Introducing OurCal+
Today we’re very excited to introduce Plus, our new premium plan.
OurCal is a start-up, meaning that we are supported by funds raised from investors. Now is a responsible time for us to start generating revenue to enable us to keep innovating for many years to come. To not incorporate a premium paid offering would leave us vulnerable, in the future, to run out of funds. Plus members will keep us innovating whilst protecting every member's data forever.
For existing users:
For new users:
There is a new section of our help centre dedicated to answering your questions about Plus.
You can read the announcement of Plus written by Ryan, our Founder and CEO.
Introducing OurCal+
Today we’re very excited to introduce Plus, our new premium plan.
OurCal is a start-up, meaning that we are supported by funds raised from investors. Now is a responsible time for us to start generating revenue to enable us to keep innovating for many years to come. To not incorporate a premium paid offering would leave us vulnerable, in the future, to run out of funds. Plus members will keep us innovating whilst protecting every member's data forever.
For existing users:
For new users:
There is a new section of our help centre dedicated to answering your questions about Plus.
You can read the announcement of Plus written by Ryan, our Founder and CEO.
Quick Inline Event Editing
Save time every time you update an event.
Tap Edit in the top right of any event to quickly make changes. Tap the arrow in the top right to send these to your group.
We've made these UI simplifications throughout the app, including in the New Event screen.
Quickly Copy an Event
You can now quickly & easily create copies of an event. From any event:
This will create a new copy of the event.
Share Photos From the File Picker
You can now share photos in the chat via. the file picker.
Update or Delete One Repeat of a Repeating Event
Today we're thrilled to announce that you can now update or delete one repeat of a repeating event.
This highly requested feature was months in the making and we really appreciate all of you who requested it or upvoted it on our public roadmap.
We've also made navigating between repeats more accessible from the event info screen.
Timezone Issue Fixes
Previously, editing or importing all day events that were created in a different timezone to where you are now caused them to appear incorrectly. This has now been fixed.
Improved Tutorial for Member Calendars
To make the Member Calendars feature more accessible we have improved how member calendars are visually explained when setting up a group. Now, when turned on, member calendars appear nested in the group. This is also apparent on the Group Info screen.
Tap Location Text In Event Threads To Open Maps
You can now tap any location text in an event thread to directly open it in Maps.
Share Images From OurCal Chats
Now, when opening an image in OurCal, tap the share icon in the top left to open the share screen. This will enable you to easily share the image outside the app, or download it.
Change To App Update Notifications
Previously, we notified you every time we released a new version of the app. Now we only notify you about major updates.
Enhanced Time Zone Change Alert
Now, when you change time zone, we’ll remind you of the current local time, your new time zone, and your previous time zone.
Minor Fixes
Event times were displaying in the 12 hour format, even when 24 hour format was set. This has been fixed.
There was an error making the calendar icon in navigation appear incorrectly. This has been fixed.
Improvements Ahead of Streamlining Messaging
This release contains necessary improvements ahead of an upcoming update that will better streamline and centralise messaging in OurCal around your groups.
Minor Fixes & Improvements
OurCal is now looking and feeling sleeker after a number of fixes and improvements following our previous release.
Use OurCal With Multiple Different Groups
You can now create multiple groups to share separate calendars with different people in OurCal, instead of the one group limit.
This lets you share private calendars with multiple groups, from family to friends and even communities.
You can also make groups to share a calendar for one-off events like holidays, weddings, or projects.
Creating a new group is easy:
Invited members who already have OurCal will be able to join this group instantly. Those yet to download OurCal will be redirected to the app store and then guided swiftly to join.
Important Note To Existing Users
Your existing OurCal group will remain unchanged for now, but new groups will showcase advanced features due to updated technology.
In the future, we plan to upgrade your original OurCal group to incorporate these new features for a more streamlined experience.
Streamlined Group Chat & "Chats" Becomes "Groups"
Previously, each custom calendar had a chat. This would get very busy with multiple groups.
Now, we've streamlined all group updates into one group chat where you can reply either there or in an event’s own thread.
For improved communication, we've re-named the Chats tab, to the Groups tap. Also, the UI has been upgraded here to show a preview of the last message or update.
Settings has a new home
In this update, we've made the navigation simpler. Before, it was hard to find Settings. Now, Settings has its own tab, and every tab has a label.
Today brings a significant upgrade to OurCal.
Use OurCal With Multiple Different Groups
You can now create multiple groups to share separate calendars with different people in OurCal, instead of the one group limit.
This lets you share private calendars with multiple groups, from family to friends and even communities.
You can also make groups to share a calendar for one-off events like holidays, weddings, or projects.
Creating a new group is easy:
Invited members who already have OurCal will be able to join this group instantly. Those yet to download OurCal will be redirected to the app store and then guided swiftly to join.
Important Note To Existing Users
Your existing OurCal group will remain unchanged for now, but new groups will showcase advanced features due to updated technology.
In the future, we plan to upgrade your original OurCal group to incorporate these new features for a more streamlined experience.
Streamlined Group Chat & "Chats" Becomes "Groups"
Previously, each custom calendar had a chat. This would get very busy with multiple groups.
Now, we've streamlined all group updates into one group chat where you can reply either there or in an event’s own thread.
For improved communication, we've re-named the Chats tab, to the Groups tap. Also, the UI has been upgraded here to show a preview of the last message or update.
Settings has a new home
In this update, we've made the navigation simpler. Before, it was hard to find Settings. Now, Settings has its own tab, and every tab has a label.
New Groups Get Streamlined Chat
Groups joining OurCal from now on will access an upgraded version of Groups.
For these groups, all calendar updates will be streamlined into a single group chat, rather than across numerous calendar chats.
This makes it easier to keep up with numerous updates across calendars. The functionality of reading and replying to updates, and responding in the event's thread, remains the same experience.
For our existing users, don't worry, this improved functionality will be coming to you shortly.
Fixed Issue: Import Events
In a previous release there was an issue that resulted in events not being imported.
Yesterday's release fixed the issue for all calendar types, apart from Custom Only You calendars.
This release fixes that issue. Importing events now works as expected. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.
Fixed Issue: Import Events
In our previous release there was an issue that resulted in events not being imported. This has now been resolved. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.
Fixed Issue: Events Missing From Agenda View
In our previous release there was an issue that resulted in events occasionally being hidden in the daily agenda calendar view. This has now been resolved. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.
Create Multiple "Only You" Calendars
We've made a big update to our "Only You" calendar feature! Now, you can set up several "Only You" calendars for various activities like fitness routines, surprise dates, or personal errands. These calendars stay completely private and encrypted, so you can boost your productivity without compromising your personal privacy in your shared calendar.
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Tap on “Only You” in Settings to create and manage your “Only You” calendars anytime.
You can easily hide your new “Only You” calendars by filtering your calendar.
Minor Fixes
This release contains minor fixes and improvements
Minor Fixes
This release contains minor fixes and improvements
Calendar Tab Fixes
Our last release contained some issues with the new calendar tab feature detailed below. These are now fixed. We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused by these.
New Month View
Introducing the new month view for your shared calendar. Now, you can see everyone's monthly agenda, all in one screen - helping organise the busiest of schedules.
Events are displayed in the colour of their respective calendars alongside their chosen emoji. Tap any day to open the 24-hour agenda view. Tap any event in the agenda view to open it's Event Thread where you can see and respond to updates.
Filtering your calendar, moving between months, and creating new events, remain key actions accessible in the top-right corner.
Seamlessly Swipe Between Days
It's now easier than ever to move between days in the agenda view, just swipe.
New Month View
Introducing the new month view for your shared calendar. Now, you can see everyone's monthly agenda, all in one screen - helping organise the busiest of schedules.
Events are displayed in the colour of their respective calendars alongside their chosen emoji. Tap any day to open the 24-hour agenda view. Tap any event in the agenda view to open it's Event Thread where you can see and respond to updates.
Filtering your calendar, moving between months, and creating new events, remain key actions accessible in the top-right corner.
Seamlessly Swipe Between Days
It's now easier than ever to move between days in the agenda view, just swipe.
Recurring Event Importing
The process of importing events from an existing calendar has been optimised. Previously, recurring events were imported as individual instances. We've rectified this, and they will now correctly import as recurring events in OurCal.
Widget Optimisation
We've squashed a stubborn bug that was hindering certain events from being displayed in OurCal widgets and the keyboard extension. Now, all events should appear seamlessly.
Refined Update Messages
We've made a slight tweak to our system. Now, when you delete a calendar or event, you're unable to tap on the update message, because it doesn't lead anywhere. This helps avoid any confusion.
Status Indicators in Event Threads
Event Threads have been upgraded to help you stay on top of your messages. Status indicators show when your message is dispatched and when it's been viewed by others in your group.
It's all in the detail, and today, you're getting lots of small but mighty fixes!
OurCal notifications now stay put in your notification centre until you decide to dismiss them, instead of clearing when you open the app. No more disappearing notifications!
If you're using an older version of OurCal, we'll let you know with a handy badge on "Install."
We've squashed some pesky bugs and made message delivery even smoother.
iOS only: Tapping on an event tomorrow in the Up Next Widget now takes you directly to your calendar for the next day.
Simplified Event Threads
Event threads have been redesigned to enhance communication about an event. All event details are now displayed in a clear, organised header and everything is available on one screen. Tap info to edit the event. Sending messages remains familiar.
"What’s New" Blog & Updates
Introducing the “What’s New” blog. Here, we’ll share release notes every time we update OurCal, so you'll always be aware of what’s changed — from minor bug fixes to major updates.
To make sure you have the most up-to-date experience when using OurCal, we've added a section in “Settings” where you can check to see if you have the latest app version installed.
You’ll receive a notification whenever you update to a new version of OurCal. Or, if you're using an old version of the app and need to install an update, we’ll let you know.
If you prefer not to receive these alerts, no problem, you can easily disable them in “Settings” under “Notifications” — simply turn off “App Updates Available”.
This release also includes simplifications to our "Settings" screen, now with a link taking you directly to the "What's New" blog.
Minor Fixes
This release contains minor fixes and improvements
Quick Create Event
We are thrilled to unveil our "Quick Create" feature, a game-changer in the traditional event creation process. By simply typing an event detail like "swimming lessons next Thursday at 8pm for one hour at Tottenham Leisure" our intelligent tool instantly extracts key information such as the event name, time, duration, date, and location to create your event. This innovative approach offers a faster, more intuitive way to schedule your events.
Calendar Search
Delighted to announce our new search feature. This powerful tool enables you to effortlessly locate events by name, date, or location in seconds, rather than continuously swiping to find an event. Discover specific event details with ease and precision, exactly when you need them.
iOS Home Screen Widgets
Today we have released four new iOS home screen widgets to make it easier to stay up to date outside of the app. These include a single date view, month calendar, today's agenda view, and finally an expanded today/tomorrow agenda view. Widgets can be managed under “Integrations” in Settings, which can be accessed by tapping the OurCal logo in the top left from your calendar.
iOS Lock Screen Widgets
Today we have released a new iOS lock screen widget to help you stay up to date at a glance. See your next upcoming event, or if you have none remaining for the day.
Calendar Filter
We are introducing a new filter tool that allows you to streamline your calendar view. Now, you can de-select certain calendars to only display the events you want to see. It's easy to edit your filters and toggle calendars on or off, giving you more control and efficiency.
Keyboard Calendar
Today we’re releasing OurCal's keyboard extension for iOS and Android. This feature lets you check your secure shared calendar and add events, in any conversation from your keyboard. No matter where you’re making plans - WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram - you can schedule plans without leaving the chat. Your entire calendar is end-to-end encrypted and this remains true in the Keyboard Calendar. No matter where you use OurCal, your data will always be protected.
OurCal Launch
Today is the big day! We're thrilled to unveil the first release of OurCal, a privacy-focused shared calendar app. OurCal is perfect for couples, families, and friends who want to privately share a calendar. Getting started is simple: create a group and invite members using a shared link. Each group has a shared calendar, and each member has an individual shared calendar, making schedule coordination effortless. Each member also has a private calendar visible only to them. So, whenever you create an event in OurCal, you can be sure of who you're sharing it with.
OurCal also includes in-app messaging for streamlined communication regarding event coordination. This feature, found in Calendar Chats and Event Threads, provides an organised channel for discussing plans and getting updates. Our timely notifications ensure you never miss a thing.
All of your information— your profile, group, calendars, events, and messages—is safeguarded by our industry-leading end-to-end encryption. OurCal is unique, providing an unmatched level of security. Your shared calendar holds the keys to your life, it deserves to be protected.
