I’m trying to build an Android app that connects with Google Calendar but I’m getting really mixed signals from different sources online. Some tutorials mention a specific Calendar API for Android while others talk about using the general Google Calendar API through REST calls.
I’m honestly confused about what’s actually available. Is there a dedicated Google Calendar API that works specifically with Android apps? The documentation seems scattered and hard to find reliable info.
Also wondering if it’s feasible to sync data both ways - like when someone adds an event in my app, can it automatically show up in their Google Calendar online? And vice versa?
Any developers here who have actually implemented this successfully? Would appreciate some clarity on what APIs are actually available and working.
The confusion comes from Google’s messy documentation. There’s no separate Android Calendar API - you just use the regular Google Calendar API v3 through Google Play Services or direct HTTP calls. I had this exact same confusion when I started my calendar project last year. Google provides client libraries that make Android integration easier, but it’s still the same REST API underneath. For bidirectional sync, implement change detection with Google’s sync tokens. This way you can check for updates efficiently without re-downloading everything. The trickiest part was getting permissions right - users must explicitly grant calendar access and you need to handle OAuth flow properly. Once that’s working, creating and updating events is pretty straightforward with the client library.
yeah, i’ve done this b4 - def possible! no android-specific calendar api tho, just regular google calendar api v3 through http requests. the confusing part is all the old tutorials that mix up device calendar vs google calendar intergration. for two-way sync, you’ll need webhooks or polling to catch changes from google’s side back to ur app.
Google Calendar integration for Android doesn’t have its own dedicated API. You’ll use the standard Google Calendar API v3 through REST calls. Once you get authentication sorted, it’s pretty straightforward. Two-way syncing definitely works. I built a project where events created in our app showed up instantly in Google Calendar, and changes made in Google Calendar updated our app right away. You’ll need proper OAuth 2.0 setup and the Google API client library for Android. One thing that tripped me up early on - there’s a difference between local device calendars and Google’s cloud calendar. Make sure you know which one you need since they require different approaches. The Google Developers docs are solid and will walk you through everything.