Does apple calendar take ical?
Short answerYes, Apple Calendar can subscribe to a calendar feed. Apple's support page describes adding a calendar subscription to iCloud on an iPhone, iPad or Mac, after which it appears across all devices signed in to the same Apple Account [1]. A subscription is read-only, so edits happen at the source.
The explanation
A subscription calendar is a link that your calendar app checks regularly for new events. The scheduling tool publishes the feed, and Apple Calendar displays it. It is a convenient way to show a crew schedule in the app people already use.
Because the feed flows one way, changes you make in Apple Calendar will not go back to the scheduling system. If a tech wants to move a job, they should do it in the source tool. Updates can also lag, since the calendar app refreshes on its own timing.
Add the subscription to iCloud rather than on one device, so it shows up everywhere [1]. Name the calendar clearly and give it a color. If the feed link is private, treat it like a password and do not post it.
Steps
- Get the subscription link from your scheduling tool.
- Add a subscription calendar in iCloud on your iPhone or Mac.
- Name the calendar and give it its own color.
- Treat the link as private and refresh if events seem stale.
What to watch for
- Expecting edits in Apple Calendar to change the source schedule.
- Posting a private feed link where others can see it.
How Apex does it
In progress
Part of this is built. The rest is not. Status as of 2026-10-07; the badge shows the least-built feature involved.
Apex has an iCal and ICS subscribe feed, which is in progress, and role-limited calendar views that are built. A feed is one-way, so changes happen in Apex.
- SC16iCal/ICS subscribe feed(In progress)
- SC14Role-limited calendar views(Built)
Apex Flow Scheduler is in early access. See how we label status.
Sources
- Apple Support: iCloud calendar subscriptions (read 2026-10-07)
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