Implement in-app calendar feature to roll benefits in your business

An in-app calendar is a feature that is increasingly gaining popularity these days. 

Businesses that convert their Shopify store into an app, are seeing this feature as an integral part of a mobile application. They think it is a feature that should be there by default.  

Getting this calendar into an app, however, is not as easy as it sounds. No application has a calendar by default. 

In this post, we will help you figure out which apps need a calendar, why you need a calendar integration in your mobile app, and how to build one. 

Which apps need a calendar?

Calendar performs distinct tasks in different apps. However, the primary goal of a calendar is always the same. The feature of the calendar helps users manage their events and remember what they have planned.

Understand the applications that use calendars, to begin with. That way, you will get to know the purpose of having a calendar feature in your app. Here you go!

1. Planners, productivity apps, and task managers

Planning apps enjoys a calendar feature with the help of computer vision and augmented reality. This technology helps to translate handwritten plans into digital calendars.

Productivity apps use a calendar feature as a to-do-list, a personal calendar, and notes that help users organize their routines and write down things that really matter. 

Task managers use this calendar feature to show upcoming events and scheduled tasks. With this feature, users can see their task due dates and personal or work schedule. 

2. Transportation and parking apps

Taxi apps have a calendar feature by default. Users schedule taxi rides using this feature. They get a reminder beforehand and a notification when the driver arrives.

A calendar feature in parking apps helps you find a parking spot two weeks before your trip and reserve it for a certain date and time.

3. Healthcare and fitness apps

Healthcare apps can also use calendars. The app that is built for doctors and patients uses its calendar feature to help doctors monitor their patients with chronic diseases.  

Fitness apps, a workout tracking ecosystem, are embedded with calendars. Such apps use sensors and NFC technology to help users plan their training sessions.

4. Real estate and rental apps

When people look for a house or apartment to buy or rent, they often visit lots of places to check them out. Therefore, real estate and rental apps are integrated with calendars for time management and to schedule meetings with real estate agents and property owners. 

5. Event, restaurant and travel apps

Event apps need a calendar to remind users of the events they have tickets to. This calendar feature, along with push notifications, can tell users when speakers are on stage during a conference, or when a band is performing during a whole-day concert.

A calendar feature is essential for restaurant apps. This feature lets users reserve tables for a certain time. 

Travel apps use a calendar feature to let users search for flights and envisage upcoming vacations. Users can also see a chronicle of their past travels and can plan their next trips.

6. Educational and live-streaming apps

Educational apps use calendars to schedule lectures, Q&A sessions, and home assignments. With this feature, users will be notified when the deadline for submitting an assignment is approaching or notify when their next class begins.

Live streaming apps let users listen to scheduled broadcasts, live interviews, one-time presentations, and chat shows. For example, on Netflix, you can sign up for the premiere calendar, so you do not miss new shows.

7. Social networks and messengers

Social apps, like Facebook, help you find tons of events like group meetings, conferences, and concerts. Also, this app notifies you when they are going to start. For example, on Telegram, you can send scheduled messages and set up chats to be deleted at a certain time. 

Considering these examples, you now have multiple reasons to implement a calendar in your app. However, there are two ways to do that: either you can develop one from scratch or use an out-of-the-box solution.

What calendar APIs are available?

Big brands, like Apple, Google, and Microsoft, each offer their own calendar API. You can use these API to integrate calendar feature with mobile apps easily.

With the Google Calendar API, you can edit personal calendars, set up reminders and notifications. Also, you can search for and view shared or public calendars in a mobile app.

Apple’s Event Kit framework allows you to access and control calendars, events, and reminders on iOS apps.

Microsoft’s Outlook Calendar REST API gives access to calendars, calendar groups, events, and reminders on mobile apps.

If you want to know more about calendar APIs that will work for mobile apps, take a look below:

• The Calendarific API sources public holidays for each country. 

• The Cronofy API draws available hours, schedule tasks, and sync third-party calendars. 

• The FX Calendar API provides information on economic events. 

• The 31Events API helps to send invitations to users, get reports on events, and integrate with other apps. 

• The SuperSaaS API offers online appointment scheduling, notifications, reports, and even schedule payments. 

• The Funambol API helps sync your calendar across many devices and to the cloud.

You can choose one of the Calendar APIs to integrate the feature into your mobile app.

Use open-source libraries for a customizable calendar

Sometimes, there is no need to have a synchronized calendar or to collect data from external calendars. You will only need a basic calendar with a customizable UI. 

To get a customizable calendar, you can look for open-source solutions for unique UI implementations. 

If you are building an iOS app, you can use JTAppleCalendar, MSCollectionViewCalendarLayout, CalendarLib, or Calendar. Because iOS doesn’t have a default calendar component.

On the other hand, you can use the CalendarView, AgendaCalendarView, and Cadar libraries when it comes to calendar features for the Android app.

For instance: when users want to get to the calendar from messaging, the projects list, and event details, the calendar in the app should let them see their previous and upcoming events and even adjust their schedules accordingly.

To integrate a calendar in the app, you can use a ready-to-use open-source component called CVCalendar. It has an interface that can easily be customized. That means you can bring the calendar in line with the app’s user interface (UI) design.

Initially, it was a standard calendar. But now you can change the color scheme, size, and fonts, and can even switch it to a weekly view. The calendar also displays dots to indicate events scheduled for a particular day.

Above all, users can open an event directly from the calendar and see its detailed description.

If you want to build your custom UI, you can also use UICollectionView. It helps you manage an organized collection of data items and present them using customizable layouts.

Some recommendations for developing a calendar feature in the app

1. Work on the UI and UX

Your calendar feature should not be a great tech-stack, but an easy-to-use interface. It’s a calendar; therefore, do not build it like a learning curve. 

Focus on the UI and UX design to make your calendar stand out. To achieve this, you can use bright colors, round shapes, and shadows in your calendar. 

Moreover, you can stick to a minimalist design rather than using bright colors and unusual shapes to attract users' attention. This will let users focus on your app’s functionality. 

Your calendar’s design has to be more than just colorful and unusual to draw users’ attention. The calendar should allow users to find free slots, book appointments, and share and group events easily. Above all, this has to be possible in a couple of taps or clicks. 

Also, consider adding the ability to tag people in events and invite them to participate. Additionally, your calendar should let users search and sign up for different calendars that contain national holidays, historical dates, and other dates of interest. 

For example, the Google calendar is equipped with these features. 

2. Sync with other calendars

Your calendar should be synced with services like Google and iCloud. This makes it easy for your uses to schedule their upcoming events. 

Most business apps and planners allow users to schedule meetings and tasks around other events that are already planned.

3. Get access to device hardware

Your integrated calendar should use available hardware features of the device/s. This helps you enable different user actions. 

Also, do not forget to make your app responsive to changes in screen orientation.

Wrapping up

Now that you know developing a calendar and implementing it in an app does not sound so complicated, it is time you consider it from the user’s perspective. 

If you are turning your website into an app, and have new ideas to extend your app’s features, rely on the best practices and calendar services already in the market. That way, you can put a calendar feature in your app more easily.