1. antharro's Avatar
    A little while ago, I started a thread about not being able to synchronize my various Google calendars with my Playbook. The ActiveSync method no longer works, and I didn't want to buy software for a device I didn't plan on using all that much. After a lot of messing around, I figured out a way to synchronize my Google calendars.

    Prerequisites:

    - Blackberry Playbook. Mine is running 2.1.0.1917.
    - Google account with multiple calendars, either subscribed or your own.
    - Working WiFi connection.

    First off, add your Google account to your Playbook. This is so you get email, contact and your primary calendar. You can skip this if you want to but I wanted all of my Google account to be available, so I added it.

    1) From the home screen of your Playbook, swipe down, then tap "Accounts".

    2) Tap "Add New Account"

    3) Tap "Email, Calendar and Contacts"

    4) Tap "Advanced Setup"

    5) Tap "Gmail"

    6) Enter your Google account details into the form. Username is usually your Google email address. SMTP username/password are the same as you entered at the top of the form.

    If you see a message that you're using a incorrect password even though you're sure it's correct, you'll probably find that Google are blocking your Playbook. This is because Blackberry log in to your Google account from their servers, which are in Indonesia. I'm in the UK, so Google see it as suspicious behaviour and won't let me override their block.

    The way to get around this is to enable two-step authentication in your Google account. This will cause you some extra work as you'll have to generate a unique password for each device / program that uses your Google account, but it's a pretty painless thing to do.

    You can enable and configure two-step authentication here: https://www.google.com/settings/security

    Once that's done:

    1) On your PC, log on to Google Calendar.

    2) If you're using two-step authentication, in a new tab, open the "App passwords" link on the Google link above. You'll need this to generate two step passwords.

    3) On the left in Google Calendar is a list of your calendars. For the one you want to syncronize, hover over it, click the arrow that appears, then click "Calendar Settings".

    4) On the Calendar Settings page, you'll see "Calendar Address". Ignore the colour buttons (XML/ICAL/HTML), and look at the Calendar ID. It will look like a long email address with lots of random letters and numbers. You'll need this in a minute.

    5) From the home screen of your Playbook, swipe down, then tap "Accounts".

    6) Tap "Add New Account"

    7) Tap "Email, Calendar and Contacts"

    8) Tap "Advanced Setup"

    9) Scroll down, then tap "CalDav"

    10) Enter the following settings:

    - Description (Name of your calendar)
    - User name (Your Google username, usually your Google email address)
    - Email address (Make this up - the Playbook won't let you use your Google email address as you're already using it to synchronize your Google Mail, contacts and primary calendar)
    - Password (Your Google password, or, if you're using two-step authentication, a password you have specifically generated using the "App passwords" page, linked above).
    - Server address. This is where you will need that Calendar ID. Type it in as follows, obviously replacing CALENDAR_ID with the calendar ID from the Google Calendar Settings page.
    Code:
    https://www.google.com/calendar/dav/CALENDAR_ID/events
    - Sync Interval. (Up to you)

    11) Hit "Save" when done. It will take a minute to connect to Google and verify the information you entered. If it's not correct, it will tell you. Double check *everything*, especially the Calendar ID, and if you're using two-step authentication, the password generated.

    12) You can now test it's working by going to the Calendar and swiping down. You should see the calendar you've just added.

    If you want to add another, go back to step 3 and repeat. Don't forget to generate a new password if you're using two-step authentication, and don't forget to use a different "Email address". The Playbook won't let you use the address twice.

    KNOWN ISSUES / TIPS

    If you have a Calendar ID with a # in it, you will need to replace it with %23. If that Calendar ID also has an @ symbol, you'll need to replace that with %40 otherwise it won't work. If it only has the @ symbol, you should be ok with leaving that as a symbol. I guess you would have to substitute other symbols with their equivalent % number, although I didn't come across any in any of my calendars.

    If you're using two-step authentication, you *must* generate a new password for each calendar you add to your Playbook.

    If you're using two-step authentication, it's worth using some kind of naming convention. All of my calendars that are synchronized to my Playbook are listed as "[Playbook] - Cal - Calendar Name"

    While the "Email Address" field must be completed, I don't believe any checking is carried out on the contents. I used a non-valid domain name for mine. So the first calendar I added was [email protected], the next one was two@, the next one three@ and so on.

    Hopefully this works for at least some of you. I have all of my main calendars synchronized with my Playbook using this method. If I get the time I'll delete one of my calendars from the Playbook and set it up again and take some screenshots. I think you'll be ok with the text only for now.
    05-21-14 03:06 PM
  2. Ecm's Avatar
    Thanks for the tip. I've tweaked your title a bit so it's clear this is a "how to", not a question. (This will make it easier for other members to find when searching.)
    05-21-14 03:26 PM
  3. anon(5597702)'s Avatar
    Antharro -- this worked like a charm! Now I have all of my calendars synced to my PB. Amazing! I just figured that would never be possible.

    Thanks so much for sharing this with the community!
    antharro likes this.
    05-23-14 11:46 AM
  4. Abhishek Mago's Avatar
    Can this also be used for BB10? I tried on my Z10 but failed. Getting the following error...
    How to Add Multiple Google Calendars to Playbook-img_20140721_223341.png

    Posted via CB10
    07-21-14 12:05 PM
  5. Banco's Avatar
    Fantastically helpful. Thank you.

    Posted via CB10
    07-21-14 01:19 PM
  6. scrapmetal58's Avatar
    Worked for me! Thanks! I didn't use the two step authentication.
    07-31-14 12:42 AM
  7. Ragbert's Avatar
    This is the information I was looking for, to set up my Google Calendar on my Playbook. I only have the one calendar, but I've put my settings in a dozen times and it keeps failing.

    I do not want my gmail or contacts sync'd on the Playbook, so I am only trying to set up the calendar as CalDAV. I'm using my Google login username and email address and password (without 2-step auth), plus the *same* server address I used to successfully sync it to my Q10. But on the PB it fails.

    If it matters, I'm using a wifi PB running Bridge, and the same BBID as I use on the Q10. Do you think the BBID is the problem?

    Thanks for any insights.

    Posted with my Q10, SQN100-2, 10.2.1.3253/3182 Radio
    07-31-14 10:48 PM
  8. howards's Avatar
    I didn't see an answer to a question in this thread previously asked: can this method work on BlackBerry 10 OS? I have tried everything to sync two Gmail calendars (one mine, the other subscribed to) with no success on my Z30.

    Z30 / STA 100-3 / 10.2.1.2180
    08-20-14 10:23 AM
  9. jswauger's Avatar
    I used an app called calendar sync available in BlackBerry App World. I have 5 calendars set up. It took seconds to do. Don't know if it still available

    Posted via CB10
    08-20-14 10:04 PM
  10. anon(5597702)'s Avatar
    08-21-14 08:32 AM
  11. jswauger's Avatar
    Yep that's it

    Posted via CB10
    08-21-14 12:15 PM
  12. Ragbert's Avatar
    I have my Google Calendar synch'd on my Q10 withou the need of any other apps. I used the instructions in the OP and it synchs fine with my PC. (Still can't get it working on my Playbook though.)

    I didn't see an answer to a question in this thread previously asked: can this method work on BlackBerry 10 OS? I have tried everything to sync two Gmail calendars (one mine, the other subscribed to) with no success on my Z30.

    Z30 / STA 100-3 / 10.2.1.2180

    Posted with my Q10, SQN100-2, 10.2.1.3253/3182 Radio
    08-21-14 01:18 PM

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