We decided from the start that PiCal would not end up as one of those disaster stories of apps that get hacked and expose all their user data. This led us to make every development decision based on the idea that no data would be stored with us in any capacity. All your calendar data is stored on Apple's or Google's servers. PiCal is merely a window into whatever is already on your phone, and nothing is stored on our servers. The less user data is spread around, the safer it is.
How to add outside calendar accounts
In order for PiCal to be able to see your outside accounts, your phone needs to be able to see them. We have a detailed explanation as to how to add Google, Exchange and other accounts.
Integrating with other services
Because PiCal syncs with other calendar systems, it also automatically syncs with services that are connected with those. For example, here's how to connect Todoist with your Google Calendar.
How checklists sync
Calendars don’t tend to have checklists. If we sync with Google and Apple calendars, where would we put this info?
The answer is the Notes field. Every calendar system has a Notes field, and it doesn’t often get used for much other than video call data (which we also extract as a direct link for you). This means that if you add a checklist in PiCal and open that event in Apple Calendar, you will find your checklist there too. You can edit it there and have the changes reflected in PiCal. If you know what Markdown is, you will be happy to note that we follow that format.
The point of all of this is to combine robustness and reliability with flexibility. We know many people with ADHD use several apps and services simultaneously, and this was the best way to support that.