Calendar feed guide

Subscribe vs import: why you need a live ICS feed

Calendar apps can add events in two very different ways. Importing an .ics file copies the events you see today. Subscribing to an ICS feed keeps the URL so the app can check again for new dates and changes. Economic and earnings calendars need the second method, because meeting dates, estimates and postponements do not stay still. This guide explains the difference, then points to the setup pages and the schedules that make a live feed worth using.

This is a beginner explanation of calendar subscriptions, not a ranking of calendar apps and not a promise of instant updates. A live ICS feed means your app can check the same URL again for new dates and changes. Each app chooses how often that refresh happens.

Updated

Free trial

Put market-moving dates in your calendar

Follow central-bank decisions, US inflation and jobs reports, and stock earnings in Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook. Subscribe once; your calendar app checks the feed for new dates and schedule changes.

Try Pro free for 30 days, no card

  1. A live ICS feed is a URL your app can check again

    An ICS file can be a snapshot or a subscription, depending on how you add it. Download-and-open is an import. Paste-the-URL is a subscribe. The events can look the same on day one.

    The difference appears when a date is added or changed. Only the subscribed URL can be requested again. That is what “live” means here: a feed, not a push notification and not an instant sync on every source update.

    See Economic Calendar ICS Feed

    Copy the HTTPS URL and subscribe; do not treat a download as the finished step.

  2. Google Calendar: add from URL, never as a file upload

    In Google Calendar on a computer, use Other calendars → From URL. Paste the private feed and add the calendar. That creates a subscription. Uploading a downloaded .ics file is an import.

    Google decides when it refreshes subscribed feeds. Updates can take several hours. Removing and adding the same URL does not force an immediate refresh, but it is still the method that can receive later changes.

    See Economic Calendar for Google Calendar

    Add the economic calendar from URL so Google can check the feed again.

  3. Apple Calendar: subscribe so iPhone and Mac stay aligned

    Apple Calendar also consumes ICS subscriptions. Adding the feed through iCloud is the simplest way to see the same dates on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Importing a file onto one device leaves the others stale when a date moves.

    After you subscribe, confirm the calendar is selected in the Calendars list. A hidden subscription looks like a missing update even when the feed is current.

    See Economic Calendar for Apple Calendar

    Subscribe in Apple Calendar instead of opening a downloaded .ics file.

  4. Outlook: internet calendar, not a one-time .ics file

    Outlook calls a subscription an internet calendar. Add the feed from its URL. Opening or importing the file copies the events into a static calendar that will not follow later source changes.

    If you already live in Outlook, this is still the same private feed Google and Apple can use. The app, not the file, controls how often it checks.

    See Economic Calendar for Outlook

    Choose the internet-calendar option so Outlook can refresh the feed.

  5. Fed dates are why a snapshot goes stale

    The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) publishes a meeting schedule, but times and details can still change. A calendar you imported in January will not move an event that the source later revises.

    A subscribed feed can update the existing event. Open the FOMC schedule page if you need the latest stored date before your app has refreshed.

    See FOMC Meeting Dates

    Calendar Fed decisions with a subscription because the stored date can change.

  6. Inflation releases need the same live reminder

    The US Consumer Price Index (CPI) follows a published schedule. Investors still want the date on a calendar that can accept a source correction rather than a file they have to replace.

    Importing last month's calendar will not add the next print. A live feed can. Use the CPI page for the stored date, then keep the subscription rather than repeating the import.

    See US CPI Release Dates

    Keep CPI on a subscribed feed so the next release can appear without another download.

  7. Jobs-report dates should not require a new file

    Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) is part of the Employment Situation report. The date belongs on a calendar you will still be using next month, not on a file you downloaded once.

    A subscription can receive a later date in the series. An import cannot. If you need the latest stored date immediately, open the jobs schedule page instead of waiting for a refresh.

    See Nonfarm Payroll Release Dates

    Subscribe once for the jobs report instead of importing a new file each month.

  8. Earnings dates are often estimates that get confirmed

    Company earnings dates are frequently estimated before the issuer confirms a session. Confirmation can move the reminder. A static import keeps the old guess.

    The earnings hub lists the US-listed company pages we publish. Use it to see the stored date, then let a subscribed feed follow later confirmations for the names you watch.

    See Stock Earnings Dates

    Follow earnings with a live feed because estimated dates can still move.

  9. HKEX board meetings can be postponed

    Hong Kong results dates often come from board-meeting notices. An issuer can postpone the meeting. The Hong Kong calendar updates the existing event instead of leaving a duplicate.

    That update only reaches you if your calendar app still has the URL. Importing last week's HKEX dates is how stale board meetings stay on the wrong day.

    See the Hong Kong earnings calendar

    Subscribe for HKEX dates so a postponement can replace the old event.

  10. One company date is enough to see the problem

    Apple's stored earnings date can be estimated and later confirmed. If you imported a file the week the estimate appeared, a later confirmation will not move that copy.

    The company page shows the current stored date. A subscribed feed is how that date can follow you into Google, Apple or Outlook without another download. This is one example, not a ranking of which stock matters most.

    See Apple Earnings Date

    Use the company page for the date; use a subscription so a change can follow.

Also watched, not on this list yet

These releases matter too. We do not currently publish dedicated schedule pages for them.

Refresh delays inside calendar apps
Google, Apple and Outlook each decide how often they check a subscribed feed. A live URL does not mean the new event appears in the next minute. Open the linked schedule page if you need the stored date now.
Editing events on a subscribed calendar
An ICS subscription is read-only from the source's point of view. Local edits in your app do not change the feed, and a later refresh can overwrite them.
Sharing the private URL
The feed URL is a secret. Posting it in a chat or a public page can expose your dates. Subscribe in your own apps; do not email the file or the URL to a group unless you intend to share the calendar.

Free trial

Put market-moving dates in your calendar

Follow central-bank decisions, US inflation and jobs reports, and stock earnings in Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook. Subscribe once; your calendar app checks the feed for new dates and schedule changes.

Try Pro free for 30 days, no card

Keep exploring

US market guide Top 10 macro events that move US markets Global market guide Top 10 macro events that move global markets Earnings setup guide How to add stock earnings dates to your calendar Rate-decision guide How to follow interest-rate decisions on one calendar Hong Kong setup guide Sync HKEX results to Apple or Google Calendar Calendar setup Economic Calendar for Google Calendar

See all G20+ rate-decision calendars

Questions about market events

What is an ICS feed?

ICS is a standard calendar file format. A feed is a private HTTPS URL that serves those events. Compatible apps can subscribe to the URL instead of opening a downloaded file.

What is the difference between subscribe and import?

Import copies the events once and then forgets the source. Subscribe keeps the URL and can refresh later. Use subscribe for an economic calendar. Import is fine for a one-off invitation, not for dates that still change.

Will my calendar update immediately?

This is a beginner explanation of calendar subscriptions, not a ranking of calendar apps and not a promise of instant updates. A live ICS feed means your app can check the same URL again for new dates and changes. Each app chooses how often that refresh happens.

Is my ICS URL private?

Yes. Anyone with the complete URL may be able to read the calendar, so do not post it publicly. Contact support if it needs replacing. A subscription is still the right way to add it to your own apps.

How do I subscribe in Google, Apple or Outlook?

Start a Pro trial, copy the private ICS URL from your dashboard, then add it as a subscription: From URL in Google Calendar, Open in Apple Calendar, or an internet calendar in Outlook. Setup guides on this site walk through each app. Do not upload the file as an import.