invite landed in spam. Ask them to check, or resend to a different address.
- Nothing updates after accepting. Pull down to refresh in the Calendar app, or toggle iCloud Calendars off and back on.
If events are showing but arriving late or duplicated, that is a sync problem rather than a sharing problem. See how to sync Google Calendar with Apple Calendar and how to sync Outlook with iPhone.
Share your availability instead of your calendar
Most of the time the actual goal is not “see my calendar.” It is “find a time that works.” Sharing a whole calendar to answer that question gives away far more than you meant to, especially on iCloud where there is no free/busy mode.
Carly takes the other approach. You connect your calendars and share a booking page instead of the calendar itself. People see open slots, they pick one, and the event lands on your real calendar. Your event titles stay private.
It reads across every calendar you connect at once, so a slot only shows as free when you are free everywhere, not just on the one calendar you happened to share. You get unlimited booking pages and connected calendars, so you can keep a separate link for clients, recruiters, and family.
Carly connects to thousands of apps, so the booking can also trigger the rest of the work: a workflow that files the meeting notes, updates your CRM, or sends the follow-up. Free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month.
FAQ
Why can’t I share my calendar on iPhone?
Almost always because the calendar is not an iCloud calendar. The Add Person option only appears for calendars under the iCloud heading. For a Google or Outlook calendar, share from that provider’s own app. To skip the problem entirely, share a booking link instead.
Can I share my iPhone calendar without showing event details?
Not with iCloud sharing, which is view-or-edit only. Outlook does offer free/busy. If you want people to see availability and nothing else, Carly shares open slots rather than your events.
How do I stop sharing a calendar on iPhone?
Tap the circled “i” next to the calendar, tap the person’s name, then tap Stop Sharing. For a public calendar, switch Public Calendar off, which immediately breaks the old link.
Can I share one event instead of the whole calendar?
Yes. Open the event, tap Edit, then Invitees, and add the addresses. This exposes exactly one event and lets you track who accepted.
Does sharing work between iPhone and Android?
A shared iCloud calendar needs an Apple Account, so Android users generally cannot accept one. Use a public calendar link, which works in any calendar app, or send a booking link that works from any device.
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See what people say
"Before Carly, I relied on a Calendly link, but the whole process felt impersonal and not very professional. Carly changed that by handling all the back-and-forth, so I'm no longer stuck in endless email threads trying to line up schedules.
Now Carly reaches out to candidates, shares my real-time availability, lets them pick a slot, then sends a Zoom link and drops it straight into my calendar. She sends reminders to both of us before each call, which has significantly reduced no-shows and last-minute confusion.
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