How to Sync Google Calendar and Apple Calendar: The Complete 2025 Guide

TL;DR

Trying to manage your life across two different ecosystems is a recipe for missed meetings. Here is the fast track to sync Google Calendar and Apple Calendar:

For viewing only: Add your Google account directly to your iPhone or Mac settings. This lets you see Google events in the Apple Calendar app.
For true availability syncing: Native settings only show you the events. To stop colleagues from double-booking you over personal events, you need a sync tool like Caltsu.
Check your fetch settings: If events aren't showing up, your phone might be saving battery by not updating the calendar data.
Watch out for "Zombie" calendars: Ensure you have the right sub-calendars checked in Google's hidden sync settings.

You live on your iPhone, but your work lives on Google Calendar. It’s the classic "green bubble vs. blue bubble" conflict, but for your schedule.

Constantly switching between apps to see where you need to be is annoying. Worse, it’s dangerous. One day you forget to check the Google app, and suddenly you’re missing a client call because you were only looking at your personal Apple Calendar.

You need a single source of truth.

Getting these two tech giants to play nice isn't actually that hard, but there are two very different ways to do it depending on what you need: viewing (seeing everything in one place) or blocking (making sure people can't book over your other commitments).

Here is exactly how to sync Google Calendar and Apple Calendar in 2025.

Why Sync Google Calendar with Apple Calendar?

If you carry an iPhone, the native Apple Calendar app is deeply integrated into the OS. It works with Siri, it shows up in your widgets, and it pops up on your Apple Watch face. Google Calendar doesn't integrate quite as deeply.

By syncing them, you get:

Unified View: Personal iCloud events and work Google events on one screen.
Siri Integration: "Hey Siri, what's my day look like?" actually works for work meetings.
CarPlay Support: Your next meeting address pops up on your dashboard automatically.

However, you need to know the limitations. The standard method below allows you to see your Google events on your iPhone. It does not copy those events to your iCloud server.

(We’ll explain why that matters and how to fix it in the Advanced Method section).

Method 1: Add Google Account to iPhone/Mac Settings (The Standard Way)

This is the method most people are looking for. It treats the Apple Calendar app as a window to view your Google data.

Syncing on iPhone or iPad

This takes about 45 seconds. Grab your phone.

Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Scroll down and tap Calendar.
Tap Accounts. (If you are on an older iOS, this might be under "Passwords & Accounts").
Tap Add Account.
Select Google from the logo list.
A browser window will pop up. Sign in with your Google email and password. You may need to approve the login via 2FA.
Once authorized, you’ll see a list of Google services you can sync (Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Notes).
Toggle the "Calendars" switch to ON (green).
Tap Save in the top right corner.

Expected Outcome: Wait about two minutes. Open your Apple Calendar app. You should now see your Google events populating the grid. If they are the wrong color, tap "Calendars" at the bottom of the app to change them.

Syncing on Mac (macOS)

If you work on a MacBook, you want your desktop calendar to reflect the same data.

Click the Apple Menu () in the top left corner.
Select System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS).
Click Internet Accounts.
Click Add Account and select Google.
Your default browser will open. Sign in to your Google account.
Click Allow to give macOS permission to access your account.
In the prompt that follows, ensure Calendars is checked.
Click Done.

Expected Outcome: Open the Calendar app on your Mac. Press Cmd + R to force a refresh. Your Google meetings will appear alongside your iCloud events.

[Link to Pillar: The Ultimate Guide to Managing Multiple Calendars]

Method 2: Using Caltsu for Advanced Sync (The Privacy Way)

The method above has a massive flaw: The Fake Free Time Problem.

Let's say you have a dentist appointment on your personal Apple Calendar at 2:00 PM. You also have your work Google Calendar synced to your phone.

You can see the dentist appointment.
Your boss looking at your Google Calendar sees 2:00 PM as completely empty.

Why? Because Apple Calendar is just displaying the Google data. It isn't actually copying your personal "Busy" status over to Google. Your boss books a meeting at 2:00 PM. Now you're double-booked.

To fix this, you need a sync tool like Caltsu.

Caltsu creates actual copies of events between calendars so that your availability is accurate everywhere, without sharing private details.

How to set it up:

Create a Caltsu account. It takes 30 seconds.
Connect your accounts. Link your Google Calendar and your iCloud Calendar.
Create a Sync Connection. Tell Caltsu to sync from Apple (Source) to Google (Destination).
Configure Privacy. Choose "Sync as Busy."

Expected Outcome: When you add that dentist appointment to your iPhone, Caltsu instantly creates a placeholder event on your Google Calendar that just says "Busy."

Your boss sees you are unavailable. You see the details. No double bookings, no "TMI" about your medical appointments sharing to the whole company.

[Link to Pillar: How to Stop Double-Booking Forever]

Troubleshooting Google-Apple Calendar Sync

Sometimes technology refuses to cooperate. If you followed the steps above but your calendar is empty, check these common culprits.

1. The Hidden "Sync Select" Setting

This is the most common issue for Google power users. Google has a hidden settings page that controls which sub-calendars are visible to third-party apps (like Apple Calendar).

If your main calendar shows up but your "Team Holidays" or "Shared Project" calendars are missing:

Go to calendar.google.com/syncselect in your browser.
Ensure the checkboxes next to the missing calendars are ticked.
Click Save.
Refresh your Apple Calendar app.

2. Fetch Data Settings (iOS)

If updates are slow—like you add an event on your laptop but it takes hours to show on your phone—your fetch settings are likely set to "Manual" to save battery.

Go to Settings > Calendar > Accounts > Fetch New Data.
Ensure "Push" is turned on.
If Push isn't available for that account (Google sometimes limits this on free accounts), set the Fetch schedule to Every 15 Minutes.

3. The "Default Calendar" Trap

You create an event on your iPhone thinking it's for work, but it never shows up on your work computer. You probably saved it to the wrong calendar.

Apple Calendar has a "Default Calendar" setting for new events. If this is set to "Home" (iCloud), your work events stay on your phone.

Go to Settings > Calendar.
Scroll to Default Calendar.
Change this to the calendar you use most often (e.g., your main Google work email).

Pro Tips for Managing Both Calendars

Once you have everything synced, you need to keep it organized so your screen doesn't look like a bag of Skittles exploded.

Color Code Ruthlessly

Don't let Google and Apple pick random colors.

Open Apple Calendar.
Tap Calendars at the bottom.
Tap the (i) info icon next to a calendar.
Pick a specific color family. Make all Work calendars Red/Orange and all Personal calendars Blue/Green. This creates a visual separation in your brain immediately.

Use "Travel Time"

Since you are using Apple Calendar, take advantage of its native features. When creating an event, add a location. Then, tap Travel Time and turn it on. Apple will calculate traffic and block out the necessary drive time before the meeting.

If you use Caltsu, that travel time block will also sync to your Google Calendar, ensuring nobody books a meeting while you're stuck in traffic.

Audit Your Shared Calendars

If you have imported your "Holidays in United States," "Birthdays," and "Siri Found in Apps" calendars, your view is going to be cluttered.

Open your calendar list and uncheck anything you don't use daily. You don't need to delete them—just hide them. A cleaner view reduces cognitive load.

Conclusion

Syncing Google Calendar and Apple Calendar is the first step toward regaining control of your time.

If you just need to see where you have to be next, the native iPhone settings work great. It’s free, built-in, and takes a minute to set up.

But if you are managing a professional schedule and need to protect your time from overzealous colleagues, you need more than just a view. You need actual availability protection.

Caltsu bridges the gap between your personal iPhone life and your professional Google life. It runs in the background, keeping your availability updated instantly across both platforms so you never have to apologize for a double-booking again.

[Link to Pillar: Caltsu Features and Pricing]

How to Sync Google Calendar and Apple Calendar (2025)