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:

Key	Access Level
NSCalendarsFullAccessUsageDescription	Read + write events
NSCalendarsWriteOnlyAccessUsageDescription	Write-only events (iOS 17+)
NSRemindersFullAccessUsageDescription	Read + write reminders

For apps also targeting iOS 16 or earlier, also include the legacy NSCalendarsUsageDescription / NSRemindersUsageDescription keys.

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. Use the modern async methods.

Full Access to Events

func requestCalendarAccess() async throws -> Bool {
    let granted = try await eventStore.requestFullAccessToEvents()
    return granted
}

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.

func requestWriteAccess() async throws -> Bool {
    let granted = try await eventStore.requestWriteOnlyAccessToEvents()
    return granted
}

Full Access to Reminders

func requestRemindersAccess() async throws -> Bool {
    let granted = try await eventStore.requestFullAccessToReminders()
    return granted
}

Checking Authorization Status

let status = EKEventStore.authorizationStatus(for: .event)

switch status {
case .notDetermined:
    // Request access
    break
case .fullAccess:
    // Read and write allowed
    break
case .writeOnly:
    // Write-only access granted (iOS 17+)
    break
case .restricted:
    // Parental controls or MDM restriction
    break
case .denied:
    // User denied -- direct to Settings
    break
@unknown default:
    break
}

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.

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)

EventKitUI Controllers

EKEventEditViewController — Create/Edit Events

Present the system event editor for creating or editing events.

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

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 objects may be stale.

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()

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 (requestFullAccessToEvents, requestWriteOnlyAccessToEvents, requestFullAccessToReminders)
• Authorization status checked before fetching or saving
• 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
• 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