Why Your Subscribed Calendar Is Not Updating

Last week's appointments are visible, but today's changed time never arrives. Follow that one change from the publisher's timetable to the receiving calendar: it will tell you whether the source is stale, the subscription is waiting to refresh, or the phone is behind the web account.

First, rule out a file import

Think back to how the events were added. Did you upload a downloaded ICS file, or paste an ongoing subscription link?

An imported file is a snapshot with no link to later changes. Google makes that distinction in its import documentation. For continuing updates, ask the publisher for a subscription link instead of re-uploading new files.

Confirm whether you have an ICS file import or a feed subscription. Before replacing an imported timetable, identify where its events were stored so you can avoid leaving the snapshot alongside the subscription.

The publisher's timetable and feed

Choose a specific event whose time or location changed. Write down what the publisher currently shows and what the subscribed calendar shows.

If the publisher's own timetable is still wrong, contact the organization maintaining it. A receiving calendar cannot invent the missing correction.

If the website is correct, check whether its subscription feed is the same schedule. An institution may have one public calendar, a personal timetable, and an old term-specific feed. A valid link can still be the wrong link.

You do not need to post the feed publicly to get help. Share the event name, expected change, and which calendar you subscribed to, without including its private URL.

Allow for the receiving service's refresh

Subscriptions are fetched periodically. Microsoft says Outlook updates usually arrive every few hours and can take more than 24 hours. Reloading your browser does not force that fetch.

Google Calendar also fetches subscribed URLs on its own schedule.

On a Mac, select the subscription and open Edit → Get Info to review Auto-refresh. Check whether it is stored in iCloud or On My Mac if another device is missing it. Apple's subscription guidance explains the account choice.

For an urgent exam, shift, or appointment, check the publisher's own timetable; a feed can lag behind last-minute changes.

When a feed supplies another calendar's copies

A service that reads a feed and creates copies introduces another step. You need to check the feed source, the copying connection, and the destination.

For an Avum Sync Rule reading an ICS source, inspect that source connection and the writable destination it supplies. Find the changed event on the destination's website before adding the feed again.

Avum cannot receive an update the publisher has not made available. If you need editable account access and the provider offers it, a Google, Microsoft, iCloud, or CalDAV connection may fit better.

Before removing a working subscription, record its name and where it came from. Re-adding feeds repeatedly can create extra calendar layers without fixing out-of-date data at the publisher.

Expired links and device display

If the feed stopped after a password or sharing change, ask whether the publisher revoked or replaced the link. Some feeds contain a personal access token. A new URL may be necessary, but first check the publisher's instructions.

If the calendar's website shows the new event but your phone does not, the feed has reached the service. Investigate the phone's selected calendars, connection, and account sync instead. Phone-versus-web troubleshooting covers that route.

If both the old and new times appear, you may be displaying an imported snapshot and an updating subscription simultaneously. Hide one calendar at a time before deleting anything.

Ready to explore copies from your calendar feed? Start your free 30-day trial with Avum today.