How calendar sync works
Why subscribers' calendars update automatically every time you publish.
When a subscriber adds your schedule to their calendar, they're subscribing to a live feed, not downloading a static file. Every calendar app checks this feed periodically and pulls in whatever has changed. You publish an update; their calendar refreshes on its own.
The calendar feed
OnThree generates a live .ics feed for every published schedule. This is the standard format that Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, and every other major calendar app understands. Subscribers add this feed once. After that, updates happen automatically.
How often it refreshes
OnThree tells calendar apps to check for updates every 15 minutes. In practice:
- Apple Calendar typically refreshes within 15-30 minutes.
- Outlook refreshes within 15-30 minutes.
- Google Calendar can take up to 24 hours to sync. This is a known Google limitation. OnThree can't speed it up.
What syncs
Only events with a confirmed date and time sync to the calendar feed. TBD events (no date or time) appear on the public schedule page but are excluded from the feed until you add a date.
Each event in the feed links back to its detail page on your OnThree schedule. Subscribers can tap an event in their calendar to see the full details: location, notes, and anything else you've added.
What happens when you unpublish
If you unpublish a schedule, the feed becomes empty. Subscribers' existing events clear out on the next sync, but their subscription stays connected. When you republish, events reappear automatically.