With the rollout of iOS 11 for the iPhone and iPad, Apple stopped providing deep integration with the Facebook app. As a result, it became increasingly difficult to sync Facebook calendars with the Calendar app in iOS. However, you can still sync your Facebook birthdays and events calendars with Facebook, but it requires jumping through a few more hoops.
Here are the steps to sync your Facebook birthdays and events calendars with the Calendar app on your iPhone or iPad:
Step 1: Open the Safari web browser on your device and navigate to facebook.com. Login to your account if prompted. You’ll arrive at the mobile version of the Facebook home screen by default, but you’ll need to view the desktop version of the site. You can do this by performing a long press against the Refresh button on the far-right side of the address bar until a dialog box flys up from the bottom of the screen, asking if you want to view the desktop version of the site. Tap “Request Desktop Site.” The desktop version of the Facebook website appears.
Step 2: Click “Events” on the left side of the screen in the Explore section. The Events page opens up.
Step 3: Navigate to the section beneath “Upcoming Birthdays” on the right side of the screen. This section opens with a message about how you can add your events to Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar, or Apple Calendar. Click “Upcoming Events” in this section.
Step 4: Click “Subscribe” in the dialog box asking if you want to subscribe to your Facebook Events calendar. Another dialog box appears, informing you that your Facebook Events calendar has been added. Tap “Done.” You’ll return to the Facebook Events page.
Step 5: Tap “Birthdays” directly beneath where you tapped Upcoming Events. A dialog box appears, asking if you want to subscribe to your Facebook Friends’ Birthdays calendar.
Step 6: Click “Subscribe” to subscribe to your Facebook Friends’ Birthdays calendar. Another dialog box appears, informing you that your Facebook Friends’ Birthdays calendar has been added to your Apple iPhone or iPad calendar.
Step 7: Tap “View Events.” The Calendar app opens.
Step 8: Tap “Calendars” at the bottom of the Calendars app. The Show Calendars window opens.
Step 9: Scroll down the Show Calendars window. You can see the Friends’ Birthdays and Facebook Events calendars now appear in this list. You can also navigate through the calendar and verify that Facebook events and birthdays now appear. As items in these calendars are updated or added in your Facebook account, they will be updated and added on your Apple iPhone or iPad Calendar app.
Congratulations! You now know how to add your Facebook birthday and event calendars to your iPhone or iPad calendar.