Family Shared Calendar: Never Miss a Loved One’s Birthday Again

Last late autumn, Mr. Zhang, a 45-year-old career professional, missed his wife’s birthday due to a tight project deadline. When he got home and saw his wife’s disappointed expression, he realized he had let slip an important day. Despite his busy work schedule, family birthdays mean the world to him, and he wanted a reliable way to ensure this would never happen again.

What is Radicale?

Radicale is a simple and user-friendly calendar sharing tool, acting like your personal “cloud calendar” for family use. It lets you store all your family members’ birthdays in one centralized location, which can then be accessed and viewed on every family member’s phones and computers. This way, you’ll always know upcoming birthdays ahead of time and can prepare gifts and celebrations accordingly!

Using Radicale for sharing family birthdays offers these key advantages over other methods:

1. Convenient Access: 📱💻 Once connected to the Radicale server, you can check family birthdays anytime, anywhere—whether on your phone or computer. No more flipping through paper calendars or asking relatives for birth dates repeatedly.
2. Real-Time Sync: 🔄 Whenever a family member adds or updates a birthday entry, the changes are automatically synced to all connected devices. Everyone stays on the same page, with zero risk of missing important birthdays.
3. Time-Saving Efficiency: ⏰ No need for every family member to keep their own separate birthday list. One person adds the information, and the whole family benefits—saving tons of time and effort.
4. Stronger Family Bonds: ❤️‍👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A shared birthday calendar keeps everyone informed, making it easy to prepare gifts and celebrations in advance. It fosters a warmer family atmosphere and helps strengthen the connection between loved ones.

Environment Preparation

1. Install the Gimao Memo mobile app
2. Activate the Shared Calendar service
3. Ensure your computer and mobile devices are connected to the same local network

Step 1: Create a Calendar Service

Use the Shared Calendar feature in Gimao Memo to set up your family’s dedicated calendar service.

Calendar Service Details:

• Server Address: http://<your_server_address>:5232/admin/family
• Default Username: admin
• Default Password: gimao

Step 2: Connect to the Calendar Service

Connect your mobile phone to Gimao Memo’s family calendar (steps may vary slightly across different phone brands).

1. Open Calendar App: Locate and launch the “Calendar” app on your phone’s home screen.
2. Add CalDAV Account: Go to the calendar’s settings page, select “Account Management” or “Import Events”, then choose “Other” or “CalDAV”. Enter the server address, username, and password as provided above. Tap “Next” or “Save” when done.
3. Set Sync Frequency: Adjust the sync frequency based on your personal preference.

Step 3: Add Family Birthdays

Add birthday events to the family calendar, and all devices connected to the server will automatically display these entries!

1. Create New Event: Select the relevant date on the calendar and tap “Create New Event”.
2. Select Family Calendar: From your list of calendar accounts, choose the shared family birthday calendar.
3. Fill in Event Details: Enter the birthday information and set up reminder notifications. Tap “Save” when finished.
4. Sync the Birthday: The birthday event will sync to the calendar service automatically. You can also select “Sync Now” to trigger an immediate sync.

Step 4: Share the Calendar Service

1. Open Gimao Memo and switch to Service Mode.
2. Ensure the new device is connected to the same local network as the phone running Gimao Memo.
3. Connect to the Calendar Service: Repeat Step 2 on the new device. Once connected, tap “Sync Now” to pull all events from the family calendar.

Important Notes

1. Verify Server Address: Double-check that you’ve entered the correct Radicale server address when connecting—an incorrect address will prevent successful access. If unsure, consult the person who set up the server.
2. Allow for Sync Delays: Occasional minor delays may occur when syncing data between devices and the server. If a newly added birthday doesn’t show up right away, wait a few minutes or manually refresh the calendar app.
3. Protect Privacy: While shared calendars are convenient, always prioritize family privacy. Only share the calendar within your family circle and never disclose the server address, username, or password to outsiders.
4. Troubleshooting Tips: If you encounter issues like failed server connections or unsynced birthday events, first check your network connection, or re-enter the server address and login credentials. If problems persist, reach out to the server administrator for assistance.

We hope this tutorial helps you get started with Radicale effortlessly, ensuring you never miss another family member’s birthday and keeping your home filled with warmth and love! If you have any further questions, feel free to leave a comment below.