Sync iCloud Calendars and Contacts natively with Android

Let’s not talk about why I have an android phone. That exploration is for another day. However, this is what my android home screen looks like:

As someone who is trapped (perhaps being harsh here) in the Apple ecosystem, I was even more disappointed to discover that Android does not have built in support for CalDAV.

My entire family uses iPhones and we share iCloud Calendars and I also use iCloud contacts as well. The path of least resistance was just sync these to Android and call it a day. Ahhhhh… so naive of me. I was almost tempted to import my contacts to my Google account, but that does not solve the shared calendar issue. I will not convince my entire family to move to Google calendar, either.

Thankfully, open-source software saves the day.

Introducing: DAVx⁵ is a all-in-one CalDAV/CardDAV/WebDAV solution for Android

I had a massive smile on my face when I discovered DAVx⁵. Weird name aside, it is the glue that syncs (two-way sync) my iCloud contacts and calendar to my Android phone. Amazingly, my contact photos also synced, which is glorious. It’s nice when there are apps that allow people like me to co-exist in different ecosystems.

DAVx⁵ is an open-source project from the very beginning. The source code is available, and you can download the app on F-Droid, which is precisely what I did. Side note, it’s so charming to have F-Droid an alternative to the Google Play Store where one can download apps safely without requiring an account. Hopefully, alternative app stores will be a thing on the iPhone in the not so distant future.

I followed this simple guide and was up and running in minutes.

DAVx⁵ list of supported services is impressively lengthy and includes the likes of Fastmail, macOS Server, Roundcube, Synology and many more. Interestingly, also brings native WebDav Box.com support to android. It might be worth exploring.

In my over one month of usage, it has been flawless. Any changes/additions are synced quickly. My iCloud calendar shows up on the Google Calendar app on Android.

This app is so good that I continue to use it and have no plans to move away from iCloud contacts and calendar.

DAVx⁵ is completely free on F-Droid and available for a small fee on Google Play Store. Furthermore, please consider making a donation to the developer to support future development.

As I continue to co-exist in multiple ecosystems, I hope you can join in on my journey of exploration beyond the Apple walled garden.