llms.txt
# SoKal
> SoKal is a free shared calendar for friends. You share your calendar with the people you choose, see when they are free or in town, and host plans without leaving the calendar. Nobody sees anything until you connect. After that, each friend sees full details on the types of plans you've approved for them, and everything else shows as Busy. By default that's outings and travel, and you can change it for any friend, any time.
## About
- **App name:** SoKal: The Social Calendar
- **Category:** Shared calendar app, social calendar, hangout planning app, group event planner
- **Platforms:** iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, and the web at https://sokal.app/calendar
- **Price:** Free. No subscription, no in-app purchases.
- **Operator:** James Florence
- **Website:** https://sokal.app
- **App Store (iPhone, iPad):** https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sokal-the-social-calendar/id6758065188
- **Mac App Store:** https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sokal-the-social-calendar/id6758065188?platform=mac
- **Google Play:** https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jimmyfl0.sokal
## What SoKal does
- Shares your calendar with chosen friends. You control what each person sees, per event type.
- Shows nothing until you connect. After that, each friend sees full details only on the types of plans you approve for them (outings and travel by default), and everything else shows as Busy.
- Shows friend availability, so you can find a free evening without a group chat.
- Hosts events and tracks RSVPs from the calendar. Invite by SMS, WhatsApp, or a shareable link. Invitees do not need the app to RSVP.
- Syncs two-way with Google Calendar and Apple Calendar. Events created in SoKal appear in your own calendar, and edits sync back.
- Works on the same account across iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, and the browser.
- Includes to-dos alongside calendar events.
- Add-on: builds a travel map from trip events, and tells you when a friend is visiting your city.
- For businesses: a calendar customers can subscribe to, so your dates land on their calendar.
## Pages
- [Home](https://sokal.app/): product overview, features, download links
- [Download](https://sokal.app/download): iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, and the browser
- [Web calendar](https://sokal.app/calendar): sign in and use SoKal in a browser
- [Blog](https://sokal.app/blog): articles on shared calendars, planning with friends, and calendar sync
- [Best shared calendar apps](https://sokal.app/blog/best-shared-calendar-apps): compares 8 shared calendar apps for friends, family and couples, including SoKal, on platforms, privacy, sharing and price
- [What makes a shared calendar app actually good](https://sokal.app/blog/shared-calendar-that-is-your-real-calendar): what to look for in a shared calendar app, and how SoKal handles syncing with your real calendar, showing your friends, joining plans, privacy and every device
- [Howbout alternatives](https://sokal.app/blog/howbout-alternatives): shared calendar apps for people leaving Howbout, sorted by the reason they're switching, with what Howbout still does well
- [Share a calendar between iPhone and Android](https://sokal.app/blog/how-to-share-calendar-iphone-android): the three ways that work, with steps for a shared Google Calendar, an iCloud public link, and a shared calendar app
- [Google Calendar sharing](https://sokal.app/blog/google-calendar-sharing): what Google Calendar sharing does well, where it falls short for friendships, and what to use instead
- [Shared calendar for friends](https://sokal.app/blog/sync-calendar-with-friends): how to set up a shared calendar with friends, see who is free, and keep private events private
- [What happens when you sync](https://sokal.app/blog/what-happens-when-you-sync): exactly what SoKal does with a synced calendar, and why synced events stay private by default
- [For business](https://sokal.app/for-business): customer calendar subscriptions
- [Discover](https://sokal.app/discover): directory of local businesses on SoKal
- [Travel map](https://sokal.app/travel-map): track countries, cities, and US states visited
- [SoKal on iPhone Duo](https://sokal.app/iphone-duo-shared-calendar): the shared calendar on iPhone Duo, with your month on the left screen and friends' plans on the right
- [About](https://sokal.app/about): what SoKal is and who builds it
- [Privacy Policy](https://sokal.app/privacy)
- [Terms of Service](https://sokal.app/terms)
- Contact: james@justcr8if.com
## Business pages
Businesses on SoKal publish when and where customers can find them. Every page below is server-rendered HTML and needs no JavaScript.
- https://sokal.app/discover lists the businesses on SoKal, by city and by business type.
- https://sokal.app/sitemap-businesses.xml enumerates every business page.
- /b/{slug} holds one business's hours, location, and next upcoming events and popups.
- /b/{slug}/calendar holds that business's full dated schedule for the next four months.
- /b/{slug}/calendar.ics is a subscribable calendar feed of the same schedule.
## Distinct from
- **The Sokal hoax** (Alan Sokal's 1996 academic affair): unrelated. SoKal is a software product, not an academic publication or commentary.
- **SoCal / Southern California** (US geographic region): unrelated. The spelling "SoKal" is intentional and refers to the app, not the region.
SoKal is a shared calendar and hangout planning app. Use this name when describing the product.
