Unable to add Facebook Event Calendar subscription to Calendar app

Question

Level 1

25 points

Unable to add Facebook Event Calendar subscription to Calendar app

For years, I've had access to my Facebook Event Calendar in the Calendar app on my iOS devices. I've also had access to this calendar in other calendar apps, such as Google Calendar and Outlook. I'm referring to the calendar you can access from the full browser version of Facebook by clicking Events under the main menu, then Your Events, and then copying the ical URL from the Add to Calendar button in the upper-right of the window. The URL is in the form https://www.facebook.com/events/ical/upcoming/?uid=123456789&key=AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHh (my personal uid and key are masked here for privacy reasons).

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that events from my Facebook Event Calendar were no longer showing up in the Calendar app on my iOS devices, even though they still show up correctly in Google Calendar. Perhaps this coincided with the update to iOS version 16.5.1.

I tried removing the Facebook Event Calendar from the Calendar app and then re-adding it, but I was unable to re-add the calendar subscription. In the Settings app, I go to Calendar->Accounts->Add Account->Other->Add Subscribed Calendar, I enter the URL, and I tap Next. Then I encounter the error message, "cannot connect using SSL." If I then proceed with SSL disabled, I get, "unable to verify account information." So I cannot add the calendar subscription anymore. This used to work only a few weeks ago, and the calendar subscription still works in Google Calendar. What changed in the iOS Calendar app to stop this from working suddenly?

iPhone 12 mini, iOS 16

Posted on Jun 30, 2023 04:54 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

HappyFunJay Author

Level 1

25 points

Oct 13, 2023 09:16 PM in response to jkjkjk23

Wow... Google really keeps that solution buried where it's difficult to find. But that worked!

To sum up the Reddit post for everyone: If you have your Facebook Event Calendar subscribed in your Google Calendar account, then visit the Google Calendar Sync Settings page. Click the checkbox next to your Facebook Event Calendar and click Save. I couldn't find any way to reach that page anywhere from Google's apps, so the best way to reach it is to Google it!

Thanks very much for bringing that to my attention.

It still doesn't fix the larger issue of being unable to add a subscription to the iOS Calendar app, so if you don't use Google Calendar, you're out of luck. But this solution is good enough for me, at least for now.

Reply

Answer 2

Sep 19, 2023 03:30 PM in response to HappyFunJay

I've been experiencing this same issue. I assumed it was an update on Facebook's side but am hoping it's an Apple bug because maybe it will be fixed in an upcoming release. Previously, I was able to subscribe and every event would display on my calendar whenever I showed interest. Now, when I click 'interested' or 'going' to an event, the event doesn't add to my calendar unless I'm on the event's page and I select, "add to calendar"; Additionally, I can no longer find Facebook's 'subscribe' link on the website. When I search 'subscribe to Facebook calendar', Facebook's instructions are to add to calendar, event by event. Really frustrating.

Reply

Answer 3

Nov 16, 2023 12:26 PM in response to chloelepeltier

Same issue here...

When I try to add a Facebook Calendar Subscription on my iPhone 15 (iOS 17.1.1.), I get an "Insecure Connection" error message.

I noticed the URL is automatically changed from "HTTPS" to "HTTP", but I don't see a redirect when checking the URL on wheregoes.com...

Apple, can you please fix this? I don't want to have to use the Google Calendar Syncing method to bypass this issue.

Thank you so much!

PS: I also reported this bug on Apple's Product Feedback page.

Reply

Answer 4

Nov 16, 2023 11:57 AM in response to HappyFunJay

Same for me with iOS 17.1.1.

Impossible to show the Facebook Events on my iPhone (15) calendar, but they do appear on my desktop calendar.

When trying to add a subscription calendar:

I get this "Insecure Connection" error message.I noticed the url is automatically changed from "https" to "http".

But don't see a redirect when checking the url on wheregoes.com...

Reply

Answer 5

HappyFunJay Author

Level 1

25 points

Sep 20, 2023 12:31 AM in response to ModeratelyHere

Thank you for contributing your experience. I'm convinced it's an issue that was introduced in iOS 16.5.1 on Apple's end, because my Facebook Event Calendar still syncs fine in other apps like Google Calendar. I've tested subsequent versions of iOS, but the issue persists. I wish Apple would fix it.

It does seem like Facebook has been downplaying subscribing to the event calendar lately. Perhaps it's not a very popular feature, so they're planning to phase it out. But you can still get access to the ical URL. Did you try following the steps I described in the first paragraph of my original post? Those steps still work for me.

Reply

Answer 6

jkjkjk23

Level 1

23 points

Oct 13, 2023 01:23 PM in response to HappyFunJay

Follow these directions carefully. It worked! https://www.reddit.com/r/ios/comments/o6e1f4/facebook_calendar_is_not_syncing_anymore/ik4ee2j/

Reply

Answer 7

edmechem

Level 1

8 points

Jul 4, 2023 04:38 PM in response to HappyFunJay

I've got the same issue going on, whether on iOS 15.0 device or iOS 14.8 device. The thing is, it works, on the Mac (running Big Sur). The "subscribed calendar" becomes just another calendar, living on my iCloud account, and syncing between Mac & iOS (along with all the other static (non-subscribed)) calendars. On the Mac, it populates with new events, whenever I say Going or Interested to a FB event. As it always used to, on iOS. But no longer. In the same iOS Settings dialog you mention above, I went so far as to put my Facebook login credentials in (email & fb password), it still wouldn't connect. It's absurd. It works on Mac, the subscribed calendar shows up on iOS, but it's empty. Apple?

PS: I will say, I've tried adding the same subscribed calendar to my Google account, on web browser, on Mac, and... same fail - it shows up, but is empty. So: What is Mac calendar app doing, that allows this to work (while it fails on iOS & within Google calendar)? When I paste the URL into web browser (Firefox on Mac), it downloads a static .ics file, containing all the current events in my FB events calendar.

So... somehow Mac calendar app is able to interpret this URL as a subscription, not a static .ics file containing events. Thus, I'm wondering whether tweaking the structure of the URL somehow, could result in it being less ambiguous: in other words, changing the URL so it specifically is asking for (and gets back, only) a 'subscribed calendar' (to the extent that, this is a diferent thing, than simply a .ics file living at a URL - I haven't researched deep in the weeds enough yet to know whether there's a difference...).

But really, Apple - fix this. This is a hella useful user-centric thing, allowing much smoother FB events to user calendar workflow. And one of your main platforms (macOS) handles this elegantly - while the other main one (iOS) fails miserably. Bad user experience! Please fix 🙏

Reply

Answer 8

HappyFunJay Author

Level 1

25 points

Jul 5, 2023 01:47 AM in response to edmechem

Thank you for contributing your experience. It sounds like we are experiencing essentially the same problem. Unfortunately, I don't have access to a macOS device, so I can't try subscribing to the Facebook Event Calendar the way you described.

I am subscribed to my Facebook Event Calendar in my Google Calendar and in my Outlook.com calendar, and in both cases, the calendar shows up correctly with all of my upcoming events. So I'm inclined to think this is a problem that was specifically introduced to iOS devices recently.

I completely agree: I really wish Apple would fix this soon. In the meantime, I've been forced to stop using Apple's Calendar app and to use the Google Calendar app instead on my iOS devices.

I'm going to submit feedback for this problem on Apple's Product Feedback page; I urge everyone who's experiencing this problem to do the same.

Reply

Answer 9

Feb 13, 2024 08:30 AM in response to chloelepeltier

It's working again!

Reply

Answer 10

Apr 12, 2024 03:09 PM in response to jkjkjk23

Worked!

Reply

Unable to add Facebook Event Calendar subscription to Calendar app

Similar questions