Google Calendar is installed by default on most Android phones. It should cover all your calendar needs, and its integration with other Google apps and services makes it useful in multiple ways. While other fantastic calendar apps for Android offer more functionality, Google Calendar is more than enough for most people.

While Google Calendar is easy to use, there are many advanced features that you might not notice. We collected the most useful of these into this roundup so that you can use the app to its fullest potential. We used the Android app to demonstrate most of these features, but some are desktop exclusive. If you use Google Calendar with one of our favorite Chromebooks, you can also use these tips.

1. Use shortcuts

If Google Calendar on desktop is your preferred platform, you can use an array of keyboard shortcuts to boost productivity. We listed some must-use shortcuts below, but check out the full list of Calendar shortcuts on Google's support page.

2. Compare schedules

Organizing an event is challenging for people with busy schedules. To help you find the perfect time, Google Calendar shows you all the participant's schedules simultaneously.

1. Open Google Calendar.
2. Tap the Plus button in the lower-right corner of the screen.
3. Tap Event to create an event.
   2 Images

   Close
4. Tap Add people to add participants.
5. Tap View schedules to see all participants' schedules simultaneously.

   Close

3. Email all event participants

Google Calendar automatically notifies people of any changes to an event (for example, time, date, or attachments), so you don't need to send out an email if you adjusted an event's details. But if you need to send a message directly to all participants, Google Calendar can help.

1. Open Google Calendar.
2. Tap an existing event.
3. Tap the Mail button next to the guests heading.
4. Select one of the pre-written messages, or tap Write your own . Selecting a pre-written message creates a draft in Gmail, but it won't immediately send the message.
   2 Images

   Close
5. Google Calendar creates a Gmail draft with all the recipients. Edit it, and tap Send when you're ready.

   Close

4. Share your calendar

Sharing your calendar lets others check your availability in seconds. While people can view your calendar on any platform, you'll need to head to the desktop version of Google Calendar to share your calendar with them.

1. Open Google Calendar on your desktop.
2. Hover over one of your calendars on the left side of your screen.
3. Click the three-dot button.
4. Click Settings and sharing .
   2 Images

   Close
5. Click Get Shareable link .
6. Select the Make available to public option to make your calendar visible to anyone and display it in Google search results.
7. Copy the link and send it.

   Close

5. Adjust automatic reminders for events

Google Calendar's automatic reminders are handy, but you may want to adjust when these reminders appear, as they default to 30 minutes. (You probably don't want to be reminded of your train 30 minutes before it leaves!) You can also set multiple notifications for important events.

1. Open Google Calendar.
2. Tap the event you wish to modify.
3. Tap the Edit button in the upper-right corner of your screen.
4. Tap Add notification .
   2 Images

   Close
5. Select a preset time, or select Custom to add your own.

   Close

6. Automatically email yourself your daily agenda

Google Calendar contains a dedicated view called Schedule to see your daily agenda. It's a handy way to see your upcoming events, but you can also get this information emailed to you daily. After enabling this, you don't need to open Google Calendar to see your itinerary. However, you need to use the desktop version of Google Calendar to set it up.

1. Open Google Calendar on your desktop.
2. Find a calendar and hover over it.
3. Click the three-dot button.
4. Click Settings and sharing .
   2 Images

   Close
5. Scroll down to the Other notifications heading.
6. Next to Daily agenda , select the Email option from the drop-down menu.

7. Change Quick Responses

Google Calendar suggests Quick Responses when you email event participants. There are four options, and while the generic messages are helpful for most situations, you might want to adjust them to something more personal.

1. Open Google Calendar.
2. Tap the hamburger menu button in the upper-left corner of your screen.
3. Tap Settings .
4. Tap General .
   2 Images

   Close
5. Scroll down and tap Quick responses .
6. Tap any of the messages to edit.
   2 Images

   Close

8. Add extensions to Google Calendar

One of Google Calendar's drawbacks is that it's fairly simplistic, so power users might find it too restrictive. However, like Google Chrome, Google Calendar has many extensions to increase its capabilities. These range from integrated Zoom meetings to a contact manager. These integrations only work on the desktop version.

1. Open Google Calendar for desktop.
2. Click the plus button on the right side of your screen.

   Close
3. Search, filter, and install extensions.

9. Add a secondary timezone

Many of us work with people worldwide, and it's easy to get confused by time zones. Google Calendar can display a secondary timezone, so you can check at a glance what time an event starts in a different part of the world. This feature is only available on the desktop.

1. Click the Settings button (the cog icon) in the upper-right corner of your screen.
2. Click Settings from the drop-down menu.

3. Scroll down to the Time Zone heading.
4. Check the Display secondary time zone checkbox.
5. Choose a time zone from the drop-down menu.

6. Return to your calendar to see the secondary time zone displayed to the left of the primary.

10. Recover deleted events

Everyone has accidentally deleted an important event at some point. Google Calendar's Bin feature lets you recover deleted events, restoring all associated information. Everything is restored to the state the event was in just before you deleted it.

1. Click the Settings menu button (Cog icon) in the upper-right corner of your screen.
2. Click Bin from the drop-down menu.

3. Select the checkboxes next to the events you wish to recover.
4. A new button (arrow pointing backward) appears above your events. Click this to restore the selected events.

Events in your Bin are deleted after 30 days. We recommend only deleting events within a month of the date in case you need to recover them.

Organize your life with a great calendar app

Google Calendar is great for organizing the major events in your life, but you may need something more granular daily. These great to-do list apps for Android will help you organize the little things that are just as important.