Calendar Syncing (How-To and FAQ)

The guide below will walk you through how to sync your calendar with Porter. We recommend all our users sync their Google or Outlook calendars to make the app more seamless and prevent any double bookings. We'll also cover what happens when you sync your calendar and show you how the calendar sync works in action.

How To Sync Your Google or Outlook Calendar:

1. Log into the Porter mobile app using your phone number
2. Click on your "Profile" page in the bottom right of the app
3. Click "Connect your calendar"
4. Choose if you want to sync a Google or Outlook calendar
5. Sign in with your Google or Outlook account

"Now that I've synced my calendar with Porter, how do I know my appointment data has been transferred?"

Great question, we're glad you asked! First let's make sure we understand what happens when your calendar syncs with Porter.

Syncing your calendar with Porter does two things:

1. Any appointments scheduled through Porter will show up on your Google or Outlook calendar
2. Anything scheduled in your Google or Outlook calendar will be blocked off so that clients can not book that time

While Porter digests appointment data from your synced calendar (Google or Outlook) it does not actually show the appointments from your Google or Outlook calendar in your Porter calendar. However, it does not allow your Porter customers to book any times you already have blocked off on your synced calendar. This means it's super important to make sure that your Google or Outlook calendar is up-to-date and the blocked time is as close as possible to how long the appointment will actually take. This will ensure that no one double-books you!

While Porter does not show your appointments from Google or Outlook in the Porter app, it will show any appointments scheduled through Porter on your Google or Outlook calendar. That's why, in the early stages of using Porter, we recommend relying on your Google or Outlook calendar as a source of truth. Here is an example of an appointment booked via Porter and how it shows on an artist's Google Calendar.

As you can see, the time block is transferred over, but most of the data you need to prepare for the appointment remains in Porter, as seen below.

"Can I sync my Apple calendar with Porter?"

The short answer is no - Apple makes it very difficult to sync calendars to anywhere else. In fact, Apple doesn't even have a good option to sync your Apple Calendar events to Google Calendar.

For Artists who are currently using the Apple Calendar, we recommend simply syncing your Google or Outlook calendar to Porter (using the steps at the top of this article) and adding your existing appointments to your Google or Outlook calendar. We know this can be a pain in the you know what - but, it's a one-time thing.

Of course, the other option is simply opening your books on Porter after all your existing appointments are finished to avoid double-booking.

Calendar management and Calendar syncing can be difficult, but we guarantee once you fully switch to Porter, it won't be anymore!

Please reach out [email protected] with any other calendar syncing questions!