Google Calendar not syncing with iPhone is usually a setting, not a broken calendar. The event is often on a calendar the other phone is not showing.
You added the netball match on your phone. Your partner swears it is not there. Both of you are looking at what you believe is the same calendar.
Nine times out of ten this is one of five settings, and the first two fix most of it.
Work through them in order. The quickest checks come first, and the ones people never find on their own come after.
Key Takeaway: If Google Calendar is not syncing, check these five things in order: that Calendar sync is switched on for the account, that the specific calendar is ticked in your app's calendar list, that secondary calendars are enabled at calendar.google.com/calendar/syncselect, that new events are going to the right default calendar, and that you are not looking at an event older than a year on mobile. The most common cause is a calendar that is connected but not selected.
The Five Checks, in Order
Do not skip to the technical ones. The boring checks are the ones that are usually wrong.
1. Is Calendar Sync On for the Account
Google's own first instruction, and it is first for a reason. An account can be signed in for mail and have Calendar switched off entirely [1].
On iPhone: Settings, then Apps, then Calendar, then Calendar Accounts, tap the Google account and confirm Calendars is on [4].
Then check your connection. If you are on patchy data or in aeroplane mode, nothing syncs and nothing tells you so [1].
2. Is the Calendar Ticked in Your App
This is the single most common cause and it looks nothing like a sync problem.
A calendar can be fully connected and simply not selected for display. The events are on the device. They are just hidden.
In the Google Calendar app, open the menu and confirm the calendar has a tick beside it. In Apple's Calendar app, tap Calendars at the bottom and check the same [2].
If the events reappear the moment you tick it, nothing was ever broken.
3. Are Secondary Calendars Enabled for Mobile
Here is the one almost nobody finds on their own.
If you are viewing Google calendars through Apple's Calendar app, your secondary calendars, which for most families means the ones actually being used, are off by default. They are controlled from a separate Google page you cannot reach from iOS Settings at all [3].
In a browser, go to calendar.google.com/calendar/syncselect
Sign in to your Google account
Tick the boxes next to the shared calendars you want to see
Click Save
Open your Calendar app again. The missing calendars will now appear in the list (you may still need to tick them, as in step 2). This specific fix is often what people need when setting up a shared calendar for couples.
4. Which Calendar is Set as Default
If events you create are disappearing, they are usually saving to a different calendar — usually iCloud instead of the shared Google one [1].
On iPhone: Settings, then Apps, then Calendar, then Default Calendar.
Set this to the shared Google calendar. Any new event you create will now go there automatically, rather than hiding in your personal iCloud.
5. Are the Missing Events Older Than a Year
The Google Calendar app syncs all events [6]. Apple's Calendar app, by default, stops syncing past events after one month to save space.
If you are looking for last year's holiday dates on your iPhone and cannot find them, go to Settings, then Apps, then Calendar, then Sync. Change it from "Events 1 Month Back" to "All Events" [4].
This only applies to past events. Future events always sync regardless of this setting.
The Underlying Issue with Shared Calendars
When a shared calendar breaks, it reveals a structural flaw in how families manage time: it all relies on manual data entry.
If one person forgets to type the inset day into the calendar, the other person never sees it, and sync settings cannot save you. In 2023, women still performed 60% more unpaid work than men [5], and calendar administration is a significant part of that mental load.
Instead of arguing over who forgot to add the email to the calendar, you can use Nuet to remove the manual step entirely. Nuet reads school newsletters, booking confirmations, and PDFs directly from your inbox, and writes the dates into your shared calendar automatically.
It does not fix sync. It reduces how much depends on somebody remembering.
People Also Ask / FAQ
Why is my calendar not syncing?
Usually because the calendar is connected but not selected. Check the Calendars list in the app first, then confirm Calendars is switched on for the account in Settings, then check secondary calendars at calendar.google.com/calendar/syncselect [1][3].
Why is my Google Calendar not syncing with my iPhone?
If your google calendar not syncing with iphone, it's frequently due to secondary calendars not being enabled. You must visit calendar.google.com/calendar/syncselect in a browser to enable them. It cannot be done from the iOS settings alone.
Why are my calendars not syncing?
If multiple calendars are failing, check your network connection first, then verify that the Calendar sync toggle is enabled for your Google account under Settings > Apps > Calendar > Calendar Accounts.
Gmail calendar not syncing with iphone
If your gmail calendar not syncing with iphone, ensure your Google account is properly added in the iPhone's Settings > Apps > Calendar > Calendar Accounts and that the Calendars switch is flipped to ON.
Google calendar sync settings
To adjust your google calendar sync settings for Apple devices, you need to use the syncselect page. This page lets you choose exactly which shared calendars get pushed to your Apple devices.
How long should Google Calendar take to sync?
An account you have connected directly should sync within about a minute. A calendar you subscribed to by URL is different and can take several hours to reflect a change [2].
Sources
[1] Google — Fix sync problems with the Google Calendar app [2] Google — Subscribe to someone else's calendar [3] Google — Add Google Calendar events to Apple Calendar [4] Apple — Set up mail, contacts, and calendar accounts on iPhone [5] Office for National Statistics — Women shoulder the responsibility of 'unpaid work' [6] Google — Sync Calendar with a phone or tablet
Frequently Asked Questions (People Also Ask)
Why is my Google calendar not syncing?
If your Google Calendar is not syncing, it is often due to background refresh settings being disabled, low power mode restricting background activity, or an issue with the specific Google account connection. Go to your device settings, remove the Google account, and re-add it to force a fresh sync.
How do I fix Google Calendar not syncing with iPhone?
To fix sync issues between Google Calendar and iPhone, check the Fetch New Data settings under Passwords & Accounts in iOS. Ensure it is set to Fetch or Push rather than Manual. Also, verify that the specific calendars you want are ticked at calendar.google.com/calendar/syncselect.
Why are my shared calendars not syncing?
Shared calendars often fail to sync if the owner has adjusted permissions or if you have not explicitly enabled them for mobile sync. If you are sharing a calendar with your partner, consider using a dedicated shared calendar for couples rather than relying on Google Calendar share settings.
If you are constantly battling calendar sync issues with school events, try Nuet, which automates school event scheduling without relying on complex sync configurations.
