Staff members can connect their Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook (Office 365), or iCal calendar with Appointy to manage their appointments and availability more efficiently.
With calendar integration, staff members can view their Appointy appointments alongside other scheduled events. Google Calendar and Outlook support two-way synchronization, while iCal provides one-way synchronization from Appointy to the external calendar.
Plan requirement: Staff members can connect their individual calendars using their staff login on the Appointy Professional plan and higher.
Understanding Calendar Synchronization Options
Before connecting your calendar, it's important to understand how each integration works.
| Feature | Google Calendar | Outlook (Office 365) | iCal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sync Appointy appointments to external calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Block Appointy availability using external calendar events | Yes | Yes | No |
| Synchronization direction | Two-way | Two-way | One-way |
| Synchronization frequency | Connected calendar integration | Connected calendar integration | Depends on external calendar's refresh interval |
Important: iCal does not support two-way synchronization. Events created in your external iCal calendar will not block availability in Appointy.
How to Connect Your Calendar as a Staff Member
Step 1: Log In to Your Appointy Staff Account
- Open the Appointy Login Page.
- On the Welcome back screen, you will see two login options:
- Administrator
- Staff/Manager
- Select Staff/Manager.
- Enter the username or email address associated with your staff account.
- Click Continue.
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Complete the remaining authentication steps to access your Appointy staff dashboard.
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. - Once logged in, navigate to Marketplace → Apps & Integrations → Calendars to connect your preferred Google, Outlook, or iCal calendar.
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. - Click the calendar integration you want to use.
- Click Connect for Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar, or Integrate for iCal.
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- For Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar, sign in to your external calendar account and authorize the connection.
- Select the calendar you want to synchronize with Appointy, where prompted.
- For supported two-way integrations, choose BOTH WAYS as the synchronization option.
- Click Update to save your settings.
- Your calendar is now connected to your Appointy staff profile.
For Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar
- Sign in to your Google or Microsoft Office 365 account.
- Authorize the requested calendar permissions.
- Select the calendar you want to synchronize with Appointy.
- Set the synchronization option to BOTH WAYS.
- Click Update to save your settings.
Once connected, new appointments booked with you through Appointy will automatically synchronize with your selected calendar.
For iCal Calendar
- Select iCal from the available calendar integrations.
- Click Integrate.
- Follow the displayed instructions to subscribe to your Appointy calendar in your preferred calendar application.
- Configure the calendar's refresh interval if your calendar application provides this option.
Once subscribed, your external calendar application will periodically fetch appointment information from Appointy.
Note: iCal synchronization is one-way only. It does not block Appointy availability based on events created in your external calendar.
How Google and Outlook Calendar Synchronization Works
When staff members connect their Google or Outlook Calendars using two-way synchronization, Appointy exchanges scheduling information in both directions.
1. Appointy Appointments Sync to the Staff Calendar
When a customer books an appointment with a staff member, the appointment automatically appears on that staff member's connected Google or Outlook Calendar.
Example:
Sarah connects her Google Calendar to her Appointy staff profile.
A customer books a consultation with Sarah for Tuesday at 11:00 AM.
The appointment automatically appears on Sarah's Google Calendar.
2. External Calendar Events Block Staff Availability
Busy events created on a staff member's connected Google or Outlook Calendar block the corresponding time slots in their Appointy schedule.
Example:
John connects his Google Calendar to Appointy.
He creates a personal meeting on Google Calendar from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM.
Once the event synchronizes, Appointy blocks that period from John's online booking availability.
Customers cannot book an overlapping appointment with John during that time.
This allows each staff member to manage their availability independently without affecting other staff members' schedules.
How iCal Calendar Synchronization Works
Unlike Google Calendar and Outlook, iCal uses one-way synchronization from Appointy to your external calendar.
This means appointments booked in Appointy can appear in your subscribed iCal calendar, but events created in your external calendar will not synchronize back to Appointy.
How Often Does iCal Synchronize Appointments?
iCal uses a calendar subscription that retrieves appointment information from Appointy periodically.
The synchronization frequency depends on how often your external calendar application is configured to fetch updated calendar information.
For example:
- A customer books an appointment in Appointy at 10:00 AM.
- Your external calendar is configured to refresh subscribed calendars every 30 minutes.
- The appointment may appear after the next scheduled calendar refresh.
The actual synchronization time depends on your calendar application's settings and refresh behavior.
Important iCal Limitations
- iCal synchronization works only from Appointy to the external calendar.
- Events created in your external calendar do not block your Appointy availability.
- Appointments may not appear immediately because synchronization depends on the calendar application's refresh interval.
- For automatic availability blocking using personal calendar events, connect Google Calendar or Outlook using two-way synchronization.
Important: Previously Booked Appointments Will Not Sync Automatically
When you connect Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar to Appointy, appointments that were already booked in Appointy before the connection was established will not automatically synchronize.
Only new appointments booked after the successful connection will synchronize automatically.
Example:
Sarah already has 10 Appointy appointments before connecting her Google Calendar.
Those existing appointments will not automatically appear in Google Calendar after the connection.
However, any new appointments booked with Sarah after connecting Google Calendar will automatically synchronize.
Note: This limitation applies to the Google and Outlook connection process. iCal operates through a subscribed calendar feed and retrieves information according to the external calendar application's refresh schedule.
What Appointment Information Syncs to Google Calendar?
When a new appointment is booked with a staff member whose Google Calendar is connected, the synchronized event can include additional appointment information.
Appointment Notes
Notes added to an appointment in Appointy are also synchronized with the corresponding Google Calendar appointment.
This allows staff members to review appointment-related information directly from their connected calendar.
Customer Intake Form Responses
If your business uses Appointy's Intake Form to collect additional information during booking, customer responses will also be included with the synchronized appointment in Google Calendar.
Example:
A customer books a consultation and answers the following questions:
- What is the purpose of your consultation?
- Do you have any specific requirements?
- Is there anything we should prepare before your appointment?
The submitted responses will be available with the corresponding Google Calendar event.
Privacy consideration: Calendar events may contain customer-provided information. Staff should ensure their external calendar sharing permissions are configured appropriately.
Can Staff Reschedule Appointments from Google Calendar?
Appointments originally booked through Appointy must be rescheduled directly within Appointy.
Changing the time of the corresponding event in Google Calendar does not reschedule the original Appointy appointment.
Example:
A customer books an Appointy appointment for 10:00 AM, which appears in the connected Google Calendar.
If you move that event to 11:00 AM directly in Google Calendar, the original Appointy appointment will not automatically move to 11:00 AM.
To reschedule the appointment correctly, make the change in Appointy.
Similarly, events originally created in Google Calendar should be managed directly in Google Calendar. Removing their synchronized representation from Appointy does not delete the original Google Calendar event.
Best Practice: Manage appointments and events in the application where they were originally created.
- Appointy appointments: Reschedule or cancel them in Appointy.
- Google Calendar events: Modify or delete them in Google Calendar.
Why Can Appointments Appear During Blocked Calendar Times?
Sometimes, an appointment may appear in Appointy during a time that is blocked by an external calendar event.
There are two common explanations.
1. The Appointment Was Booked Before the Blocking Event Was Created
Suppose a customer books an Appointy appointment for Friday at 3:00 PM.
Later, the staff member creates a Google Calendar event blocking Friday from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
Since the appointment was booked before the blocking event was created, the newly synchronized block does not cancel the existing appointment.
How to verify the conflict:
- Log in to Appointy.
- Navigate to the Staff section.
- Select the relevant staff member.
- Open the date and time when the conflict occurred.
- Locate the synchronized blocked event.
- Review the event's creation date and time.
- Compare that information with the appointment's booking date and time.
If the appointment was booked before the blocking event existed, this explains the overlap.
2. An Admin or Staff Member Manually Booked During Blocked Time
Appointy administrators and staff members can manually schedule appointments during blocked time slots.
Calendar blocking primarily restricts availability shown to customers through the online booking page.
However, authorized admins and staff can manually schedule appointments during those periods.
Therefore, an appointment appearing during blocked availability does not necessarily mean calendar synchronization failed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can staff members connect their own Google Calendar to Appointy?
Yes. On the Professional plan and higher, staff members can log in to their individual Appointy accounts and connect their respective Google Calendars through Marketplace → Calendars.
Can different staff members connect different Google Calendars?
Yes. Each staff member can connect their own Google Calendar, allowing appointments booked with them to appear in their respective calendars.
Will Google Calendar events block availability for every staff member?
No. Events synchronized from an individual staff member's connected Google Calendar block that staff member's availability, not the schedules of every staff member in the business.
Does Appointy support two-way Outlook Calendar synchronization?
Yes. Two-way synchronization with Outlook (Office 365) is supported on the Professional plan and higher.
Does iCal support two-way synchronization?
No. iCal supports one-way synchronization from Appointy to your external calendar.
Will events created in iCal block appointment availability in Appointy?
No. Events created in your external iCal calendar do not synchronize back to Appointy or block availability.
Why aren't my Appointy appointments appearing immediately in iCal?
iCal retrieves information based on your external calendar application's refresh interval. Newly booked appointments may take some time to appear.
Can I control how frequently iCal synchronizes appointments?
Some calendar applications allow you to configure how frequently subscribed calendars refresh. The available options depend on your calendar application.
Will previously booked Appointy appointments appear after connecting Google Calendar?
No. Appointments booked before establishing the Google Calendar connection will not automatically synchronize. Only new appointments booked after the connection will sync.
Do appointment notes and intake form responses sync with Google Calendar?
Yes. Appointment notes and customer intake form responses can be included in synchronized Google Calendar events.
Can staff reschedule Appointy appointments directly from Google Calendar?
No. Moving an Appointy-generated event in Google Calendar does not reschedule the original appointment in Appointy. Reschedule appointments directly through Appointy.
Why was an appointment booked during a blocked Google Calendar event?
The appointment may have been booked before the blocking event was created or synchronized. Alternatively, an admin or staff member may have manually scheduled the appointment during blocked time.
Can admins or staff manually book appointments during blocked time?
Yes. Admins and staff can manually schedule appointments during blocked periods. These availability restrictions primarily apply to customers booking through the online booking calendar.