Taking back a calendar you shared with somebody
Ending access is one tap. Deciding whether one tap is enough takes slightly longer, because sharing leaves copies behind.
What most people assume
That removing somebody removes what they have seen.
What stops and what stays
Remove a person and the calendar disappears from their list, immediately and without a message. Future events never reach them.
What does not come back: invitations they already hold, events they copied to their own calendar, anything exported, and anything they were given a secret address for. Access ends; memory does not.
The one that outlasts the removal
If somebody was ever given manage sharing, they may have added other people. Removing them leaves those people in place, which is how a calendar ends up shared with somebody nobody remembers inviting.
So read the whole list rather than removing one name, and do it on the way out rather than months later. Nothing prompts you, and sharing only accumulates.
The numbers
| What it describes | Value |
|---|---|
| Monthly cost of the tier this is managed in, in dollars | 0.49 |
What it looks like
What to do
- Read the full access list, not just the name you meant to remove.
- Reset the secret address if the person ever had it.
- Assume copies survive, and move genuinely sensitive events rather than hiding them.
Questions
- Does removing someone from a calendar delete what they already saw?
- No. Invitations they already hold, events they copied into their own calendar and anything exported all survive. Access ends; copies do not.
- Will the person be told that I removed their access?
- No. The calendar disappears from their list immediately and without a message.
- Why is my calendar still shared with someone I never invited?
- Somebody who had “manage sharing” added them. Removing that person leaves everyone they added in place, which is why the whole access list has to be read rather than one name.