How to add a calendar link to your phone

iPhone, iPad and Android. Last checked 7 October 2026.

A calendar link is a web address for a calendar rather than for a page. Schools, sports clubs and apps hand them out so their events can show up in the calendar app you already use. The address often ends in .ics, or starts with webcal:// instead of https://.

Subscribing to the link is different from importing a file. An imported file is a copy that never changes. A subscription gets checked again from time to time, so when an event moves at the source, it moves on your phone too.

On an iPhone or iPad

Tapping the link is often enough: the phone asks whether you want to subscribe. If it does not, add it in the Calendar app.

1. Copy the link.
2. Open Calendar and tap Calendars at the bottom of the screen.
3. Tap Add Calendar, then Add Subscription Calendar.
4. Paste the link and tap Subscribe. On iOS 26 the button is called Find.
5. Give it a name and a colour, choose iCloud as the account, and save.

Choosing iCloud puts the calendar on your other Apple devices as well. iPhones handle calendar subscriptions in the operating system, so any calendar app on the phone can see the result.

On Android

This is harder than it should be, and the reason is worth knowing.

The Google Calendar app cannot add a calendar from a link. Google's own help says subscribing needs a web browser on a computer. Android itself supports subscribed calendars, so the limitation comes from the app rather than from the phone.

There are two ways round it.

Use a computer once

1. Open calendar.google.com in a browser, signed in to the same Google account as your phone.
2. Find Other calendars in the left column and press the plus beside it.
3. Choose From URL, paste the link, and press Add calendar.

The calendar then appears on your phone by itself and behaves like any other calendar from that point on. You only need the computer for this one step. If it has not appeared after a few minutes, open the Google Calendar app's settings, find the new calendar in the list and turn on Sync.

Or use a helper app

ICSx5 adds calendar links on the phone itself. It is open source, free from F-Droid, and costs a small fee on Google Play. Once it has the link, the events show up in Google Calendar and in any other calendar app you use, because ICSx5 writes them into the phone's own calendar storage. With it installed, tapping a webcal:// link opens it in ICSx5.

How often does it update?

Apple checks for changes often. Google checks slowly, sometimes only once a day, and neither you nor whoever publishes the calendar can change that. ICSx5 lets you choose how often it checks. If an event moved an hour ago and your phone still shows the old time, this is usually why.

Is the link private?

A private calendar link works like a key. A calendar app cannot sign in, so the link has to work without a password, which means anyone who has it can read that calendar. Keep it out of anywhere public. If the service lets you, make one link per device and revoke a link when you lose the device or stop using it.

A school's or a club's public calendar is a different matter: those links are meant to be shared.

Where OrbitMemo comes in

OrbitMemo is one private place for a household's calendar, groceries, notes, contacts and records. Its calendar lets you make a separate link for each phone, so losing a phone means revoking one link while the others keep working. See what it holds, or try it free for a week with no card.