In today’s world, time is the most expensive thing and for saving and managing time, people can spend a lot of money. Managing time is becoming the most challenging thing due to an ever-rising number of events to visit and finishing tasks of work and leisure. There are many mobile apps which come with the feature of the in-app calendar. It is also a tricky and challenging task for integrating a calendar app or developing it from scratch.
In this article, we will know how to create a calendar app from scratch, what should be the important features, tools & technologies involved, and much more.
Use Cases of In-app Calendar App in different industries:
There are many different industries where there is a need for the in-app calendar app. These calendars come in different colour schemes, filings, and also interfaces. However, the main purpose would be the same, assisting users to manage time.
Travel & Hospitality:
Nowadays, almost every travel platform comes with an in-app calendar. These platforms require calendar functionality for letting users book a flight, hotel, cab, etc. on particular dates. For e.g. Airbnb uses a calendar app to show available dates for a particular accommodation. Likewise, apps like WizzAir (one of the top airlines of the UK and Europe) comes with advanced functionality of suggesting available dates after choosing destinations.
Education:
We have a huge surge in online Education due to the corona pandemic. It is getting highly popular these days. For extending the functionality, the online education app owners are integrating calendars. It is helpful for scheduling classes, lectures, tests, etc. The apps can also send the notification at the beginning of any course or to remind users for tests.
Logistics:
There is a lot of use in the calendar in the logistics applications. It is helpful for scheduling shipping, delivering food, or picking a return parcel.
Let’s take an example of the Uber Freight. It comes with many exciting features through the in-app calendar. Shippers and carriers can check their past and upcoming shipments. They can also choose the proper time and date for the delivery.
Healthcare:
Healthcare industry has also grown in the last few years, and especially in this year, people are opting for an online healthcare facility in a bid to promote social distancing. The healthcare apps also need to integrate calendar features for allowing the users to schedule appointments or checkups in the app.
People are using social media not only for communicating with each other but also for booking offline events. On Facebook, there are a lot of cool meetings, and conferences. The social network can notify the users about upcoming events.
As we can see, there are many industries of varied niche which are using the in-app calendar functionality. Hence, if you are planning to develop an out-of-the-box app having need in different industries, a calendar app can be a suitable option for you.
Let’s know the requirements for creating a Calendar app.
Tech Stack For Developing Your Own Calendar App:
The tech stack of the calendar app would play a significant role to determine its success. You have to choose those technologies which can guarantee the scalability of your product. These are:
APIs:
There are a lot of APIs offered by Google and Apple to integrate into a Calendar app.
Google Calendar API:
There are many developers who choose to integrate Google Calendar in the app for managing events. Google has created very detailed documentation for this. You can integrate the Google Calendar API in your both mobile and web applications. There are options for viewing, editing, and creating events in the calendar.
Apple EventKit:
You can find a great variety of tools for calendar app development by Apple too. You can access the calendar data through EventKit. Hence it is easier to create or edit events in the app. You can also add different interfaces with the EventKitUI on your application.
Apart from these, there are many other calendar APIs which you can use. Here’s the list of some common ones:
- Calendarific API: Allows developers to add public holidays of different types to the apps.
- FX Calendar API: You can integrate the data about upcoming finance events.
- SuperSaas API: There are options for online scheduling and sending reminders.
- Nylas Cloud Calendar API: There are options for scheduling, reminders, and a lot.
Libraries for creating calendar app:
There are a lot of libraries on GitHub which are useful for calendar app development.
For iOS, these libraries are best:
- JTAppleCalendar
- FSCalendar
- CalendarKit
- MBCalendarKit
- CalendarLib
- Calendar
You can use these libraries in Android:
- Cosmo Calendar
- Event Calendar
- SlyCalendarView
- AgendaCalendarView
- CustomizableCalendar
If you are looking for web solutions then these are potential libraries:
- Kendo UI
- Calendarize
- iCalendar
- jQuery UI
- Webix
Other Required Technology Stack For Calendar App Development:
Apart from these libraries, you will also require other tools for developing a calendar app. This includes programming languages, databases etc. For creating a user-friendly and captivating app, there are some tools for design also. Furthermore, separate tools would be used by QA experts too.
| Design | Sketch, Illustrator, Sympli |
| Testing | Firebase, Crashlytics, TestFight, Postman |
| Databases | MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB |
| Programming Language | For iOS: Swift and Objective-CFor Android: Kotlin and Java |
| Toolset | iOS: Apple’s XcodeAndroid: Android Studio |
Tips for Calendar App Development:
Design:
For creating a user-friendly app, it is better to give attention to the UI/UX of the calendar app. In fact, only an experienced UI designer would be able to create an intuitive interface with simple and straightforward integration. Currently, the trend is of bright colours and simple forms. For instance, you can opt for a minimalistic but vivid design.
Sync Capabilities:
There are a lot of devices which a person uses. Hence, it must be easier for them to access the calendar not only on the phone but also on laptops or tablets. It must be in synchronization with all devices. In fact, it would be great for business if it is in synchronization with Google and iCloud.
Advanced Functionality:
Since there are a lot of calendar apps already existing, you must provide some advanced functionality or features. You can make the app more exciting by providing a customizable calendar app. Also, they should be able to change the colour of the event or choose different styles.
Hardware Access:
For security purposes, you can use the hardware of the device. For example, your calendar can utilize Apple’s 3D Touch or Force Touch. Also, it’s possible to add geolocation to the events.
There are many different ways by which you can increase the functionality of the in-app calendar.
A reputed mobile app development company such as Amplework can help you in both iOS and Android app development.
Wrapping Up:
We at Amplework, one of the best mobile app development companies in India, are having expertise in developing such on-demand mobile applications. We can create a calendar app as per your requirements from scratch in both iOS and Android.
