eventkit

EventKit

Create, read, and manage calendar events and reminders. Covers authorization, event and reminder CRUD, recurrence rules, alarms, and EventKitUI editors. Targets Swift 6.3 / iOS 26+.

Contents

• Setup
• Authorization
• Creating Events
• Fetching Events
• Reminders
• Recurrence Rules
• Alarms
• EventKitUI Controllers
• Observing Changes
• Common Mistakes
• Review Checklist
• References

Setup

Info.plist Keys

Add the required usage description strings based on what access level you need:

On iOS 17+, an app that only presents EKEventEditViewController to let the person create an event does not need calendar authorization or calendar usage strings. Direct EventKit writes need write-only or full calendar access; any event read/fetch needs full calendar access. Reminders have only full access.

For apps also running on iOS 10 through iOS 16, include the legacy NSCalendarsUsageDescription / NSRemindersUsageDescription keys. If using EventKitUI on those systems, also include NSContactsUsageDescription when the UI may need contact display names or avatars.

Event Store

Create a single EKEventStore instance and reuse it. Do not mix objects from different event stores.

import EventKit

let eventStore = EKEventStore()

Authorization

iOS 17+ introduced granular access levels. Request the narrowest access that matches the feature. If the deployment target includes earlier OS versions, availability-guard the iOS 17+ methods and fall back to requestAccess(to:) only before iOS 17.

Full Access to Events

Call try await eventStore.requestFullAccessToEvents() when the app needs to read, edit, delete, or fetch calendar events.

Write-Only Access to Events

Use when your app only creates events (e.g., saving a booking) and does not need to read existing events.

Call try await eventStore.requestWriteOnlyAccessToEvents() before direct EventKit writes that do not use EKEventEditViewController.

With write-only access, EventKit can create events but cannot read calendars or events, including events the app created. Calendar reads return a virtual calendar and event fetches return no events.

Use full access instead of write-only if the app must later query, verify, modify, or sync saved events.

Full Access to Reminders

Call try await eventStore.requestFullAccessToReminders() before reading, creating, editing, or deleting reminders.

Checking Authorization Status

Use EKEventStore.authorizationStatus(for: .event) or .reminder before work. Handle .notDetermined, .fullAccess, .writeOnly, .restricted, .denied, and @unknown default; only .fullAccess supports event/reminder reads.

Creating Events

func createEvent(
    title: String,
    startDate: Date,
    endDate: Date,
    calendar: EKCalendar? = nil
) throws {
    let event = EKEvent(eventStore: eventStore)
    event.title = title
    event.startDate = startDate
    event.endDate = endDate
    event.calendar = calendar ?? eventStore.defaultCalendarForNewEvents

    try eventStore.save(event, span: .thisEvent)
}

Setting a Specific Calendar

// List writable calendars
let calendars = eventStore.calendars(for: .event)
    .filter { $0.allowsContentModifications }

// Use the first writable calendar, or the default
let targetCalendar = calendars.first ?? eventStore.defaultCalendarForNewEvents
event.calendar = targetCalendar

Adding Structured Location

import CoreLocation

let location = EKStructuredLocation(title: "Apple Park")
location.geoLocation = CLLocation(latitude: 37.3349, longitude: -122.0090)
event.structuredLocation = location

Fetching Events

Use a date-range predicate to query events. The events(matching:) method returns occurrences of recurring events expanded within the range. Fetching events requires full calendar access; write-only access returns no events. Event predicates are capped to a four-year span, and events(matching:) / enumerateEvents(matching:using:) are synchronous and return only committed events.

func fetchEvents(from start: Date, to end: Date) -> [EKEvent] {
    let predicate = eventStore.predicateForEvents(
        withStart: start,
        end: end,
        calendars: nil  // nil = all calendars
    )
    return eventStore.events(matching: predicate)
        .sorted { $0.startDate < $1.startDate }
}

Fetching a Single Event by Identifier

if let event = eventStore.event(withIdentifier: savedEventID) {
    print(event.title ?? "No title")
}

Reminders

Creating a Reminder

func createReminder(title: String, dueDate: Date) throws {
    let reminder = EKReminder(eventStore: eventStore)
    reminder.title = title
    reminder.calendar = eventStore.defaultCalendarForNewReminders()

    let dueDateComponents = Calendar.current.dateComponents(
        [.year, .month, .day, .hour, .minute],
        from: dueDate
    )
    reminder.dueDateComponents = dueDateComponents

    try eventStore.save(reminder, commit: true)
}

Fetching Reminders

Reminder fetches are asynchronous and return through a completion handler.

func fetchIncompleteReminders() async -> [EKReminder] {
    let predicate = eventStore.predicateForIncompleteReminders(
        withDueDateStarting: nil,
        ending: nil,
        calendars: nil
    )

    return await withCheckedContinuation { continuation in
        eventStore.fetchReminders(matching: predicate) { reminders in
            continuation.resume(returning: reminders ?? [])
        }
    }
}

Completing a Reminder

func completeReminder(_ reminder: EKReminder) throws {
    reminder.isCompleted = true
    try eventStore.save(reminder, commit: true)
}

Recurrence Rules

Use EKRecurrenceRule to create repeating events or reminders.

Simple Recurrence

// Every week, indefinitely
let weeklyRule = EKRecurrenceRule(
    recurrenceWith: .weekly,
    interval: 1,
    end: nil
)
event.addRecurrenceRule(weeklyRule)

// Every 2 weeks, ending after 10 occurrences
let biweeklyRule = EKRecurrenceRule(
    recurrenceWith: .weekly,
    interval: 2,
    end: EKRecurrenceEnd(occurrenceCount: 10)
)

// Monthly, ending on a specific date
let monthlyRule = EKRecurrenceRule(
    recurrenceWith: .monthly,
    interval: 1,
    end: EKRecurrenceEnd(end: endDate)
)

Complex Recurrence

// Every Monday and Wednesday
let days = [
    EKRecurrenceDayOfWeek(.monday),
    EKRecurrenceDayOfWeek(.wednesday)
]

let complexRule = EKRecurrenceRule(
    recurrenceWith: .weekly,
    interval: 1,
    daysOfTheWeek: days,
    daysOfTheMonth: nil,
    monthsOfTheYear: nil,
    weeksOfTheYear: nil,
    daysOfTheYear: nil,
    setPositions: nil,
    end: nil
)
event.addRecurrenceRule(complexRule)

Editing Recurring Events

When saving changes to a recurring event, specify the span:

// Change only this occurrence
try eventStore.save(event, span: .thisEvent)

// Change this and all future occurrences
try eventStore.save(event, span: .futureEvents)

Alarms

Attach alarms to events or reminders to trigger notifications.

// 15 minutes before
let alarm = EKAlarm(relativeOffset: -15 * 60)
event.addAlarm(alarm)

// At an absolute date
let absoluteAlarm = EKAlarm(absoluteDate: alertDate)
event.addAlarm(absoluteAlarm)

For reminder geofences, put an EKStructuredLocation and .enter / .leave proximity on an EKAlarm, then add it to the reminder. See references/eventkit-patterns.md for the full location-based reminder pattern.

EventKitUI Controllers

EKEventEditViewController — Create/Edit Events

Present the system event editor for creating or editing events.

On iOS 17+, EKEventEditViewController can let someone create an event without the app requesting calendar access. The editor runs out of process with its own calendar access, so do not inspect the dismissed controller to learn what was saved; refetch only if the app separately has full access.

import EventKitUI

class EventEditorCoordinator: NSObject, EKEventEditViewDelegate {
    let eventStore = EKEventStore()

    func presentEditor(from viewController: UIViewController) {
        let editor = EKEventEditViewController()
        editor.eventStore = eventStore
        editor.editViewDelegate = self
        viewController.present(editor, animated: true)
    }

    func eventEditViewController(
        _ controller: EKEventEditViewController,
        didCompleteWith action: EKEventEditViewAction
    ) {
        switch action {
        case .saved:
            // Event saved
            break
        case .canceled:
            break
        case .deleted:
            break
        @unknown default:
            break
        }
        controller.dismiss(animated: true)
    }
}

EKEventViewController — View an Event

import EventKitUI

let viewer = EKEventViewController()
viewer.event = existingEvent
viewer.allowsEditing = true
navigationController?.pushViewController(viewer, animated: true)

EKCalendarChooser — Select Calendars

EKCalendarChooser requires write-only or full calendar access. In write-only apps, the chooser behaves as writable-calendars-only and only allows a single writable calendar selection.

let chooser = EKCalendarChooser(
    selectionStyle: .multiple,
    displayStyle: .allCalendars,
    entityType: .event,
    eventStore: eventStore
)
chooser.showsDoneButton = true
chooser.showsCancelButton = true
chooser.delegate = self
present(UINavigationController(rootViewController: chooser), animated: true)

Observing Changes

Register for EKEventStoreChanged notifications to keep your UI in sync when events are modified outside your app (e.g., by the Calendar app or a sync).

NotificationCenter.default.addObserver(
    forName: .EKEventStoreChanged,
    object: eventStore,
    queue: .main
) { [weak self] _ in
    self?.refreshEvents()
}

Always re-fetch events after receiving this notification. Previously fetched EKEvent, EKReminder, and EKCalendar objects may be stale. The notification is posted on the main actor.

On iOS 26+, you can also use the typed EKEventStore.EventStoreChanged / .changed notification message behind availability checks.

Common Mistakes

DON'T: Use the deprecated requestAccess(to:) method

// WRONG: Deprecated in iOS 17
eventStore.requestAccess(to: .event) { granted, error in }

// CORRECT: Use the granular async methods
let granted = try await eventStore.requestFullAccessToEvents()

On iOS 17+, requestAccess(to: .event) does not prompt and throws. Keep it only as an availability-guarded fallback for apps that still run on earlier systems.

DON'T: Save events to a read-only calendar

// WRONG: No check -- will throw if calendar is read-only
event.calendar = someCalendar
try eventStore.save(event, span: .thisEvent)

// CORRECT: Verify the calendar allows modifications
guard someCalendar.allowsContentModifications else {
    event.calendar = eventStore.defaultCalendarForNewEvents
    return
}
event.calendar = someCalendar
try eventStore.save(event, span: .thisEvent)

DON'T: Ignore timezone when creating events

// WRONG: Event appears at wrong time for traveling users
event.startDate = Date()
event.endDate = Date().addingTimeInterval(3600)

// CORRECT: Set the timezone explicitly for location-specific events
event.timeZone = TimeZone(identifier: "America/New_York")
event.startDate = startDate
event.endDate = endDate

DON'T: Forget to commit batched saves

// WRONG: Changes never persisted
try eventStore.save(event1, span: .thisEvent, commit: false)
try eventStore.save(event2, span: .thisEvent, commit: false)
// Missing commit!

// CORRECT: Commit after batching
try eventStore.save(event1, span: .thisEvent, commit: false)
try eventStore.save(event2, span: .thisEvent, commit: false)
try eventStore.commit()

DON'T: Mix EKObjects from different event stores

// WRONG: Event fetched from storeA, saved to storeB
let event = storeA.event(withIdentifier: id)!
try storeB.save(event, span: .thisEvent) // Undefined behavior

// CORRECT: Use the same store throughout
let event = eventStore.event(withIdentifier: id)!
try eventStore.save(event, span: .thisEvent)

Review Checklist

• [ ] Correct Info.plist usage description keys added for calendars and/or reminders
• [ ] Authorization requested with iOS 17+ granular methods, with requestAccess(to:) only as a pre-iOS 17 fallback
• [ ] Write-only calendar access used only for direct event creation, not event/calendar reads
• [ ] Authorization status checked before fetching or saving
• [ ] Full access required before any event or reminder fetch
• [ ] Single EKEventStore instance reused across the app
• [ ] Events saved to a writable calendar (allowsContentModifications checked)
• [ ] Recurring event saves specify correct EKSpan (.thisEvent vs .futureEvents)
• [ ] Batched saves followed by explicit commit()
• [ ] EKEventStoreChanged notification observed to refresh stale data
• [ ] iOS 26 typed .changed notification used only behind availability checks
• [ ] Timezone set explicitly for location-specific events
• [ ] EKObjects not shared across different event store instances
• [ ] EventKitUI delegates dismiss controllers in completion callbacks

References

• Extended patterns (SwiftUI wrappers, predicate queries, batch operations): references/eventkit-patterns.md
• EventKit framework
• EKEventStore
• EKEvent
• EKReminder
• EKRecurrenceRule
• EKCalendar
• EventKit UI
• EKEventEditViewController
• EKCalendarChooser
• Accessing the event store
• Creating a recurring event