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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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Is it worth paying for

Google Calendar

60
Value score / 100 Worth paying? No Skip it

Google Calendar is a functional, free calendar app that integrates well with other Google services, but persistent bugs and missing features, especially on iOS, diminish its overall value.

Free to download seen up to $19.99 4.5★ lifetime (130,754) since 2015

Google Calendar is a free app praised for its syncing capabilities and ease of use, particularly for those already in the Google ecosystem R1R82. However, it faces numerous complaints regarding its static app icon, limited customization options, and recurring bugs, especially concerning location entry and widget functionality R13R59R16. There are no in-app purchases mentioned in reviews, making the monetization signals from the product page unclear or potentially for other Google services.

Free vs paid

The app is entirely free, with no in-app purchases or subscription tiers mentioned in the user reviews. All features and complaints discussed by users pertain to the free version of the app.

Value complaints

    Where it delivers

    • The app offers faster syncing compared to Apple's calendar app.R1
    • It is intuitive, easy to use, and compatible with other platforms.R40R42
    • It integrates well with other Google apps and is reliable across devices.R81R82
    • Shared calendars are considered better than in many other calendar apps.R82
    Worth paying if

    There is no paid tier or in-app purchases explicitly mentioned in the reviews, so there is no scenario where paying for Google Calendar is applicable based on the provided user feedback.

    Skip / stay free if

    Users who prioritize a dynamic app icon showing the current date, extensive color customization, or reliable widget functionality should skip Google Calendar, as these are frequent points of frustration R13R3R16. Those who experience frequent freezing when adding event locations or issues with event syncing should also consider alternatives R59.

    Evidence note: The monetization signals from the product page (in-app purchases = False, price points seen) contradict the user reviews, which make no mention of any paid features or in-app purchases. All reviews discuss the free functionality of the app. Therefore, the analysis assumes the app is entirely free based on user experience.

    Frequently asked

    Does Google Calendar's app icon show the current date?
    No, the Google Calendar app icon consistently displays '31' instead of the current date, which is a frequent complaint from users R2R13R19.
    Are there enough color options for events in Google Calendar?
    Many users complain about the limited color options for events, wishing for more variety and customizability beyond the default choices R3R6R63.
    Does Google Calendar have issues with adding event locations?
    Yes, a common and persistent bug causes the app to freeze or crash when users try to add a location to a new event, often requiring a restart and loss of entered details R23R59R72R73.
    Are there good widget options for Google Calendar on iOS?
    Users frequently request more and better widget options for iOS, as the current widgets are often too small, don't display enough information, or lack features like a full-month view or scrollable tasks R16R31R66R118.
    Does Google Calendar offer a dark mode setting?
    No, the app does not have a dedicated dark mode toggle; it only follows the system theme, which frustrates users who want independent control R7.

    What reviewers actually said

    Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

    1. [R1] 4/5 · US Needs better notifications sound: Sync is faster than apples calendar app. However the notification sound is very tame and quiet. Not customizable at all.
    2. [R40] 4/5 · US Better than most: This app is intuitive and easy to use and compatible with everything. The main thing I dislike is that the app icon doesn’t display the actual date. That’s annoying and seems like it should be an obvious update.
    3. [R42] 3/5 · US T Brown: Excellent as usual not difficult to figure out and in our fast paced lives, anything that simplifies and makes things organized
    4. [R81] 4/5 · US Great calendar app: Overall the calendar works as expected. Feature rich and integrates well with the rest of the Google apps. Works great on my Mac products. My only request seems simple… make the number inside the icon reflect the actual day of the month. I noticed the iOS/iPadOS calendar icon did this and I really liked it.
    5. [R82] 4/5 · US Very useful but not perfect: Google Calendar is one of the most useful apps on my iPhone because it’s fast enough, reliable, and works well across devices. I like that it makes my schedule easy to see at a glance, and shared calendars are much better here than in a lot of other calendar apps. It’s especially good if you already use Gmail or other Google services. The reason I’m not giving it 5 sta
    6. [R2] 4/5 · US Just needs one tweak: I wish the app icon would show the date, instead of constantly saying 31.
    7. [R13] 4/5 · US 31?: Great app but can you please make the icon show the date instead of always saying 31? Check out Apple’s calendar icon as an example.
    8. [R19] 1/5 · US TILE is always 31: Just why?!?! I am used to seeing the date on the Tile on my phone and now it is always 31. BACK to the iPhone App I guess!!! If you can’t be current then just why are you even there?!!!
    9. [R3] 3/5 · US Give Me All The Colors: I love google calendar but I wish I had all the color options that are available when picking the default calendar color for when I am picking my event colors. They are so much prettier and give more variety for the various types of events with a shared calendar. Please let me do this
    10. [R6] 2/5 · US Colors disappeared: Where did the color options for markings go? Now there's only one default color. · translated
    11. [R63] 4/5 · US Need more color options: One of the organization tips is to use color, but with only about 12 colors, your options are limited. I have always used color in my calendar and one thing I dislike about Google Calendar is the fact you are limited to the colors they choose. You aren’t given the option to choose shades of those colors or other colors at all.
    12. [R23] 1/5 · US Cannot enter locations: I used to have the infrequent problem of only being able to enter the first letter of the location of my events, but then the app froze and the only thing to unfreeze it was to force close the app and lose my draft of a calendar entry. But I didn’t think much of it because it happened once in a blue moon. Now since this latest update I can no longer put a location on any of
    13. [R59] 2/5 · US Massive Glitch please fix and I will adjust my rating: About 80% of the time I go into add the location on the iPhone version of this app the entire platform freezes. This is after I already spent a few minutes putting in other details. I then I have to kill the app in order for it to let me try to put the location in again and then sometimes it works the second time sometimes it freezes again. PL
    14. [R72] 1/5 · US Freezes adding location: Across updates this app will occasionally totally freeze and become unresponsive when trying to enter a location for an event, requiring the user to quit out of the app, lose all details of the event they’ve already entered, and start over from scratch
    15. [R73] 1/5 · US Update needed for location: When adding location to a calendar event, my phone freezes and the app stops working. Then, I must restart the app. This happens when creating a new event, then adding a location to it. If I modify an existing event to add a location, the app does not crash. Please fix this, as this has been the case for 5+ months now at least.
    16. [R16] 3/5 · US More widgets: Missing a full size schedule widget and calendar widget (similar to minicals design if possible for the calendar widget) in my opinion
    17. [R31] 3/5 · US Can’t resize widgets: I live by my calendar and need a good widget so I can see it at a glance without opening the app - the widget is so small it can only display 3 events. Needs to be resizable.
    18. [R66] 2/5 · US Need bigger iOS Widget: The calendar is great, but I heavily depend on the iPhone widget to not miss appointments. The problem is that the Google Calendar widget is too small. It needs to offer a longer version (like iCal widget)
    19. [R118] 3/5 · US iOS Widget: For the love of all things holy, please make a 1/2 screen version of your widget that includes the current month’s calendar.
    20. [R7] 1/5 · US No Dark Mode Toggle: Dark/Light mode cannot be set, and is only based on the system theme. The 3-way Dark/Light/System theme toggle had been an app standard since 2020. If you advertise 'dark mode' as a feature of this app, then just give us a setting for it.

    Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store