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To reliably sync your iCal calendar between your iPhone and Mac, you just need to follow a few specific steps.
Syncing iCal with your iPhone: Setting up the right connection
iCloud is the ideal solution for synchronising iCal with your iPhone. Make sure both devices are linked to the same Apple ID and that the synchronisation settings have been enabled correctly.
- On your iPhone, open Settings and tap your name at the very top. Select ‘iCloud’ and scroll down to the ‘Calendar’ option. Make sure the toggle is switched on to enable iCal synchronisation.
- On your Mac, go to ‘System Preferences’ and click on ‘Apple ID’. Under ‘iCloud’, you’ll find the ‘Calendar’ option; the switch must be turned on here too.
- Once synchronisation is set up, any changes to events on your iPhone and Mac will be applied immediately.
- Troubleshooting: Sometimes synchronisation can get a bit stuck. Sign out of iCloud on both devices and then sign back in to restart the connection. Alternatively, briefly enable Airplane Mode and then disable it to resolve network issues.
Managing and prioritising additional calendars
Synchronisation can be particularly challenging if you use multiple calendars. However, this problem can be efficiently resolved by managing your calendars in iCal in a targeted manner.
- Open iCal on your iPhone and tap ‘Calendars’ at the bottom. Here you’ll see all your linked calendars and can choose which ones to display and synchronise.
- On a Mac: Go to ‘Preferences’ in iCal and, in the ‘Accounts’ menu, select the calendars you want to synchronise. Untick the boxes next to unimportant calendars to reduce data usage.
- To prioritise: Name calendars according to their purpose, such as ‘Work’ or ‘Personal’, and assign colours to them. This helps you keep track of things and quickly see which appointments belong where.
- Extra tip: Do you have external calendars that you subscribe to via a web address (e.g. an .ics file)? Open iCal and select ‘Calendars’ > ‘Subscribe to New Calendar’. Paste in the link, and iCal will update automatically on a regular basis.
