Google Calendar is a core a part of the Android productiveness bundle — but when all you are the usage of is what you notice at the app’s floor, you are lacking out on some lovely tough chances.
Sure, oh sure: Identical to such a lot of of our fashionable virtual equipment, there is extra to Google Calendar than meets the attention. And whilst nearly all of the provider’s complicated choices revolve around the Calendar website, the Calendar Android app has its proportion of to hand out-of-sight choices which are particular to the cell revel in. From time-saving shortcuts to efficiency-boosting choices, they are all issues that experience the possible to make your existence more straightforward in small however vital tactics.
To find time to your time table to try those 12 hidden Google Calendar options on Android. Agree with me: You can be satisfied you probably did.
1. The development advent quick-peek
Inform me if you’ll be able to relate to this: You head into the Calendar app in your telephone to create a brand new match. You open the display so as to add the development in — you then unexpectedly to find your self dealing with a foggy psychological clean.
What else did you could have occurring that day? Did you want to time table the development for two:00 p.m., or would 3:00 be higher? When used to be that podiatrist appointment, once more?
I have definitely been there (neatly, to not the podiatrist, in particular, however within the normal match mind fog state of affairs). And the Android Calendar app does not do a lot to lend a hand be offering any broader calendar context when you are in the course of including in a brand new match.
Or so it would appear. After years of the usage of Google Calendar on Android, I simply spotted a apparently camouflaged possibility that’ll alternate the best way you create occasions in your telephone.
See that hardly noticeable light-gray line on the best of the Calendar app’s match advent display? The person who appears vaguely like an arrow pointing downward?
JR Yup, that is the one. The following time you are including a brand new match in your telephone and you end up questioning what else is in your time table round that very same time, faucet the road — or, on the other hand, swipe downward anyplace inside the primary match advent house of the display.
And…
JR Wouldya take a look at that?! You’ll be able to in fact reduce that match advent interface down and skim round in your calendar at the back of it.
And that’s the reason no longer all…
2. Easy match sliding
After you might have entered that hid quick-peek view, consider this: If making a decision you want to shift your new match round to yet again, you’ll be able to merely contact and cling the description in your display and slide your finger up and down to transport it.
Nifty, no? And there is yet another piece to this puzzle but…
3. An match adjusting gesture
Along with sliding an match round to transport it within the Calendar Android app’s match advent quick-peek interface, you’ll be able to contact your finger to the dots at the best or backside of your match’s define after which slide up or down from there to make the development longer or shorter.
JR Now if most effective our exact conferences might be condensed down so simply!
4. Fast per 30 days calendar view
When you want to look at a full-month view while thumbing thru your occasions, remember of the next invisible Calendar shortcut: You’ll be able to faucet or swipe downward at the app’s best bar — the place it says the present month’s identify — to carry a per 30 days view into focal point. Faucet at the bar a 2nd time (or swipe again up, together with your finger beginning simply underneath that house) to cover it if you find yourself achieved.
JR Who knew?! And talking of shadowy shortcuts…
5. A to hand method to snap to nowadays
Anytime you are scrolling thru your time table view within the Calendar app and wish to leap again to the present day, faucet the small calendar icon (the field with a dot it in, without delay to the left of your profile image within the upper-right nook of the display).
JR That’ll zip you again to nowadays, regardless of how a long way into the long run you might have traveled.
6. Fast deleting of occasions
This is an simply overpassed and extremely to hand gesture within the Calendar Android app: From the time table view, you’ll be able to swipe any match or reminder towards the fitting to delete it in one, swift motion.
JR See you later, duties!
7. The Meet omission
Have you ever ever spotted how Calendar evolved an irksome addiction of robotically including Google Meet hyperlinks into each and every forkin’ match you create?
That is tremendous and dandy in case your match in fact features a Meet-based video assembly, however it is lovely worrying — and doubtlessly complicated — when your match is one thing that is in individual. Worse but is when your match is digital however in a other video assembly provider, like Zoom, after which everybody you invite finally ends up getting each the right kind hyperlink and a meaningless Meet hyperlink for a similar match.
Here is a little secret: You’ll be able to put a forestall to this insanity. And all it takes is a handful of short faucets to your Android Calendar app.
Open up Calendar in your telephone, faucet the three-line menu icon in its upper-left nook, and scroll all the way down to the ground to choose “Settings.”
Faucet “Normal,” then faucet “Upload video conferencing” and switch the toggles into the off place for each and every account you have got attached.
Now, when you ever wish to upload a Meet hyperlink to an match, you’ll be able to achieve this manually while developing mentioned match. However by way of default, the ones blasted hyperlinks may not get auto-added onto each and every unmarried match for you.
8. Match-sensitive silencing of your telephone
This one is technically an Android function, however it works hand in hand with Calendar and is without doubt one of the maximum sensible choices available in the market: the power to your telephone to robotically silence itself anytime an match out of your Google Calendar is underway.
All you might have gotta do is permit it: Head into your telephone’s settings and to find the Do Now not Disturb segment (by way of both taking a look within the Sound segment or just in search of “Do Now not Disturb” within the field on the best of the display). Faucet “Schedules,” carry your lovely little fingie to the road classified “Match,” and both faucet the road itself (no longer the toggle subsequent to it) or the equipment icon along it, when you see one.
That’ll pull up a display that appears one thing like this:
JR The primary possibility at the display, “Right through occasions for,” allows you to choose which of the calendars related together with your instrument will cause the phone-silencing conduct. You’ll be able to depart it set to the default environment of “Any calendar” to have any match on any calendar reason your telephone to be silenced, or you’ll be able to slim it down to 1 particular calendar — like your paintings calendar — and depart the others out.
The second one line allows you to specify what sorts of occasions will reason your telephone to be silenced. You’ll be able to inform the machine to silence your telephone provided that you might have spoke back “Sure” to an match, when you’ve spoke back “Sure” or “Perhaps,” or when you’ve spoke back “Sure” or “Perhaps” or have not spoke back in any respect. (The ones alternatives are for occasions that different other people created and invited you to wait, by way of the by way of; any match you create by yourself will at all times depend as an automated “Sure.”)
And in spite of everything, the 3rd line we could making a decision whether or not your telephone must use its default Do Now not Disturb conduct or when you’d quite create your individual customized settings for the way the telephone must behave on this particular circumstance. The customized settings possibility offers you heaps of flexibleness for the way precisely your telephone must act whilst a Calendar match is underway: You’ll be able to decide to permit calls or texts from starred contacts to return thru, as an example, or to let occasions and reminders provide you with a warning despite the fact that no different sounds are approved. You’ll be able to even customise how several types of notifications seem visually all the way through an appointment.
JR Now not seeing any of this in your instrument? If you are the usage of a telephone with an older model of Android or one whose producer has fudged round with this a part of the working machine, you’ll be able to arrange your individual simplified model of the similar function by way of embracing this IFTTT applet.
9. Fast responses for crew occasions
Identical to Android lets you send a prewritten quick response if you find yourself rejecting a choice, Google Calendar can can help you ship a fast be aware to any person inquisitive about an upcoming assembly — all with a pair short faucets in your telephone.
To configure the function, open up the Calendar app, faucet the three-line menu icon within the upper-left nook, and choose “Settings” from the menu that looks.
Subsequent, choose “Normal,” then scroll down till you notice “Fast responses.” Faucet that — and there, you’ll be able to see 4 choices for prewritten messages you’ll be able to fireplace off at the fly whilst en path to any appointment involving a couple of mammals.
JR Oddly, Calendar does not can help you create further responses, however you’ll be able to edit any of the default responses to lead them to say no matter you wish to have. Simply faucet any certainly one of ’em after which change it with no matter textual content your foolish ol’ center needs.
JR To position your customized short responses to make use of, open up any upcoming match that has no less than one different individual invited. Faucet the envelope icon throughout the “Visitors” line, then faucet the reaction you wish to have from the listing.
That’ll take you without delay to a ready-to-roll e mail together with your message in position and the recipients added in. All that is left is to hit “Ship” — and perhaps let loose a guffaw in satisfaction, must inspiration strike.
10. Reproduction an current match
Ever to find your self desiring to create a brand new match that is remarkably very similar to one already in your time table? The Calendar Android app has a very easy method to reproduction an match after which use it as a blueprint for a brand new one: Simply faucet the development you wish to have to emulate, faucet the three-dot menu icon in its upper-right nook, and choose — you guessed it — “Reproduction.”
And that’s the reason it: Your new match will display up with the unique match’s data crammed in and waiting for to be tweaked as wanted.
Does not get a lot more straightforward than that.
11. Extra helpful notification occasions
Google Calendar’s default notification occasions for brand spanking new occasions are not correct for everybody. If you end up converting the environment for when an match will notify you extra incessantly than no longer (and/or quietly muttering inventive curses each and every time an match notifies you previous or later than you need), do your self a prefer and regulate your Calendar’s default notification occasions so that they paintings higher for you.
Simply head again into the Calendar app’s settings segment — and this time, to find the segment for the Google account you wish to have to switch and faucet the “Occasions” line underneath it. That’ll come up with a display on which you’ll be able to alternate the default notification occasions for usual new occasions in addition to all-day occasions. You’ll be able to even upload a couple of notifications, if you wish to have, and alter the default colour for occasions on that calendar when you are at it (ooh, ahh, and many others).
JR If you wish to alternate the default notification time for reminders or for any secondary calendars you might have created inside a selected Google account, simply to find the right line underneath the account’s header and choose that as an alternative of “Occasions” — then make the similar varieties of changes there.
12. Customized calendar objectives
Along with common ol’ occasions and reminders, the Android Calendar app help you create routine objectives. And in spite of the cheesy-sounding nature of the function’s identify, it could possibly in fact have some authentic price from a productiveness viewpoint.
To test it out, faucet the round plus icon within the Calendar app’s lower-right nook, choose “Purpose,” after which glance during the sections that seem. Many of the classes are lovely goofy — exercising, spending time with circle of relatives, studying, and different such duties that I to find it laborious to consider any person would in fact put onto their calendar after which observe — however the last thing within the listing is named “Arrange my existence,” and it is on the very least price taking a look thru.
If you faucet that segment, Calendar will provide you with a couple of urged objectives to time table. Forget about the ones and faucet “Customized.” The app will then come up with an inventory of items chances are you’ll in fact need to time table regularly:
JR You’ll be able to forget about the ones, too, despite the fact that, and sort to your personal job — whether or not it is processing invoices, making plans conferences, or one thing actually necessary like deciding what varieties of sandwiches must be ordered for lunch (I like to recommend pastrami). As soon as you might have selected one thing or typed to your personal customized merchandise, Calendar will ask how incessantly you wish to have to do it, for the way lengthy, and at what time of day — and it’s going to then to find open occasions to your time table and paintings your merchandise in as incessantly as wanted.
JR You’ll be able to stay observe of the way incessantly you accomplish your target through the years by way of telling Calendar on every occasion you end it. You’ll be able to even decide to make use of one thing referred to as “good notifications,” which provide you with a warning each ahead of and after your scheduled consultation so you’ll be able to “get ready and observe growth” (and/or grumble concerning the worrying nature of “good notifications”).
It is not anything innovative, whatsoever — however in case you have an ordinary, routine job that turns out quite goal-oriented in nature, it may be an enchanting and visually unique method to set up it to your calendar.
Bonus: Calendar’s secret codewords
Hardly ever any person is aware of this, however there is a method to hack the Calendar app’s representation machine and make any of Google’s contextual graphics seem on any match you wish to have.
The trick is solely finding out the Calendar app’s secret codewords after which placing ’em to make use of precisely how you wish to have.
Take a look at this complete list of Google Calendar codewords, and get waiting to offer your calendar an entire new custom designed glance.
And with that, your Android calendar revel in is formally upgraded. Now all you might have gotta do is get the entirety in your time table achieved — and that, my pricey amigo, is squarely in your shoulders.
Get much more complicated shortcut wisdom with my free Android Shortcut Supercourse. You can be informed heaps of time-saving tips to your telephone!
Copyright © 2022 IDG Communications, Inc.
