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BusyCal for Apple Watch

BusyCal for Apple Watch is a companion to BusyCal on your paired iPhone. It gives you a focused view of your current and near-term schedule without requiring you to take out your phone.

The iPhone app sends the Watch app its calendars, preferences, events, and tasks. The Watch keeps the last data it received, but changes and fresh data still need a connection to the paired iPhone.

Install and Set Up BusyCal​

Apple Watch may install BusyCal automatically when you install BusyCal on the paired iPhone. If it does not:

  1. Open Apple's Watch app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap My Watch.
  3. Scroll to Available Apps.
  4. Tap Install next to BusyCal.

Apple also explains how to download apps on Apple Watch.

After installing BusyCal:

  1. Open BusyCal on your iPhone.
  2. Go to Settings > Calendar Sets > Widgets & Watch.
  3. Choose the Calendar Set that contains the calendars and task lists you want on the Watch.
  4. Open BusyCal on the Watch and allow a moment for the first update.

What You Can See​

Swipe between four views in the Watch app:

  • Calendar — A compact month calendar. You can show activity as dots or a heat map, then tap a date to see its items.
  • Today — Today's events, all-day items, and dated tasks, including overdue tasks that still need attention.
  • Up Next — A list of upcoming events that you can group by date, calendar, or title.
  • Tasks — Your incomplete dated tasks, with grouping by date, calendar, priority, or title.

Tap an event or task to see details such as its date, time, calendar, location, repeat rule, attendees, and notes. Where the calendar allows it, you can also:

  • Create a basic event or task.
  • Mark a task done or undone.
  • Change a task's priority or starred status.
  • Accept, decline, or tentatively accept an invitation.

Add BusyCal Complications​

BusyCal provides several complications for supported watch faces:

  • Today
  • Date and Date & Weekday
  • Up Next
  • Current & Upcoming
  • Countdown
  • Next Event Time
  • Weeks, which shows a three-week heat map

The choices and shapes available depend on your watchOS version and the complication slots supported by the watch face.

To add one from the Watch:

  1. Touch and hold the watch face, then tap Edit.
  2. Swipe to the complications screen.
  3. Tap a complication slot.
  4. Turn the Digital Crown until you find the BusyCal option you want.
  5. Press the Digital Crown to save.

See Apple's guide to adding complications to a watch face for more options.

Task Display Rules​

The Watch handles tasks from BusyCal task calendars and Apple Reminders lists in the same way. You do not need to convert a Reminders list into another type of calendar.

important

A task must have a due date to appear in the BusyCal Watch app. Undated tasks remain available in BusyCal's Task List on iPhone and iPad, but they are not sent to the Watch.

A due time is not required for the main Tasks list. A date-only task can appear there. However, complications that show what is happening now or next use timed items, so a task needs both a due date and a due time to appear in those complications.

When you create a task on the Watch, turn on Due Date if you want the task to remain visible there.

Other Limits​

  • The Watch app focuses on current and near-term items. Use BusyCal on iPhone or iPad for older history and dates farther into the future.
  • Long notes may be shortened on the Watch.
  • Read-only calendars can be viewed, but their items cannot be changed.
  • Some task options, such as due times and priorities, depend on what the selected task service supports.
  • Changes made on the Watch may wait until the paired iPhone is reachable.

If Items Are Missing or Out of Date​

  1. Confirm the correct Calendar Set is selected under BusyCal > Settings > Calendar Sets > Widgets & Watch on the iPhone.
  2. Make sure that set includes the specific event calendars and task lists you want.
  3. If a task is missing, check that it has a due date. For a timed complication, also check that it has a due time.
  4. Open BusyCal on the iPhone once, then open BusyCal on the Watch again.
  5. Keep the iPhone and Watch connected while they update.

For more help, see Widgets or Apple Watch show missing events and Calendar Sets.

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