A Quick Guide on Exporting Calendar Feeds from Planning Center to Google Calendar
If your team uses Google Calendar on Android and you’re wondering how to subscribe to a Planning Center Calendar feed, you’re not alone. A recent community thread asked whether the share to Google Calendar option was deprecated and how Android users can still sync. You may have noticed it too—While some planning center apps still offer a Google Calendar-specific link, others have moved to simply offering an iCal feed link.
Here's the short answer: you can subscribe to any iCal URL on the Google Calendar desktop site by adding it using the “From URL” option. That subscription then syncs to your Android devices signed into the same Google account. Here’s a quick, shareable walkthrough you can send to staff, volunteers, and even congregation members so they can add any iCal link to Google Calendar in a couple of minutes.
If you have yet to export your iCal link out of Planning Center, follow these instructions. Once you have your link copied to the clipboard, follow the steps below:
Step-by-step: Add an iCal link to
Google Calendar
Open Google Calendar in a desktop browser: calendar.google.com
Sign in to your Google Account if you aren't already.
In the left sidebar, next to "Other calendars," Click the plus button + (add other calendars).
Choose From URL.
Paste your iCal URL into the field.
Click Add calendar.
The calendar displays on the left, under "Other calendars."
Optional: Click the newly added calendar to rename it, pick a color,
or adjust notification settings.
Once added on the web, the calendar will sync to Google Calendar on Android for the same account. Sync can take a few minutes.
Troubleshooting
You can also find these options under settings. Select “Add Calendar” on the left and open the dropdown to locate the “From URL” option.
Not showing up on mobile yet: pull-to-refresh the app, check account selection, and go to settings to make sure the subscribed calendar is toggled on for display.
Slow updates: subscribed iCal feeds refresh periodically on Google's schedule. It may take several hours to reflect external changes.
FAQ
“Can I do this from the mobile app?” Google currently requires adding new iCal subscriptions from the web interface; management and visibility are available in the mobile app after it syncs.
“Can I remove it later?” Yes. In Google Calendar on the web, hover over the calendar name, click the three dots, and choose Settings to unsubscribe.
Conclusion
In today's fast-paced world, "busy" barely describes most people's hectic schedules. By syncing feeds from Planning Center Calendar, Services, or Groups to Google Calendar, you help your staff, volunteers, and congregation members stay informed about church activities. When events appear directly in their personal calendars, people can more easily engage with the community, grow spiritually, and participate in your church's mission and vision.
Kristin Emerson
Client Success Specialist, Threefold Solutions