What you should know Block third-party apps from accessing Google Calendar in Android: Open Privacy settings > Permissions manager > Calendar > select an app > Don’t allow. Change how events are added to Google Calendar: On a mobile device, tap the hamburger icon, select Settings > General > Add invitations > Only if the sender is known. On the PC, go to Settings > Event Settings > Add Invitations to Calendar drop-down menu > Only if the sender is known. Delete events in Google Calendar: On the mobile app, tap the event, tap the three-dot icon, and select Delete. On the PC, click the event and select Delete.
Spam can get into your workspace in many ways. Everything from emails to phone calls to text messages is susceptible to spam. And Google Calendar is no exception. Fortunately, there are ways to combat spam.
Previously, Google added a way to block invitation spam by allowing them “Only if the sender is known”. Now, in a recent email advertisement, Google highlights how “[i]It’s now easier to block spam in Google Calendar.” What are these new changes and how can you use them to block spam on Google Calendar? let’s find out
How to block spam on Google Calendar Android app
Third-party apps are among the top contributors to unwanted spam in your Google Calendar. If you’ve casually given the apps on your Android device permission to add events to your calendar, you might be opening your account to event spamming.
Google’s email promotion shows how to avoid this on your Android device.
As the promotion points out, by default, invitations from users you’ve never interacted with will not be added to your calendar unless you interact with them (or have in the past).
To prevent spam from infiltrating your Google Calendar on your Android device, do the following:
Open the Settings app from the app drawer.
Tap Privacy & security, then select Privacy.
Note: Depending on your Android device, the exact names of the options may differ, as is the case in our example above. But you are mainly looking for the privacy settings.
Tap Permission Manager.
Select Calendar.
Here you can get information about all other apps that have access to your Google Calendar. To remove an app’s access to Google Calendar, tap it.
Then select Don’t allow.
Do this for any apps that you don’t want to access Google Calendar. You have now prevented unauthorized app access to your Google calendar.
Note that this will not delete any unwanted events you may have on your Google calendar, nor will it change your current event settings.
How to change event settings in Google Calendar
Google Calendar lets you change who can add invitations to your calendar, so your calendar doesn’t get filled with unwanted events from someone who happens to have your email address. That’s how it’s done:
On the phone
Open the Google Calendar app and tap the hamburger icon in the top left.
Scroll down and select Settings.
Tap General.
Tap Add Invitations.
Select Add invitations to my calendar for your Google account.
Here you can choose between the following three options:
From all Only if the sender is known If I reply to the invitation by email:
Choose your option according to your preference by tapping on it (preferably the second or third option).
Tap OK to confirm.
On the PC
Open Google Calendar in your browser. Then click the gear icon in the top right corner.
select settings.
In the left pane, click Event Settings.
Now click on the “Add invitations to my calendar” dropdown menu.
Here you will see the same three options. Select Only if the sender is known (or the third option if you want to be a bit stricter in your choice).
Click OK to confirm.
How to delete events in Google Calendar
Changing event settings and third-party app permissions will not delete the events that are already in your calendar. You must delete them manually. That’s how it’s done:
On the phone
Open the Google Calendar app on your device. Then tap the event you want to delete.
Tap the three dots icon in the top right.
Select Delete.
Tap Delete to confirm.
On the PC
Open Google Calendar in your browser. Then click on the event you want to delete.
Click on the trash can icon.
And your event will be deleted.
frequently asked Questions
In this section, we’ll take a look at some frequently asked questions about blocking spam in Google Calendar.
How do I block calendar spam?
Two things come in handy when blocking calendar spam in Google Calendar. First, remove calendar permissions for any untrusted third-party apps. Second, change your event settings to either “Only if the sender is known” or “When I reply to the invitation via email”. This ensures that no event is added to your calendar unless you know the sender or you personally respond to their invitation.
How do I remove spam events from Google Calendar?
To remove spam events from Google Calendar on PC, select the event and then click the “Delete” button. On mobile, select the event, tap More options, then select Delete.
How do I block unknown calendar invites?
To block unknown calendar invites, you need to change your events settings in Google Calendar and select the option “Only if the sender is known” or “When I reply to the invitation via email”. Our guide above shows you how to do this on both desktop and mobile.
Google’s latest email about blocking spam in its Calendar app seems like little more than a follow-up to the Events Settings option that was added a few months ago. Still, it’s good to know how to prevent invitations from unknown senders and third-party apps from cluttering up your calendar.
