What InstaCal needs
InstaCal 3.6 needs macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later on the Mac, and iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 on iPhone and iPad. The Apple Watch app needs watchOS 11.
Start on Mac
Open InstaCal and follow the welcome window. The setup explains the menu bar item, asks for calendar access and lets you choose a global shortcut. When setup finishes, InstaCal appears in the menu bar.
Click the menu bar date to open the panel. Open InstaCal → Settings at any time to revisit permissions or change the shortcut.
If macOS is not drawing the menu bar item — because it did not fit past a camera housing, because the menu bar is full, or because a manager like Ice or Bartender has it hidden — the last step of the setup guide says so instead of leaving you clicking at nothing, and offers the button that fixes it. Menu Bar Date, Next Item and Countdown has the whole story.
Start on iPhone or iPad
Open InstaCal and move through the welcome screens. The app asks only for permissions needed by the features you choose. You can change any decision later in the system Settings app.
What each permission does
| Permission | What it enables |
|---|---|
| Calendars | Shows and edits Apple-managed calendars |
| Reminders | Shows, creates and completes Apple Reminders |
| Contacts | Suggests names and email addresses for invitees |
| Notifications | Event, reminder, invitation and leave-by alerts; Live Activities on iPhone |
| Location | Local weather and travel-time estimates |
Google and Microsoft accounts use their own sign-in flow under Settings → Accounts. Their tokens are stored in Apple’s Keychain.
Tip: If you declined a permission, open System Settings → Privacy & Security on Mac or Settings → Apps → InstaCal on iPhone and iPad. InstaCal re-reads both the calendar and reminders grants every time the Mac panel opens and on every refresh, so the change takes effect without relaunching.
Calendar access has three answers, not two
macOS and iOS let you give a calendar app full access, no access, or add events only — a state that lets InstaCal create events but not read a single one. InstaCal treats it as its own case rather than pretending it is a refusal.
With add-only access the agenda shows Calendar Access Needed, explaining that InstaCal can add events but cannot see your calendar, with Allow Full Access to raise the system sheet right there. The same button is on the Apple calendars row under Settings → Accounts on both platforms.
Where InstaCal has never been asked, the button reads Set Up… and asks in place. Where access was refused outright, it points at the right pane instead: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Calendars or Reminders on Mac, Settings → Apps → InstaCal → Calendars or Reminders on iPhone and iPad. The reminders list carries the same notice, headed Reminders Access Needed, rather than showing an empty list.
Choose what appears
After access is granted, open Settings → Calendars and Settings → Reminders to choose the calendars and lists shown in the agenda. Star a default calendar so new events always have a predictable destination.
