CheckTheCal
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Getting started

Add your first calendar, what the first check does, and how to read the emails you get.

CheckTheCal checks a calendar's subscription link on a schedule and emails you when an event is added, moved, or cancelled. You don't install anything, and the calendar itself is never changed.

Add your first calendar

  1. Sign in with your email address. We send you a sign-in link, so there's no password to remember.
  2. Choose Add a Calendar.
  3. Paste the calendar's subscription link and choose Check this URL. Links starting with webcal:// are fine. Not sure where to find the link? See Where to find a calendar's iCal link.
  4. We fetch the calendar straight away and show you what we found: how many events, and the next one coming up. If that looks like the right calendar, choose Looks right, continue.
  5. Give the calendar a name you'll recognise in your inbox, such as "School calendar" or "U10 soccer". If the calendar names itself, we fill this in for you.
  6. Choose how often to check, then Start watching.

The first check is quiet on purpose

The first check records every event already on the calendar as the starting point. It doesn't email you about any of them. Otherwise your first email would be a wall of events marked "new".

From then on, you'll only hear from us when something actually changes.

Reading an alert

Every check that finds changes sends one email, however many events moved. The subject line tells you which calendar it was and what kind of news it is, for example PTA Meeting Calendar: 1 changed event.

Inside, changes are grouped into three sections:

  • Added: a new event appeared on the calendar.
  • Changed: an existing event moved or was edited. We show what it was and what it is now, for example Starts 8:30am → 9:30am.
  • Cancelled: the publisher marked the event cancelled, or it disappeared from the calendar.

How do I know it's working?

The line at the top of your dashboard says when every calendar was last checked, for example "All calendars checked 4 minutes ago". If we can't reach a calendar, that line turns red, and after several failed checks in a row we email you too. We never let silence stand in for "no news".

Still stuck? Browse all guides or email support@checkthecal.com.