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 mobile app (iOS and Android). If you're using Beside on macOS, see 📖 Connect your calendar on macOS.
Connect your calendar
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
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 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.
Set your preferred hours
Your AI Receptionist will only book appointments during the hours and days you select. To configure them:
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
📌 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 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.
📌 It's not currently possible to set different durations per caller, request type, or day.
Booking confirmation texts
On iPhone, you can choose whether callers receive a confirmation text when an appointment is booked. 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
When enabled, callers receive a confirmation SMS from your Beside number after a meeting is scheduled.
📌 On Android, booking confirmation texts are enabled by default and cannot currently be disabled.
Update or reconnect your calendar
To update or reconnect your calendar:
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 acces
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 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?
During setup, you can choose which calendar Beside uses as the destination for new appointments. If you need to change this later, disconnect and reconnect your calendar from Book Appointments settings and select the correct calendar during setup.