See More About: , , , ,

How-to Send Calendar Invitations with Your iPhone

by

It’s the simple things that Apple can’t seem to include with their products. Who would ever want to send an invitation to someone else using their iPhone? Apparently Apple thinks that +20 million people don’t need that functionality. Thankfully, there’s always a solution to every problem. This will only work if you use Google Calendar and sync your calendar to your iPhone…I’m sure you can accomplish this with other services, but I’m going to cover Google because it’s the service I use for my Calendar.

Before proceeding with this tutorial, make sure you meet the following requirements:

  • You have a Google Calendar account.
  • The Google Calendar account is synchronized to your iPhone.

If you need help with the latter, post it in the comments below and I will walk you through the process.

Note: I used an iPhone 3GS for this tutorial.

photo thumb1 How to Send Calendar Invitations with Your iPhone

1. Tap on Safari to open the browser.

photo2 thumb1 How to Send Calendar Invitations with Your iPhone

2. Go to google.com/calendar and log in to your Calendar account.

Note: You will automatically be redirected to the mobile site optimized for the iPhone.

3. Add a new event/meeting by tapping on the [+] sign located on the top right corner.

photo22 thumb How to Send Calendar Invitations with Your iPhone

4. Enter the meeting information.

photo4 thumb1 How to Send Calendar Invitations with Your iPhone

5. Scroll to the bottom of the page.

6. Invite others to the meeting by entering their email addresses.

photo2 thumb2 How to Send Calendar Invitations with Your iPhone

When added they will appear in the invitee list.

photo3 thumb1 How to Send Calendar Invitations with Your iPhone

7. Scroll back up and tap on the Save button to send the invitation.

photo52 thumb How to Send Calendar Invitations with Your iPhone

You will find the meeting in the Google Calendar list.

photo42 thumb How to Send Calendar Invitations with Your iPhone

If you click on the event you will see a list of Guests and their response to the meeting request.

photo3 thumb2 How to Send Calendar Invitations with Your iPhone

When you open the Calendar App on the iPhone, the appointment/meeting you just created should appear.

Note: Depending on the frequency at which the iPhone synchronizes you may have to wait a couple of minutes before the calendar entry appears.

sendmeetinginvitationswithiphone thumb How to Send Calendar Invitations with Your iPhone

Example of email invitation sent to guests.

Originally posted May 13, 2010

We close comments after 30 days on GilsMethod.com and ask that you post questions and issues on our Answers website.

This helps us better serve you by allowing us to keep track of unanswered questions that are usually hidden in long comment threads.

Answers.GilsMethod.com is a community-powered support website where you will be able to post questions, and other users including us will respond with expert advice.

So if you are having trouble with your PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, or other piece of technology, head over to Answers.GilsMethod.com and ask away.

  • http://topsy.com/trackback?utm_source=pingback&utm_campaign=L2&url=http://www.gilsmethod.com/howto-send-calendar-invitations-iphone Tweets that mention How-to Send Calendar Invitations with Your iPhone | GilsMethod.com — Topsy.com

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Gilberto J Perera and Moo Nam Ko, Gilberto J Perera. Gilberto J Perera said: Want to send Calendar invitations with your iPhone? Here's how – http://bit.ly/aqbGd2 [...]

  • Shay

    Thanks for the how-to. Right now I use iCal to subscribe to the public url for my google calendars so they show up on my iPhone 2G. Is that different from what you call “syncing the account with my iPhone”?

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gil

    Shay,

    Yes. When you subscribe to a calendar all you can do is view the events on the Google Calendar. With synchronization you can make changes on the iPhone that will be synced with the Google Calendar and vice versa. It’s almost like having an Exchange account where your calendar, email, and contacts are always in sync between your phone and Google Calendar. Let me know if you need some guidance with this, I’ll be more than happy to point you in the right direction.

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gil

    Shay,

    Yes. When you subscribe to a calendar all you can do is view the events on the Google Calendar. With synchronization you can make changes on the iPhone that will be synced with the Google Calendar and vice versa. It’s almost like having an Exchange account where your calendar, email, and contacts are always in sync between your phone and Google Calendar. Let me know if you need some guidance with this, I’ll be more than happy to point you in the right direction.

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gil

    Shay,

    Yes. When you subscribe to a calendar all you can do is view the events on the Google Calendar. With synchronization you can make changes on the iPhone that will be synced with the Google Calendar and vice versa. It’s almost like having an Exchange account where your calendar, email, and contacts are always in sync between your phone and Google Calendar. Let me know if you need some guidance with this, I’ll be more than happy to point you in the right direction.

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gil

    Shay,

    Yes. When you subscribe to a calendar all you can do is view the events on the Google Calendar. With synchronization you can make changes on the iPhone that will be synced with the Google Calendar and vice versa. It’s almost like having an Exchange account where your calendar, email, and contacts are always in sync between your phone and Google Calendar. Let me know if you need some guidance with this, I’ll be more than happy to point you in the right direction.

  • Samuel Murphy

    This isn’t a workaround…its just using the google web interface instead of the native calendar app. More of a sidestep, and certainly doesn’t solve the problem.

    Hopefully apple will on Monday.

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Samuel,

    You are absolutely right, it is a sidestep, let’s cross our fingers and hope it’s resolved with OS next week.

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Samuel,

    You are absolutely right, it is a sidestep, let’s cross our fingers and hope it’s resolved with OS next week.

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Samuel,

    You are absolutely right, it is a sidestep, let’s cross our fingers and hope it’s resolved with OS next week.

  • Todd

    Hey did the calendar invite problem get resolved with the new IOS 4 update?

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Todd,

    I tried creating an event with my Gmail account on the iPhone 4 running iOS4 and it doesn’t look like it supports the ability to add invitees…so at least for now, it looks like it is still not supported. Has anyone tried Exchange? Thanks.

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Todd,

    I tried creating an event with my Gmail account on the iPhone 4 running iOS4 and it doesn’t look like it supports the ability to add invitees…so at least for now, it looks like it is still not supported. Has anyone tried Exchange? Thanks.

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Todd,

    I tried creating an event with my Gmail account on the iPhone 4 running iOS4 and it doesn’t look like it supports the ability to add invitees…so at least for now, it looks like it is still not supported. Has anyone tried Exchange? Thanks.

  • http://www.techteam.eu Nick

    Hi,

    I am not sure if this helps but I can send invites from my iPhone 3gs if I configure google mail as a MS Exchange account

    http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?answer=138740&topic=14252

  • http://www.techteam.eu Nick

    Hi,

    I am not sure if this helps but I can send invites from my iPhone 3gs if I configure google mail as a MS Exchange account

    http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?answer=138740&topic=14252

  • http://www.techteam.eu Nick

    Hi,

    I am not sure if this helps but I can send invites from my iPhone 3gs if I configure google mail as a MS Exchange account

    http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?answer=138740&topic=14252

  • http://www.techteam.eu Nick

    Hi,

    I am not sure if this helps but I can send invites from my iPhone 3gs if I configure google mail as a MS Exchange account

    http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?answer=138740&topic=14252

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Nick,

    Thanks for the link. Does that fall under the Corporate Data plan from AT&T or can you use the regular plan? Thanks for the great source.

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Nick,

    Thanks for the link. Does that fall under the Corporate Data plan from AT&T or can you use the regular plan? Thanks for the great source.

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Nick,

    Thanks for the link. Does that fall under the Corporate Data plan from AT&T or can you use the regular plan? Thanks for the great source.

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Nick,

    Thanks for the link. Does that fall under the Corporate Data plan from AT&T or can you use the regular plan? Thanks for the great source.

  • john waller

    I just realized I can do the same thing with pocket Informant which also works with google calenar.

  • Ash

    Great info. When adding a person, anyway to link the contacts on my iphone so I don’t have to manually type in people’s email addresses?

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Ash,

    If you have your iPhone contacts synced to your Gmail account you should be able to access the same list from Google Calendar. This guide is for the iPad, but it should be similar to the iPhone – http://www.gilsmethod.com/how-to-sync-google-contacts-with-your-ipad

    Let me know if you need guidance on this.

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Ash,

    If you have your iPhone contacts synced to your Gmail account you should be able to access the same list from Google Calendar. This guide is for the iPad, but it should be similar to the iPhone – http://www.gilsmethod.com/how-to-sync-google-contacts-with-your-ipad

    Let me know if you need guidance on this.

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Ash,

    If you have your iPhone contacts synced to your Gmail account you should be able to access the same list from Google Calendar. This guide is for the iPad, but it should be similar to the iPhone – http://www.gilsmethod.com/how-to-sync-google-contacts-with-your-ipad

    Let me know if you need guidance on this.

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Ash,

    If you have your iPhone contacts synced to your Gmail account you should be able to access the same list from Google Calendar. This guide is for the iPad, but it should be similar to the iPhone – http://www.gilsmethod.com/how-to-sync-google-contacts-with-your-ipad

    Let me know if you need guidance on this.

  • Ladyp7

    How do I sync my google calendar to my iPhone 4?

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Please use this guide – http://www.gilsmethod.com/how-to-add-google-calendar-to-your-ipad

    It’s for the iPad, but the steps are very similar. Let me know if you need any guidance.

  • Loretta

    Thank you! I went to the Applle store tonight and they had no help for me. I am up and running! I wish it were seamless (I wish I could add from the iPhone calendar) but I will take what I can get!

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Loretta,

    I wish it were seamless too, I’m glad you were able to get up and running. Thanks.

  • Leon Graograman

    Hello I would really love if you could help me on this:
    I´m having problems on step 6 “Invite others to the meeting by entering their email addresses.”
    I can´t add any email address but my own. I mean I can writte email addresses but they won´t be shown on the invitees list.

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Leon,

    What do you mean they won’t show on the invitees list? When the invitation is sent? Or are you referring to the list of names that appears as you type. Thanks for the clarification.

  • Marissa Noble7

    I had the same problem, but once that person sent me an invite and I replied, I was able to select them from the list and send invites. try and see if it works for you

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Marissa, Thanks for helping out!

  • J Scott

    I’ve got an issue at step #2 when I open safari on my iPhone 4 (4.2.1 version software) and type the domain, http://www.google.com/calendar. I’m asked to enter my email and password. However, the virtual iPhone keyboard doesn’t open-up when I try to enter the email and password info. The paste function is also disabled on that page. Does anyone know how to resolve this issue?

  • http://www.gilsmethod.com Gilberto J Perera

    Sounds like a Safari/Google issue…not sure what you can do, have you tried
    the m.google.com/calendar page?