How to Make Google Calendar the Default on iPhone

You can’t replace Apple’s Calendar app with Google Calendar as the iPhone’s system-wide default, because iOS doesn’t offer a default calendar app setting. What you can do is make your Google calendar the default for new events. Add your Google account in Settings > Apps > Calendar > Calendar Accounts > Add Account > Google, turn on Calendars, then go to Settings > Apps > Calendar > Default Calendar and choose your Google calendar. New events you create in Apple’s Calendar, from Siri, or from invitations then land in Google Calendar.

On iOS 17 and earlier, these settings are under Settings > Calendar instead of Settings > Apps > Calendar. If you’d rather use Google’s own app every day, you can install it and put it front and center, as explained below.

Step 1: Add your Google account to your iPhone

1. Open Settings and tap Apps > Calendar (or just Calendar on older iOS).
2. Tap Calendar Accounts (or Accounts), then Add Account.
3. Tap Google and sign in with your Google email and password.
4. Turn on Calendars. Turn on Mail and Contacts too if you want them.
5. Tap Save.

If your Google account is already on your iPhone for Mail, just open it under Calendar Accounts and turn on Calendars.

Step 2: Make your Google calendar the default

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Calendar.
2. Tap Default Calendar.
3. Under your Google account, tap the calendar you want new events to go to.

Now, when you add an event in the Calendar app, ask Siri to schedule something, or add an event from Mail, it goes to your Google calendar and syncs to Google Calendar on the web and your other devices.

Step 3 (optional): Show only Google calendars

1. Open Apple’s Calendar app.
2. Tap Calendars at the bottom.
3. Uncheck any iCloud or On My iPhone calendars you don’t use. Check Show All under your Google account.
4. Tap Done.

Step 4 (optional): Use the Google Calendar app instead

1. Install Google Calendar from the App Store and sign in.
2. Drag its icon to your Home Screen dock, and move Apple’s Calendar into a folder or the App Library.
3. Add a Google Calendar widget: touch and hold the Home Screen, tap Edit > Add Widget, and search for Google Calendar.

Some links and invitations still open Apple’s Calendar because iOS doesn’t let you change that. Events added there go to your default Google calendar, so everything stays in sync either way.

Sync shared and extra Google calendars

By default, iPhone may only show your main Google calendar. To add shared calendars:

1. On your iPhone or computer, go to calendar.google.com/calendar/syncselect and sign in.
2. Check the calendars you want to see on your iPhone and click Save.
3. Open Apple’s Calendar app and pull down to refresh. The calendars may take a few minutes to appear.

If Google events aren’t showing

• Check Calendars is on for your Google account in Settings > Apps > Calendar > Calendar Accounts.
• Check Fetch New Data. In Settings > Apps > Calendar > Calendar Accounts > Fetch New Data, set your Google account to Fetch with Automatically or a short interval.
• Make sure the calendar is checked in the Calendars list in Apple’s Calendar app.
• Remove and re-add the account if events still don’t sync. This doesn’t delete anything from Google.

You can also add the Google app to your home screen.

To silence the built-in app, read how to turn off iPhone calendar notifications.

Frequently asked questions

Can I set Google Calendar as the default calendar app on iPhone?

Not system-wide. iOS lets you choose default apps for some things, like the browser and email, but not the calendar. Setting a Google calendar as the default for new events is the closest option.

Will this delete my iCloud events?

No. Existing events stay where they are. Only new events go to your Google calendar.

Why do new events still go to iCloud?

Check Default Calendar again, and make sure you’re not picking a different calendar when you create the event. The Calendar field on the new-event screen overrides the default for that event.

Can I move old iCloud events to Google Calendar?

Not in bulk on the iPhone. You can open each event, tap Edit, change Calendar to your Google calendar, and tap Done.

Kermit Matthews

Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.

He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.

Read his full bio here.