How to sync your calendar with Alexa

Regardless of whether you want to add the Google, Microsoft or Apple calendar to your Alexa-enabled device, the initial steps are always the same: 2. In the upper-left corner, tap the “Menu” icon. 3. Tap “Settings -> Calendar & Email.” 4. Tap “Add Account.” You can now choose which calendar application you want to add to your Alexa account: If you’re a user of Google Calendar, follow these instructions:

  1. Tap “Google.”
  2. Alexa will now request access to your email and calendar; push each of these sliders into the “On” position.
  3. Tap “Next.”
  4. When prompted, enter the login details for your Google account.
  5. Alexa will now ask for permission to access your emails and calendar; read the onscreen information, and if you agree, tap “Allow.” Your Google Calendar will now be added to Alexa and will be accessible via your Alexa-enabled device.

Connecting Microsoft’s Outlook Calendar

Microsoft’s Calendar is tightly integrated with Outlook, allowing you to easily switch between your inbox and your calendar – perfect for juggling all those incoming email invites! To add Microsoft’s Calendar to your Alexa account:

  1. Tap “Microsoft.”
  2. Alexa will now request access to your email and calendar; push these two “Permissions” sliders into the “On” position.
  3. Enter the login details for your Microsoft account and tap “Next.”
  4. Read the permission requests, and if you agree, select “Accept.”

Sync Apple Calendar and Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Apple’s Calendar app comes built into macOS and iOS devices and offers full backup functionality via Apple’s popular iCloud service. 2. At this point, you’ll be asked to set up two-factor authentication for your Apple account. To configure this additional layer of security, tap “Next.” 3. When prompted, launch your iPhone’s “Settings” application. 4. Find your name at the top of the screen and give it a tap. 5. Tap “Password & Security.” 6. When prompted, enter the password for your iCloud account. 7. Tap “Turn On Two-Factor Authentication,” if it isn’t already. If it’s already turned on, skip ahead to step 13 and 14. Skip steps 15 and 16, and pick them up again on step 17. 8. Answer the security questions associated with your Apple account. 9. You’ll now be prompted to enter the details for the credit card that’s registered with your Apple account. 10. When it needs to verify your identity, Apple will send a verification code to your smartphone; enter the number where you want to receive these codes. 11. Tap “Next” and Apple will send a verification code to the number you provided. 12. Enter this verification code into your iPhone. Next, you’ll need to enter some information into a web browser. To make life easier, you may want to switch to a laptop or computer for this step! 13. Head over to the Apple ID webpage. 14. Enter your Apple ID username and password. 15. Apple will now send a notification to your iOS device. Review the notification, and then tap “Allow” if you agree. 16. A verification code will now appear on your iOS device; enter this code into your web browser. 17. On the subsequent webpage, find the “Security” section and click “Generate password … ” 18. You’ll now be prompted to enter the basis for an app-specific password that you’ll use to connect your Alexa app to your Apple Calendar. Enter the password that you want to use and then click “Create.” 19. Apple will now use this password to generate a more secure, app-specific password. Make a note of this password. 20. Switch back to your Alexa mobile app, and tap “Add Apple Calendar.” 21. On the subsequent screen, enter your Apple ID. 22. Enter the app-specific password that Apple generated for you in the previous step. 23. Tap “Sign In.” Your Apple Calendar will now be connected to your Alexa account.

Control your schedule from your Alexa-enabled device

Now that you’ve added your Google, Microsoft or Apple Calendar to your Alexa account, you can ask her about your schedule. For example, you can ask:

Alexa, what are my plans for Saturday?Alexa, am I busy on Monday?Alexa, do I have plans on August 14th?Alexa, what’s my schedule for this afternoon?

You can also add an event to your Google, Microsoft or Apple Calendar, by saying: “Alexa, add an event to my calendar.” Alexa will now guide you through the process of adding a new event to your calendar. Syncing your calendars to Alexa only solves part of the puzzle. You still need to populate it with useful calendars and events to make sure you get notified of important matters.