Way to share "Busy" times w/o sharing all calendar details?

[ThatsMrsGeek2U]

I need another person to know what I'm busy and available, but not to bog them down with all my person calendar details. We are fine sharing a calendar (we use both Calendar iOS and OS X and Busy Cal currently and share a few already) but i have a number of calendars that i keep and i have things on them that take my time (i list myself as "busy") and other things that don't require me (listed as "Free"). From what i can tell this Busy/Free listing is just in the iOS Calendar App.

so what i need:

something that sees all my "Busy" blocks across multiple calendar in any of the programs i use and creates a generic blocked out timeslot on a separate shared calendar.

I'm fine with using a few apps to get it done as long as once it is fully set up it is fairly automated, my calendar changes a lot and this person need to be able to look at see the current accurate status fairly regularly.
any idea how i can get this done????

thanks


PS is there a way list as busy and free from the OS X version of Calendar that i am not seeing?

 

[blackboxideas]

Sounds like a topic I'd replied to a little while ago, so hopefully these options might help out.

• https://freebusy.io - add all your calendars and it'll give you a link to a web page (sorry, only seems to do a web calendar view rather than creating a calendar you can share into another calendar app).
  
• If you're using outlook 2016 you could make use of it's internet free/busy feature : https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/291621. I'm not sure how you'd easily combine all your different calendars into one to share however...

You can set free/busy status on calendar app by double clicking the event to edit it, then tap on the date/alert area, it'll then expand to show your status. Depending on the type of calendar service you're using you may get more/less options here depending on what is supported.

 

[ThatsMrsGeek2U]

Yeah I had found that old thread and looked up that website. Mostly works but is pretty clunky. Plus the need to look on the webpage for the info.

I'm also finding a silly problem, I can change the busy status of a subscribed calendar?? I have a "when I work" account that imports my shifts into a special calendar and updates whenever my boss moves us around. But stupidly it does now show me as busy.

 

[blackboxideas]

Chances are if you're simply subscribing to a calendar, it is effectively read-only so unless they set the busy state there you'll be unable to modify it yourself.

 

[ThatsMrsGeek2U]

Yeah that's basically what's happening, however in this case it is not a calendar that I'm suscribed to (where maybe I could ask the person making it to change the setting) but rather a program that is creating a custom calendar for me. So it's a crazy shame that is not assumed that I'm busy during my shifts! I'll go back thru the scheduling program to see if there are more setting I haven't seen. Still very clunky.

Chances are if you're simply subscribing to a calendar, it is effectively read-only so unless they set the busy state there you'll be unable to modify it yourself.

 

[ThatsMrsGeek2U]

sadly this situation has not gotten any better with Apple apps, has anyone found other good work arounds? hopefully without leaving some of the apps i know and love like fantastical?