The purpose of your smartphone is to help you handle phone calls, voicemails, making notes, and planning events all from one neat device. And it provides you with all the tools you need to get these things done. Remember what your smartphone was like when you first purchased it? It probably came with the normal, expected features like a contacts list, text messaging function, music, and a clock. But it also came with a bunch of other apps that you might not have been as familiar with or even interested in.

While most of us can’t wait to download and find our own apps for our phone, we tend to leave behind some pretty useful ones it came pre-installed with. Interestingly enough, one of these overlooked features on our iPhone and Android phones is the trusty calendar app. Most people tend to use their calendar app as a reference to see what the upcoming month looks like or when a certain holiday is. But truthfully, your calendar app can do so much more than you think. When used correctly, your calendar can serve as a multi-functioning planner that helps you organize your upcoming events and reminds you of them too.

Take a look below for the best ways to get the most out of your smartphone calendar:

iPhone Calendar Tips & Tricks

  • Add links and notes to calendar: If you open your calendar app and add a new event, you can scroll down to the bottom of that page and add a URL to it and important notes. Handy for including a venue link and directions on how to get there for an upcoming event you’re attending.
  • View your calendar using Siri: Siri can help you out with almost anything. Ask Siri to show you your calendar and you’ll be able to easily view a popup of your day’s events by the hour. If you need a quick reminder of what’s on your agenda for the day, Siri can show you in a matter of seconds.
  • Keep more than one calendar: Another lesser known feature of the iPhone calendar app is the ability to have more than one calendar. When you open your calendar app, you’ll notice that at the bottom of your screen it says “Calendars.” If you tap on that, it opens your different calendar events for Home, Work, Birthdays, etc. You can edit these individual calendars and add new ones to separate your doctor’s appointments from your parties.
  • Share your calendar with others: Keep everyone on the same page with this trick. Go to your calendar app, tap on Calendars at the bottom of your screen, find the calendar you want to share and tap on the ⓘ icon on the left, then add the person you want to share it with. They’ll be able to view all of your calendar events from their own phone.

Android Google Calendar Tips & Tricks –

  • Add event locations: Conveniently plan a day of an event and the location of it at the same time. Google Calendar lets you add a map image of where your event will take place. It also notifies you of when you need to leave for each event so that you can avoid being stuck in traffic at the last minute.
  • Sync your Gmail to your Calendar: Syncing your email with your calendar is one of the most helpful things you can do. A lot of event notifications come in through your email and most of them can be easy to forget about. For example, if you have a thirty-minute call that you scheduled from your email but forgot to write down, your phone calendar will remind you that it’s coming up. Just go to Settings from the menu, tap “Events from Gmail” and toggle it on.
  • Notify event attendees: Another cool feature of the Google calendar app is the option to send out a message to your event attendees using the app. You can notify them when you’re on your way or of a last minute time change. Go to General > Settings > Quick Responses.
  • Edit event notifications: Choose when you want to be notified for an upcoming event. Some people like to be reminded about an event the day before while others prefer to be notified within the last hour. Just go to settings and tap on a calendar to edit when you want to be notified for each event.

Don’t let your phone’s smart technology go to waste! Make sure you’re using your smartphone to its maximum potential with these tips.