Calendar support

[aboyce64]

I do not use google calendar have no intention of ever using it and it would be a huge effort for me to synchronize my business outlook / Echange calendar to google.

My exchange calendar already works on my Macbook Pro, my iPad, my Windows tablet, my windows desktop my iPhone, webmail(owa) and my droid tablet. all in sync and up to date.

if echo only supports google it has fallen very short on the calendar front.

Please tell me i am wrong or show me how i can get around this issue.

without support for my calendar it seriously reduces the usefulness of the Echo to me.

[ScarlettPhoenix]

Wow! It sounds like you're baiting posters. "Please tell me i am wrong or show me how i can get around this issue."

If you bought the Echo for it's calendar integration, I hope you read "NEW – Calendars: Check your upcoming schedule by asking what’s on your Google calendar." That's a direct quote from the webpage. It doesn't ever mention Exchange. It only mentions Google calendar.

No, I don't believe the Echo  has fallen short. It is doing exactly what it said it would do. Your expectations and what the Echo can do aren't the same. I'm sorry you feel the Echo's usefulness is seriously reduced merely because it cannot connect to an exchange calendar. My uses for the Echo are far more extensive. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

[Talisman]

I agree with Scar.. I always keep my expectations low and read as much about something first before buying. I knew this is a new type of product and would take time to see what the main stream would actually focus on.

[dataway]

I use the IOS calendar and also had no intention of using Google calendar but to get around the issue I just setup a google calendar to sync with my IOS calendar and I don't have to touch the google calendar as when I post an event to my IOS calendar it also gets cross posted to the google calendar automatically and alexa can now keep me updated without having to touch the google calendar.  I am sure there is a workaround to allow you to sync you exchange calendar to Google just search the web..

[RhondaSea]

It doesn't seem to be advertised much, but Alexa has a skill that interacts with FreeBusy (https://freebusy.io/). I use two Microsoft Exchange calendars (work and personal), and now I can ask Alexa things like "Alexa, ask FreeBusy what's on my schedule for tomorrow," and she tells me the title, location, and time for all my appointments/events on both calendars. It seems to work great.

[julia.hart]

Hi, Rhonda. I just got my Echo for Christmas. Thanks for posting about FreeBuddy. I've been racking my brain about how to get Echo to link to my Outlook calendar, and thanks to your post, it now does!

Julia

[teknoge3k]

I use Outlook for my calendar and don't think I've ever used Google calendar. However, I want my Outlook calendar to sync with my Android phone (anti-Apple person here) so to do this, I had to sync Outlook with a Google Calendar, which in turn syncs with my phone. Basically anytime I am out and add something to my phone calendar, it automatically adds it to my Outlook calendar, and vice-versa. The good thing about this, is that since this process uses the Google calendar to sync the 2, Echo recognizes that and Echo sees my Outlook calendar. (It sees the Google Calendar that my phone and Outlook use to sync each other with) - I use gSyncit which is an Outlook add-on, to do this. It's fairly inexpensive. I think maybe $20? There's a free version but it's limited. It also syncs your tasks and contacts as well though. Hope this helps!
+tek

[DeesNuts]

It doesn't seem to be advertised much, but Alexa has a skill that interacts with FreeBusy (https://freebusy.io/). I use two Microsoft Exchange calendars (work and personal), and now I can ask Alexa things like "Alexa, ask FreeBusy what's on my schedule for tomorrow," and she tells me the title, location, and time for all my appointments/events on both calendars. It seems to work great.

Thank you Rhonda for your insight with FreeBusy.  MORE IMPORTANTLY FOR ME, I wanted a way to ADD an event to my calendar via Echo.  FreeBusy now allows me to verbally enter an event or call on my calendar verbally!  Check out the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HobWYI-QYQM

[Shazam]

Dataway, maybe you know how?  Did I miss a step somewhere?
I've been trying to sync my iPad (iOS) calendar to google calendar. It syncs great with the Mobile app but Alexa seems to read the desktop version. The iOS won't sync with the desktop version and Alexa doesn't recognize anything that did sync from my iOS to the google calendar mobile app??  I'm stumped.

[Kmp]

I have been having the same problem. iOS app for google calendar shows events that echo does not see. I've tried every form of syncing via iCloud on both ends (calendar and echo). Suggestions? Thx!

[VitalFruit]

Alexa has a skill that interacts with FreeBusy (https://freebusy.io/). ..... It seems to work great.

Thank you, RhondaSea! That saved me! Have you had any problems with FreeBusy recognizing your appointments?

[KelloggKid]

I fired up FreeBusy the other day and no matter what command I give Alexa or how I phrase it Freebusy wants to try and set an appointment.  After about an hour I gave up and deleted the skill. 

[jer78]

Also curious what Dataway uses to sync iCloud calendar to a Gmail calendar. I've tried to make my icloud calendar public and subscribe to the link in Gmail but nothing ever showed up.

[falcon21]

I use the IOS calendar and also had no intention of using Google calendar but to get around the issue I just setup a google calendar to sync with my IOS calendar and I don't have to touch the google calendar as when I post an event to my IOS calendar it also gets cross posted to the google calendar automatically and alexa can now keep me updated without having to touch the google calendar.  I am sure there is a workaround to allow you to sync you exchange calendar to Google just search the web..

Can you explain how you do this?