Connecting your calendar lets your AI Receptionist check your availability in real time and book appointments directly into your Google or Outlook calendar - so you never have to manually schedule calls that come in.
Your calendar is used only to check availability and create events. Nothing else is read or shared.
📌 This article covers the Beside web app and mobile app (iOS and Android). If you're using Beside on macOS, see 📖 Connect your calendar on macOS.
Connect your calendar
On the mobile app
Open the Beside mobile app
Go to the AI tab. If you have multiple lines, select the relevant one from the dropdown at the top left
Under 📞 Phone, scroll down to Actions
Tap Book Appointments
Tap Continue → Connect
Choose Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar
Sign in and grant permissions when prompted
On the web app
Go to app.beside.com and click AI Receptionist in the sidebar
If you have multiple lines, select the relevant one from the dropdown at the top
Under Actions, click Book Appointments
Click Connect Google Calendar or Connect Outlook Calendar
Sign in and grant permissions when prompted
When granting access, make sure to allow Beside to check availability and schedule events. Once connected, your AI Receptionist can start scheduling appointments based on your calendar.
⚠️ Grant full calendar access. During sign-in, make sure to allow all requested permissions. If any permissions are unchecked (for example, by a Google Workspace admin policy), Beside won't be able to connect. On the latest mobile app version, you'll see a "Calendar permissions required" error if access is incomplete - tap it to reconnect and grant full access.
📌 Supported calendars: Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar only. Apple Calendar and iCal are not currently supported.
Choose which calendar to use
If your email account contains multiple calendars, you can choose which one the AI Receptionist will use. This ensures appointments booked by callers appear in the correct calendar - for example, your work calendar rather than a personal one.
On the web app, after connecting your calendar, use the Add events to dropdown on the Book Appointments page to select the destination calendar. On the mobile app, you choose this during the calendar setup flow.
Set your preferred hours
Your AI Receptionist will only book appointments during the hours and days you select.
On the mobile app
Open the Beside mobile app → go to the AI tab
If you have multiple lines, select the relevant one from the dropdown at the top left
Under 📞 Phone, scroll down to Actions → tap Book Appointments
Tap Preferred Hours
Choose the days you're available and set your time ranges
On the web app
Go to app.beside.com → AI Receptionist → Book Appointments
Under Preferred Hours, select the days you're available (M, T, W, T, F, S, S)
Set the From and To times
📌 It isn't currently possible to set different hours for each day. You can exclude entire days (e.g. Saturday and Sunday) by leaving them unchecked.
Set appointment duration
On the mobile app
On iPhone, you can choose the default duration for appointments booked by the AI Receptionist, from 15 minutes to 3 hours. This duration applies to all appointments.
On Android, appointment duration is currently fixed at 30 minutes.
On the web app
On the Book Appointments page, use the Duration dropdown to set how long appointments should last. The default is 30 minutes.
📌 It's not currently possible to set different durations per caller, request type, or day.
Booking confirmation texts
When enabled, callers receive a confirmation SMS from your Beside number after a meeting is scheduled.
On the mobile app
On iPhone, you can choose whether callers receive a confirmation text. To enable or disable this:
Open the Beside mobile app → go to the AI tab
If you have multiple lines, select the relevant one from the dropdown at the top left
Under 📞 Phone, scroll down to Actions → tap Book Appointments
Under Appointment confirmation, toggle Send confirmation text
📌 On Android, booking confirmation texts are enabled by default and cannot currently be disabled.
On the web app
Go to app.beside.com → AI Receptionist → Book Appointments
Under Appointment confirmation, toggle Send confirmation text
Update or reconnect your calendar
On the mobile app
Open the Beside mobile app → go to the AI tab
If you have multiple lines, select the relevant one from the dropdown at the top left
Under 📞 Phone, scroll down to Actions → tap Book Appointments
Tap the trash icon to disconnect your current calendar, then reconnect and grant full access
On the web app
Go to app.beside.com → AI Receptionist → Book Appointments
Click the trash icon next to the connected calendar to disconnect it, then reconnect and grant full access
Calendar permissions explained
Beside needs permission to view your free/busy status, check availability to avoid conflicts, and create events on your selected calendar. These permissions are handled through Google or Microsoft OAuth - not your device's system settings. Beside does not share or expose personal calendar data.
FAQ
Why is my Book Appointments screen stuck on a loading screen?
Why is my Book Appointments screen stuck on a loading screen?
This is most commonly caused by a calendar connection where permissions were incomplete during setup, or a connection that has expired. Go to AI Receptionist → Book Appointments, disconnect your calendar, and reconnect granting full access.
What happens if I don't grant all permissions during sign-in?
What happens if I don't grant all permissions during sign-in?
If any calendar permissions are unchecked during Google or Outlook sign-in (including permissions removed by a Google Workspace admin policy), Beside won't be able to read your calendar. On the latest mobile app version, you'll see a "Calendar permissions required" error. Tap it to reconnect and grant full access.
My calendar was connected before but now it's asking me to reconnect - why?
My calendar was connected before but now it's asking me to reconnect - why?
Calendar connections can expire over time, especially for Outlook. Simply reconnect from AI Receptionist → Book Appointments to restore scheduling.
My Google Calendar is managed by my company - can I still connect it?
My Google Calendar is managed by my company - can I still connect it?
Yes, but your Workspace admin may have restricted which permissions third-party apps can request. If Beside's connection fails, contact your IT admin and ask them to allow calendar access for Beside. Once allowed, reconnect from Book Appointments settings.
Can I connect iCal or Apple Calendar?
Can I connect iCal or Apple Calendar?
Not currently. Beside supports Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar only.
I have multiple calendars under the same email - which one does Beside use?
I have multiple calendars under the same email - which one does Beside use?
On the web app, use the Add events to dropdown on the Book Appointments page to select the destination calendar. On the mobile app, you choose this during the calendar setup flow. To change it later, disconnect and reconnect your calendar and select the correct one.