Technical
How calendars stay current
A subscription calendar is a live feed, not a one-time import. Here is what actually happens between Stanza and your calendar app.
Subscriptions, not imports
A live feed, not a snapshot
A subscription calendar is a live feed, not a one-time snapshot. When you add a Stanza calendar you subscribe to a feed served over webcal and https as an iCalendar (.ics) file. Your calendar app stores the feed URL and re-fetches it on a schedule, so later changes reach you without any action.
What happens under the hood
- You subscribe to a feed URL Your app saves the webcal link and treats it as a live, read-only calendar.
- Your app polls the feed Apple, Google, and Outlook each re-fetch the .ics on their own cadence, from roughly hourly to once a day.
- Changes propagate New events, and any time or venue changes, appear the next time your app refreshes. Removed events drop off.
Why refresh timing varies
How often a calendar actually updates is decided by your app, not by us. Stanza always serves a fresh, correct feed with caching headers that invite frequent refreshes, but Apple, Google, and Outlook set their own polling intervals, which is why the same subscription can refresh at different times on different devices.
Add a calendar that stays current
Subscribe once and let it keep itself up to date on every device.
Keep exploring
- Always know it's current See when each calendar last updated.
- Where schedules come from Official feeds and creators, always sourced.
- Bundle what you follow Every team and show in one calendar.
- Built for sports fans Never miss a kickoff or a release.
- Quality beats quantity Sourced, maintained, provably current.
- Straight to Google Calendar Straight into Google Calendar, securely.
- Add unlimited calendars Follow everything, no cap.
- One calendar, every device One calendar on every device.
- Near real-time updates Changes reach you in near real-time.
- Members-only calendars Premium calendars for members.
- Refresh on demand Pull the latest with one tap.
- Calendars picked for you Calendars picked for what you follow.
- Just the event you want One game, not the season.
- Get early access New features, members first.
- Suggest a calendar If we don't have it, we build it.
Frequently asked questions
How does a calendar subscription update itself?
Your app stores the feed URL and re-fetches the iCalendar file on a schedule. Any changes in the feed appear on the next refresh, with no re-adding.
How often do calendar apps refresh?
It depends on the app. Apple, Google, and Outlook each poll subscribed calendars on their own cadence, commonly from about hourly to once a day.
Why is my calendar not showing the latest change yet?
The feed is already updated on our side. Your app controls how often it refreshes, so the change appears at its next poll. Removing and re-adding the subscription forces an immediate refresh.
Can I make my calendar app check for updates more often?
Most calendar apps let you trigger a manual refresh, and Stanza+ adds refresh on demand so you never have to wait for the next poll.
Does an updated calendar use a lot of data or battery?
No. Calendar syncs are small text updates, not large downloads, so keeping several subscriptions current has a negligible effect on either.