Google Calendar is a popular cloud-based calendar app; but if you want to share your Google Calendar with someone who doesn't have a Google account, Google doesn't make it easy. It is possible to share your Google Calendar to someone using the iPhone Calendar app, however, you just need to know how to find the URL to the .ics file.
Related: How to Sync Apple Calendar with Google Calendar
The iCalendar format used by Google Calendar is used by many calendar applications, making them compatible with each other. Subscribing to a calendar in the Apple Calendar app to follow updates is easy if you have a URL to a public .ics file. This is readily available in Google Calendar, but it's not found in what I would call an intuitive location, so I'll walk you through how to find it with a desktop web browser. You can also take the same steps in a mobile browser like Safari, but to do so you need to view the site in desktop mode, which can be difficult to navigate on your iPhone. Doing it this way does have the advantage of letting you copy and paste the URL directly, however. For more guides on making use of your iPhone's features and apps, be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter.
Finding the URL to Share Google Calendar to iPhone
- Open Chrome (or your preferred browser) and use the address bar to go to Google Calendar.
![Chrome with the address for Google Calendar in the address bar marked.]()
- Click the Gear icon in the upper right to open the menu.
![Google Calendar in Chrome with the settings gear icon marked.]()
- Click Settings in the drop-down menu.
![Google Calendar in Chrome with the settings gear menu open and the Settings option marked.]()
- Look under the Settings for my calendars heading in the sidebar and click the specific calendar you want the URL for.
![Google Calendar in Chrome on the Settings screen with a specific calendar marked in the sidebar.]()
- Find the check box labeled Make available to public and make sure it is ticked, clicking it if not. This is required in order to share your Google Calendar with someone who doesn't have a Google account.
![Google Calendar in Chrome on the Settings screen for a specific calendar with the "Make available to public" tick box marked.]()
- Click Integrate calendar in the sidebar.
![Google Calendar in Chrome on the Settings screen for a specific calendar with the Integrate option marked in the sidebar.]()
- On the Integrate calendar screen, you will find a box labeled Public address in iCal format. Copy it.
![Google Calendar in Chrome with the Integrate Calendar screen open for a specific calendar and the public address for the .ics file marked.]()
You will also see a Secret address in iCal format here, and you can use this address to integrate your own Calendars into other apps, but you should never give this address to another person.
With this URL copied, you need only to send it to the person you want to share it with in any way they can easily access from their iPhone. If they use the iPhone Mail app, I recommend emailing it to them, as opening the URL in Mail makes it very easy to subscribe in the Calendar app, but you can also use an instant messaging app. For more information on this part of the subscription process, you can refer them to our guide on how to link calendars on iPhone.
