Features required to make a calendar app

Syncing appointments – devices and web apps sync will help in syncing contacts, calendar and tasks. This is ideal for companies with shared databases.

Sharing schedules via calendars – help companies align work activities without having to text, email or call every time there is a change in schedule. Just look into each other’s calendar and select the time they are available for the meeting.

Switch between calendars and lists – you can import your events from a different calendar application inside your app. Sort tasks by looking into their due date and filter in list format. There are some use cases like you may be a Google calendar user and planning to switch on your custom calendar app.

Sync your calendar with other calendars – sync with Google Calendars, iCal, Outlook etc. and by using advanced search, you can view all of your team’s work and deadlines assigned.

Mark vital events – view important days/weeks and keep track of events you never want to miss.

Collaborative schedule / support different time zones – important for distributed teams or remote teams or resources working in different time zones. This feature is often called a ‘collaborative calendar’.

Drag and drop events – this creates an ease where you can drag and drop events in different shared groups without adding them manually.

View days, weeks and months schedules – you can switch to different modes i.e. a plan for a single day, or a week, or a month.

Recurring events – often scrums are recurring events where clients want to seek an update on a daily/ weekly/ monthly basis.

Best calendar app designs and how to prototype using tools

There are different kinds of calendar apps available and instead you go through hundreds of them, we want to save your time. Here we will highlight some of the best calendar apps for design inspiration keeping three main factors in mind i.e.

Interface design / navigation – user experience is utmost important which tells how you navigate the app. Buttons should be clear and obvious, and should not be overcrowded.

Synchronization – since you want integration in your already existing web/mobile app, you should see which one is giving the best possible experience.

USP – every app is different, look for features which can actually boost your app features and can add value.

1-Google Calendar

2-Apple calendar

3-Bright Vibe

4-Time Page

5-Calendar and task management app by Yi Li

6-Kyle Blackman smart calendar app

7-Fantastical 2

How can you prototype your own calendar app?

Preparing a prototype helps in understanding what sort of features you want in an app. Before the design part, there must be some sketches/ prototype for putting all initial ideas into some sort of shape.

Some of the handy tools are out there in the market and you can build pretty much any calendar feature.

Here is a comprehensive list:

1-Figma (starter – free)

2-InVision Studio (single project free)

3-Adobe XD (free)

4-Web flow (2 unhosted free projects)

5-Axure RP 9 (30 days free trial)

6-Origami studio (free)

7-Justinmind ($19/month)

8-Sketch (free trial)

9-Fluid UI (Solo $8.25/month)

10-Framer (14 days free trial)

11-Marvel (1 user, 1 project free)

12-Proto.io (Solo $12/ month)

13-Principle (free trial)

14-Balsamiq (30 days free trial)

Confused on how to sketch app ideas? Let us help you

APIs and libraries – the technology stack

Apple and Google offer lots of APIs for smooth integration into calendar apps.

Apple EventKit – get calendar data and select from different interfaces.

Google Calendar API – a comprehensive guide is available for integration where you can integrate Google API for web and mobile applications.

Other APIs

-SuperSaaS API

-FX Calendar API

-Calendarific API

-Nylas Cloud Calendar API

-Cronofy API

Libraries to make a calendar app

Factors influencing the cost and timeline

Following are the factors you should consider while considering the calendar app development:

The platform it is being built on

Visual design customisation

App administration and backend infrastructure

App maintenance cost

Functions and features

Structure of the app development team

App development team location

Timeline and cost

-Simple calendar app development cost – $60 – 70k for one platform

-Complex, custom (multi-feature) calendar app /integration cost – starts from $300,000+

Regarding the app development timeline:

-Simple calendar app development or integration takes 3 months approx.

-Complex calendar app integration/development takes 6+ months

Phaedra expertise

Unified Doctor’s Hospital App

Healthcare app designed for appointment booking from doctors/ consultants. Client did have the broken functionality but it never worked. Scheduling feature was faulted as there were appointments overlapping the others creating time constraints for doctors as well as patients waiting for their turn.

Phaedra built a calendar app within their healthcare app specifically for scheduling/ appointment booking. It’s a mobile app developed for iOS and Android platforms. Time transparency is acquired where patients can easily see the availability of the doctors by looking into their appointment calendars. Client is now getting clear visibility on advance booked appointments.

Final Verdict

Calendar app development with custom changes or integration of a calendar app in an already existing web/mobile app takes time but the focus should be on the user experience/ value-adding features. However, if you have any ideas for your app improvement or want to develop a calendar app, we are here to help.

Schedule a call with our experts who have experience in building multi-billion dollar solutions.

Get a custom estimate on a ‘how to make a calendar app’. Book a call +14124759053 or contact us.