Getting Apple Calendar alarms sent to an Android phone

[Anastasius]

I came across this on another forum and thought it quite nifty.

If you are completely within the Apple camp and kitted out with iPhones and Mac then getting a calendar alarm to appear on your phone is a doddle. But if yoou have an Android phone, it's not immediately obvious.

But if you have (or create) a gmail account and make the calendar in gmail your Apple Calendar default, then any alerts or alarms in Apple Calendar will send an alert/alarm to your Android phone (assuming you've set it up to be logged in to your gmail account).

[Dave2002]

Good and bad things about that tip, and I wait for Frances to leap in here. Using gmail or chrome or other similar software is likely to make your schedule and whereabouts known to the world. For example "1st June - start of 4 week holiday in NZ" - maybe your house could be burgled during the 2nd and 3rd weeks of that month!

I know that younger people than I think this is not likely, but paranoid oldies such as myself don't necessarily want to have all my details accessible and used by others without my knowledge or permission.

[Anastasius]

Interesting. Can you tell me a little bit more about checking out this visibility? How would one go about looking at someone else's calendar on gmail?

As far as I can see, that is only possible if I let certain people share my calendar (which I don't).

Of course, there is the possibility of malware within Android/Google apps - of which the security aspects are minimal compared to Apple's App Store. One of the big advantages of staying within the Apple camp and not straying into the Wild West that is Android/Google.

[Dave2002]

Interesting. Can you tell me a little bit more about checking out this visibility? How would one go about looking at someone else's calendar on gmail?

I suspect it's possible, though I don't know how to do it. I have a fairly low opinion of most firms/organisations which collect data and supposedly store it "safely" and under "controlled access" conditions.

I would agree that if you trust the organisations then the risks should be low.

On the other hand some people do do what in hindsight seem really stupid things. One couple went on holiday to New York and blogged about it. On their blog they had some pictures of rooms in their home. When they returned home the rooms were emptier than when they left.

[Anastasius]

Ah, social media and blogs. Those are two 'inventions' that I would love to 'un-invent'. The grief that people suffer, especially children and teenagers, at the hands of trolls far outweighs any marginal (IMO) benefits. I'd also 'un-invent' the smartphone or ban its use for parents with young children. The number of times I see a parent's head glued to the tiny screen while their child is desperate for some interaction with them is depressingly high.

[Dave2002]

Ah, social media and blogs. Those are two 'inventions' that I would love to 'un-invent'. The grief that people suffer, especially children and teenagers, at the hands of trolls far outweighs any marginal (IMO) benefits. I'd also 'un-invent' the smartphone or ban its use for parents with young children. The number of times I see a parent's head glued to the tiny screen while their child is desperate for some interaction with them is depressingly high.

Don't let us forget that the for3 forum is itself a form of social media.

[Anastasius]

Don't let us forget that the for3 forum is itself a form of social media.

Fair point. I guess I was really thinking about the unmoderated gutter social media of Facebook and Twitter and the like.