Customer Reviews (500)

Kittycat0987 • 2024-12-01T04:24:42-07:00

No color coding, no drag and drop! Total scam. They want to connect to your Apple colander NO! Can’t even add a task or appointmentDO NOT BUY! Calling Apple to get money back. Complete scam

catyberna • 2024-11-02T19:46:27-07:00

Wish it showed the month and date without having to open the app

JB822 • 2024-09-07T15:15:51-07:00

My go to calendar

Summary of Key Insights

iCalendar enjoys a generally positive sentiment, with many users praising its color-coding capabilities, customizable views (especially the month view), and ease of use. However, recent updates appear to have introduced several bugs and usability issues that have negatively impacted the user experience. Key weaknesses include syncing problems, data loss after updates, widget malfunctions, issues with adding or editing events, and problems with Google Calendar integration. Feature requests center around improved sharing capabilities, the ability to delete unwanted holidays, and a more functional widget. Despite the positive core features, addressing the recent bugs and user-reported issues is crucial to maintaining a positive user experience and preventing users from seeking alternative calendar solutions.

Data & Methodology Overview

  • Data Sample Size: 500 reviews
  • Time Frame: Reviews span several years, with a concentration of recent reviews likely reflecting more recent app versions and iOS updates.
  • Analysis Methods:
    • Sentiment Analysis: Categorizing reviews as positive, negative, or neutral based on language used.
    • Keyword Extraction: Identifying frequently mentioned features, issues, and requests.
    • Frequency Analysis: Counting occurrences of specific keywords and phrases to prioritize issues.

Key User Pain Points

  • Data Loss After Updates: A significant number of users reported losing all their calendar data after updating the app or their iOS version. This is a critical issue that causes immense frustration.
  • Syncing Problems: Syncing issues with Google Calendar, Outlook, and other calendars are frequently mentioned. This includes calendars not syncing, duplicate events, and inability to sync at all.
  • Widget Malfunctions: The widget often displays "Unable to load," rendering it useless for quick access to calendar information.
  • Event Editing Issues: Many users experience problems when adding or editing events, including the app crashing, incorrect dates or times being set, and title text being automatically altered.
  • Google Calendar Integration Issues: Some users are unable to sync with their Google Calendar due to an "app not verified by Google" error.
  • Color Coding Issues: Recent updates have caused color schemes to be reset, color selection limited, or colors to be applied incorrectly.
  • "All Day" Event Bug: The app incorrectly displays all-day events as two-day events.

Frequently Requested Features

  • Family/Calendar Sharing: Users want the ability to easily share their calendars with family members and allow others to add events.
  • Ability to Delete Unwanted Holidays: Users want to remove pre-populated holidays from their calendars.
  • More Functional Widget: A full-month calendar widget for the home screen is a highly requested feature.
  • Email Notifications: Users desire email notifications for events and reminders.
  • File Attachments: The ability to add file attachments to calendar events.
  • Date Badge on App Icon: Displaying the current date on the app icon (like the default iOS calendar).
  • More Alert Sounds: Users want more options for alert sounds.
  • Picture Support: The ability to add pictures to events.

Strengths and Positive Aspects

  • Color Coding: The ability to color-code events is highly praised for its organizational benefits.
  • Customizable Views: Users appreciate the daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly view options. The month view, in particular, is favored for displaying event titles directly on the calendar.
  • Ease of Use: Many users find the app intuitive and easy to navigate.
  • Syncing with Other Calendars: The ability to sync with iCloud, Google Calendar, Exchange, Outlook, and Yahoo! is a major advantage.
  • Repeating Events: The custom repeating event functionality is well-received.
  • Templates: The ability to create event templates is a valued feature.
  • Customer Support: Some users have had positive experiences with customer support, noting quick and helpful responses.

Prioritized Action Recommendations

High Priority:

  • Address Data Loss Bug: Investigate and fix the bug that causes data loss after updates. Implement robust data backup and recovery mechanisms.
  • Fix Syncing Issues: Resolve the syncing problems with Google Calendar, Outlook, and other calendars. Thoroughly test syncing functionality after each update.
  • Repair Widget Functionality: Investigate and fix the "Unable to load" error with the widget.
  • Resolve Event Editing Bugs: Correct the issues with adding and editing events, including incorrect dates/times and automatic title alterations.
  • Address Google Calendar Verification Issue: Resolve the "app not verified by Google" error to allow seamless Google Calendar integration.

Medium Priority:

  • Improve Color Coding Customization: Restore previous color scheme functionality and allow users to select custom colors.
  • Fix "All Day" Event Bug: Correct the issue where all-day events are incorrectly displayed as two-day events.
  • Implement Family/Calendar Sharing: Add a feature that allows users to easily share their calendars with family members.
  • Allow Deletion of Unwanted Holidays: Provide an option to remove pre-populated holidays from the calendar.
  • Add Email Notifications: Implement email notifications for events and reminders.

Low Priority:

  • Add File Attachment Support: Implement the ability to attach files to calendar events.
  • Implement Date Badge on App Icon: Display the current date on the app icon.
  • Add More Alert Sounds: Provide more options for alert sounds.
  • Add Picture Support: Allow users to add pictures to events.
  • Improve Dark Mode Color Adjustments: Ensure font and day outlines are readable in night mode.

Opportunities for Startup Ideas

  • Family Calendar App with Advanced Sharing Features: A calendar app specifically designed for families, with robust sharing features, shared lists, and location-based reminders.
  • Calendar App with Built-in Task and Project Management: A calendar app that seamlessly integrates task management and project management features, allowing users to manage their schedules and projects in one place.
  • AI-Powered Calendar App: A calendar app that uses AI to automatically schedule meetings, optimize schedules, and provide personalized recommendations.
  • Privacy-Focused Calendar App: A calendar app that prioritizes user privacy and does not share personal information with third parties.

Trends and Observations

  • Impact of iOS Updates: iOS updates often trigger new bugs and syncing issues, indicating a need for thorough testing on new iOS versions.
  • Importance of Visual Design: Users consistently praise the color-coding and customizable views, highlighting the importance of visual design in calendar apps.
  • Feature Creep Concerns: Some users express concern about features being moved behind in-app purchases, suggesting a need to balance monetization with user expectations.
  • Recent Negative Sentiment: Many of the negative reviews are recent, indicating that recent updates have introduced significant problems.

Conclusion

iCalendar is a well-regarded calendar app with a strong foundation of positive features, particularly its color-coding and customizable views. However, recent updates have introduced several critical bugs and usability issues that are negatively impacting the user experience. Addressing these issues should be the top priority. Implementing the frequently requested features, such as family sharing and the ability to delete unwanted holidays, would further enhance the app's appeal. Overall, iCalendar has the potential to remain a top calendar app, but it needs to address the recent problems and focus on improving its core functionality. Prioritize bug fixes before adding new features.

Original App Link

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/icalendar/id492076105?uo=2