Beside for macOS is focused on meeting intelligence and team collaboration. It's different from the mobile app, which is designed for phone calls, messaging, and AI Receptionist features.
Connecting your calendar and granting the right permissions unlocks the full desktop experience: smart pre-meeting prep, AI-powered summaries, and timely reminders. This ensures Beside can automatically detect upcoming meetings, surface helpful context, and generate notes afterward.
📖 New to Beside for macOS? Start here to set up your account
Connect your calendar
You can connect your calendar directly from the desktop app:
Open Beside on macOS
Open Settings (right-click the Beside icon in the macOS menu bar)
Go to Calendars then click Manage Calendars
Choose your provider (currently Google Calendar only)
Sign in and grant permissions when prompted
Once connected, Beside will automatically start detecting upcoming meetings.
✅ Required permissions:
Read calendar events - to detect upcoming meetings
View event details - to extract meeting links and participant information
Manage multiple calendars
If you use more than one calendar (work + personal):
Go to Settings then Calendar
Click Select Calendars
Check which calendars Beside should monitor
Click Apply
💡 Tip: You can connect multiple calendars but choose only specific ones for meeting detection.
Disconnect or reconnect calendars
To disconnect your calendar:
Go to Settings then Calendar
Click Disconnect Calendar and confirm
To reconnect or change permissions: Follow the steps above again and choose your desired settings
⚠️ Important: Disconnecting will stop meeting detection and remove calendar access. Your past meeting notes and transcripts will remain saved.
What Beside does with your calendar
What Beside does | What Beside does not do |
✅ Detects meetings with video links (Zoom, Meet, etc.) ✅ Sends notifications before meetings start ✅ Reads meeting titles and participants to prepare summaries ✅ Adds post-meeting summaries to your calendar (if enabled) | ❌ Does not share your calendar with anyone ❌ Does not modify existing events without permission ❌ Does not access personal calendar data unrelated to meetings |
FAQ
Does Beside support Outlook Calendar on macOS?
Does Beside support Outlook Calendar on macOS?
Not yet. Beside for macOS currently supports Google Calendar only. Outlook Calendar support is coming soon.
Will disconnecting my calendar delete my past meeting notes?
Will disconnecting my calendar delete my past meeting notes?
No. Disconnecting only stops future meeting detection. All past meeting notes, transcripts, and summaries remain saved in your Beside account.
Can I connect my calendar on the Beside mobile app instead?
Can I connect my calendar on the Beside mobile app instead?
Calendar connection on mobile is used for AI Receptionist appointment booking, not meeting detection. For meeting prep and AI summaries, connect your calendar on macOS.