How to stop spam calendar events

Why spam events appear in apps like Timepage

You open Timepage and notice a weird event on your calendar. Maybe it’s a fake webinar invite, a suspicious “prize” notification, or something that looks like phishing.

Here’s what’s happening: Timepage syncs with your calendar accounts (like Google Calendar, Outlook, or iCloud), which means any events in those accounts show up in Timepage automatically. The problem isn’t with Timepage — it’s with your calendar service settings. Some calendar services have default settings that automatically add event invitations to your calendar from email, even if the email ended up in your spam folder. This feature was meant to be helpful, but spammers figured out how to abuse it.

According to research, calendar spam attacks have been on the rise since 2024, with many users reporting fake invites that could lead to phishing attempts. Since Timepage displays everything from your connected calendars, these spam events appear right alongside your real meetings.

The good news? You can fix this in about two minutes, and once you do, Timepage will stop showing those spam events. The fix happens in your calendar service settings (not in Timepage), and it will work across all calendar apps that sync with your accounts. The steps vary depending on which calendar service you use with Timepage.

Fix it in your calendar settings

The fix happens in your calendar service settings, not in Timepage. That’s because Timepage reads from your calendar accounts, so changing the setting there fixes it everywhere — including Timepage. This same fix works for Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, and any other app that syncs with your accounts.

The main change is simple: instead of accepting invites from everyone, you’ll only accept invites from people you know. Here’s how to do it for each calendar service:

Google Calendar (Gmail)

Google Calendar has a default setting that automatically adds event invitations from Gmail, even if the email ended up in your spam folder.

On desktop (web):

1. Open Google Calendar in your browser
2. Click the gear icon in the top right, then choose Settings
3. In the left menu, click Event settings
4. Find the section called “Add invitations to my calendar”
5. Change it from “From everyone” to “Only if the sender is known” or “When I respond to the invitation email”
6. While you’re here, uncheck “Show events automatically created by Gmail” if you don’t want Gmail adding travel events automatically

On iPhone or iPad:

1. Open your iPhone Settings app
2. Go to Calendar, then Accounts
3. Tap your Google account (not your iCloud account)
4. Tap Sync, then Events
5. Under “Add invitations,” choose “Only if the sender is known”
6. You can also turn off “Show events automatically created by Gmail” here

This is the core fix that Google recommends and security experts have been sharing. Once you change this setting, new spam invites won’t automatically appear in your Google Calendar, which means they won’t show up in Timepage or any other calendar app that syncs with your Google account.

Outlook Calendar

If you use Outlook with Timepage, you can prevent automatic calendar additions:

1. Open Outlook
2. Go to File → Options → Calendar
3. Under “Automatic accept/decline,” disable the option to automatically add events from email
4. This setting matters because even if the invite lands in your spam folder, auto-adding invites will still put the event on your calendar

When deleting spam events, use the “Do not send a response” option to avoid confirming that your email is active.

Apple Calendar (iCloud) on Mac

Apple Calendar handles this differently through app permissions:

1. Go to Apple menu → System Settings → Privacy & Security
2. Click Calendars
3. Turn calendar access on or off for each app in the list
4. If you allow access, click Options to choose whether the app has full access or can only add events

Apple Calendar (iCloud) on iPhone/iPad

If you use Apple Calendar with Timepage, check for subscribed calendars that might be adding spam:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Calendar → Accounts → Subscribed Calendars
3. Select any unwanted calendars and tap Delete Account

Apple Calendar doesn’t automatically add events from email spam like Google Calendar does, but checking for unwanted subscribed calendars is still important.

Remove existing spam events

If you already have spam events showing up in Timepage, you need to remove them from your calendar service. Here’s how:

Google Calendar:

1. Open Google Calendar in your browser (or use the Google Calendar app)
2. Click on the unwanted event to open the details
3. Click “More actions” (the three dots menu)
4. Choose “Report as spam”

Outlook Calendar:

1. Right-click the event and select the option to report the sender as junk or spam
2. Delete the event without clicking any links or opening attachments
3. Use the “Do not send a response” option when deleting to prevent confirming that your email is active

Important: Check for subscribed calendars or additional calendars in both Timepage and your calendar service. Look for “Additional Calendars” or “subscribed URLs” and unsubscribe from them. This prevents attackers from adding even more events to your calendar.

If events keep coming back after you delete them, it’s usually due to synchronization. Make sure you remove the unwanted calendar or event everywhere it exists. First, check your calendar service, then all your devices, and finally any subscribed calendars.

You can also use Timepage’s color coding to quickly spot suspicious events. Just give your trusted calendars distinct colors so spam events stand out if they do slip through.

Secure your calendar accounts

While you’re fixing your calendar, take a few extra minutes to secure your accounts. This protects everything that syncs with Timepage:

Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) Even if someone tricks you with a spam invite, they’ll still need your phone or another factor to get into your account. This is one of the most effective security steps you can take. Enable it on Google, Microsoft, Apple, or whatever service you use with Timepage.

Use a strong, unique password Don’t reuse passwords across sites. If a spammer gets one password, they can’t use it everywhere.

Review third-party app access Check which apps have access to your calendars and remove any you don’t recognize or use anymore:

• Google: Go to Google Account settings → Security → Third-party apps
• Microsoft: Check app permissions in your Microsoft account settings
• Apple: Review app permissions in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Calendars

Since Timepage syncs with your calendar accounts, keeping those accounts secure also keeps your Timepage data secure.

Consider anti-phishing software Security tools with web protection can block known malicious domains that appear in calendar spam. These fake calendar invites often contain links to phishing sites designed to steal your credentials, so having protection in place helps catch threats before they reach your calendar.

Quick checklist

Here’s everything in one place:

For Google Calendar users:

• Change “Add invitations to my calendar” to “Only if the sender is known” (works on web, iOS, and Android)
• Uncheck “Show events automatically created by Gmail” if you don’t want automatic travel events
• Report any existing spam events using “More actions” → “Report as spam”

For Outlook users:

• Disable automatic adding of events from email in Outlook settings
• Use “Do not send a response” when deleting suspicious invites
• Check for and remove subscribed calendars

For all users:

• Enable MFA on your calendar account
• Review and remove unused third-party calendar apps
• Check for subscribed calendars or additional calendars that might be adding spam
• Don’t click links or open attachments in suspicious calendar events
• For Workspace/Exchange admins: enforce the “known sender” rule for your whole organization

Once you’ve made these changes, Timepage will sync and your calendar will be clean.

The bottom line

Calendar spam is annoying and potentially dangerous, but it’s easy to stop. The problem comes from your calendar service settings, not from Timepage — Timepage just displays what’s in your calendar accounts. Fixing the settings in your calendar service will fix it everywhere, including Timepage. Change the setting to only accept invites from known senders, and you’ll eliminate most of the problem. The whole process takes about two minutes, and you’ll never have to deal with fake meeting invites cluttering your Timepage calendar again.

If you want to learn more about keeping your calendar organized and productive with Timepage, check out our other articles on calendar management and productivity tips.

Related links

• How to Stop Google Calendar Spam (Tom’s Hardware)
• Fake Calendar Invites Are Spreading: Here’s How to Remove Them and Prevent More (Malwarebytes)
• Use Google Calendar? Here’s the One Change That Can Protect Your Business from Scams (Bitdefender)
• Change This Setting to Avoid Google Calendar Spoofing Attack (MakeUseOf)
• Google Calendar Help: Only Add Invitations from Known Senders (Google Support)