Google Calendar knows exactly when you’ve got an appointment, who you’re meeting and how long you’re away on holiday. That information isn’t sitting on your server. It’s sitting on Google’s and Google decides what happens to it.
If you’re already working with your own Nextcloud environment, you’ve got a calendar that belongs to you. What you’re missing is that calendar on your phone. Three free, open-source apps will sort that out: F-Droid, DAVx5 and Fossify Calendar. No Google Play Store, no Google account.
In brief: you’ll be installing F-Droid as an alternative app store, connecting DAVx5 to your Nextcloud calendar, and using Fossify Calendar as a privacy-friendly calendar app on your phone. The whole thing takes around ten minutes. After that, Google Calendar can go.
Here’s how to set it up.
What you need
Before you start, make sure you’ve got the following:
- An Android phone
- Access to your Nextcloud environment: the URL, your username and your password
- You know whether two-factor authentication (2FA) is switched on for your Nextcloud account. If it is, read the section below on app passwords before you carry on.
Step 1: Check whether you’re using 2FA
Log in to your Nextcloud environment in a browser on your computer. Click your profile icon in the top-right corner and go to Settings. Under Security, look for a section called ‘Two-factor authentication’ or ‘TOTP’. If it’s switched on, follow the instructions below before continuing. If you had to use an authenticator app to log in just now, you already know: 2FA is active.
Not using 2FA? Skip this step and head straight to step 2.
If you’re using 2FA: create an app password
Apps like DAVx5 can’t handle the two-step verification you’re using in your browser. To get around this, you’ll create a separate, one-off password that only applies to this app.
In Nextcloud, go to Settings > Security. Scroll down to Devices & sessions. You’ll see a field where you can type a name. Call it something you’ll recognise, like ‘DAVx5 phone’. Click Create new app password.
Nextcloud generates a long password automatically. Copy it and keep it somewhere handy for now, because you’re only going to see it this once. This is the password you’ll be using when you set up DAVx5, instead of your regular Nextcloud password.
Step 2: Install F-Droid
F-Droid is a free, open-source alternative to the Google Play Store, built for privacy-friendly Android apps. It’s where you’ll be getting both DAVx5 and Fossify Calendar, no Google account needed.
On your phone, go to f-droid.org and download the F-Droid app. Your phone will probably ask whether you want to allow apps to be installed from unknown sources. That’s exactly what you’re doing here: you’re giving F-Droid one-off permission to install apps on your behalf.
Once it’s installed, open F-Droid and let it finish updating its list of available apps. The first time, this takes a minute or two.
Step 3: Install DAVx5
DAVx5 is an open-source synchronisation app that connects your Android phone to calendar and contacts servers via the CalDAV protocol. Here, you’re using it to bring your Nextcloud calendar to your phone.
Search for DAVx5 in F-Droid. You’ll recognise it by the yellow icon. Install it.
Open DAVx5. If it’s asking for permission to access your calendars and contacts, grant those permissions.
Tap the plus sign or the button to add a new account. Select Login with URL and username.
Fill in the following:
- URL: The CalDAV URL of your Nextcloud environment. You’ll find it in the Nextcloud Calendar app: click Calendar settings in the bottom-left corner, go to General, and copy the URL showing under CalDAV.
- Username: Your Nextcloud username
- Password: Your regular Nextcloud password, or the app password if you’re using 2FA (see step 1)
Tap Login. DAVx5 will connect to your Nextcloud and show you an overview of the calendars it’s found.
Tick the calendars you want to synchronise and save the settings. DAVx5 will now be keeping everything in sync in the background.
Step 4: Install Fossify Calendar
DAVx5 is handling the sync, but it’s not a calendar app. For that, you’ll install Fossify Calendar, which is an open-source calendar app with no adverts or trackers, also available in F-Droid.
Search for Fossify Calendar in F-Droid and install it. When you open it, Fossify Calendar will automatically pick up the calendars DAVx5 has already set up.
Take a quick look in the settings to make sure the right calendars are showing. Through the menu — the three lines or the cog icon, depending on your version — you’ll find an overview of linked calendars. Check that your Nextcloud calendar is ticked.
Step 5: Remove or disable Google Calendar
Now that Fossify Calendar is working with your own calendar, you can silence Google Calendar for good by uninstalling it.
However, on most Android phones, Google Calendar can’t be fully uninstalled because it comes pre-loaded. You can disable it, though. Go to Settings > Apps, find Google Calendar, and tap Disable. It’ll disappear from your home screen and stop running in the background. You can also remove its updates to free up a bit of storage.
If you’d also like to set Fossify Calendar as your default calendar app, you can do that via Settings > Apps > Default apps. This option isn’t available on every device.
Done
Your calendar is now sitting on your own Nextcloud server, syncing via DAVx5, and showing up in Fossify Calendar. Google’s no longer in the picture.
Your calendar is one part of taking full ownership of your data and your workplace. Ownbase helps businesses install and manage their own Nextcloud environment on European servers, including files, e-mail, and collaboration, without depending on Google or Microsoft.
