A shared family calendar for iPhone
By the makers of Somiya. This page says what our calendar does, what it does not do, and when a free calendar is enough.
A family calendar has one job: when one person adds the dentist on Thursday, everyone else knows — and the person who has to drive there gets the reminder. Most calendar apps do the first part. Somiya is built for the second part too.
What Somiya's calendar does
- One change, everyone sees it. An event added on one phone appears on every family phone at once.
- Reminders reach the right person. Each person sets their own reminder time (5, 15, 30 or 60 minutes before). A reminder arrives on that person's phone, not only on the phone of whoever typed the event.
- Every timezone, one calendar. A parent in New York, a parent travelling in Lisbon and a grandparent in Toronto see the same event, each in their own local time. Quiet hours keep a reminder out of the middle of someone's night.
- It also appears in the iPhone Calendar app. Family events are copied into the calendar already on each phone — Apple, Google, Outlook or Exchange accounts — next to work and school. A change made there comes back to Somiya as a proposal; nothing is overwritten for the family without a tap.
- Photo to event. Take a photo of a school letter or a flyer, or open a PDF, and Somiya proposes the event with the date filled in. You check it and save it.
- Colours by kind. School, health, activity, work, birthday, family and travel each have a category, so a busy week reads at a glance.
- Repeating events and comments. Weekly swimming is one event, not fifty. A comment on the event is the place for “can you take her this time?”.
- A viewer role for grandparents. A viewer sees the whole calendar and cannot change it.
Bring the calendar you already have
Somiya imports .ics files from Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Cozi and most other calendar apps. You see every event before it is saved, and you can undo the whole import for 30 minutes. Coming from Cozi? The export steps are here. Not sure your export is complete? Check the file first — free, and the file stays in your browser.
When a free calendar is enough
If every person in the family has an iPhone and you only need to see who is where, the Family calendar that Apple Family Sharing creates is free and has no ads. A Google family group does the same across Android and iPhone. Start there if a calendar is all you need.
Somiya is for families who want more than a shared view: a reminder that goes to the person assigned, shared shopping lists and tasks in the same app, several timezones, and photo capture for the letters that come home from school.
When Somiya is the wrong choice
- Anyone in the family uses Android, or you need a web app. Somiya is iPhone-only today.
- You need it free. There is a 14-day trial, then $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year for the whole family.
- You want chat or live location in the same app. We do not build those. FamilyWall does.
Set it up in five minutes
- Install Somiya and create your family.
- Import your current calendar as an
.icsfile, or skip and start empty. - Invite the family by email or with a join code. Each person uses their own iPhone and their own account.
- Choose a role for each person: organizer, member or viewer.
One subscription covers up to 8 people: $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year ($19.99 for the first year). In Europe, €5.99 a month or €39.99 a year (€22.99 for the first year).
Questions
What is the best shared family calendar app?
If everyone is on iPhone and you need only a calendar, the free Family calendar from Apple Family Sharing may be enough. If the family uses Android too, TimeTree or Cozi. If you want reminders that go to the person who has to act, several timezones, shared lists and no ads, and everyone has an iPhone, Somiya.
Can a shared family calendar show each person their own timezone?
In Somiya, yes. Every event is stored once, and each family member sees it in the timezone of their own phone. A reminder arrives in the receiver's local time, and quiet hours stop it from arriving in the middle of their night.
Will Somiya events show up in my iPhone Calendar app?
Yes. Somiya copies family events into the calendar already on your phone, including Google, Outlook or Exchange accounts the phone holds, so they show next to work and school. A change made in that calendar comes back to Somiya as a proposal that you accept or reject.
Can grandparents see the family calendar without changing it?
Yes. Somiya has a viewer role: a viewer sees the whole family calendar but cannot add, change or delete anything.
How much does Somiya cost?
$4.99 a month or $39.99 a year for the whole family, up to 8 people, with $19.99 for the first year. In Europe it is €5.99 a month or €39.99 a year, with €22.99 for the first year. The first 14 days are free.
Does Somiya work on Android?
No. Somiya is iPhone-only today. For a family with Android phones, use TimeTree, Cozi or a Google family group calendar.