How to add a PDF calendar or schedule to iPhone

Check for a calendar link before converting the PDF

Look beside the download for “Subscribe”, “Add to calendar”, or an ICS calendar link. A subscription can receive updates from the publisher. A PDF screenshot import creates individual events and will not receive later changes.

Fridge2Cal’s import flow accepts images through Camera or Photos. It does not directly open a PDF or export an ICS file. The steps here use a screenshot of each readable section, which you select from Photos.

Convert the PDF one readable section at a time

1. Open the PDF on your iPhone. Find the page containing the dates you want. Zoom until titles and times are readable while keeping date headings visible.
2. Take and save a screenshot. Save the image to Photos. Avoid shrinking a full school-year calendar into a single unreadable screen. For a dense page, capture one month or week at a time.
3. Open Fridge2Cal → Photos. Select that image, crop away unrelated content, and keep the month, year, and column labels.
4. Compare the drafts with the PDF. Check dates, all-day events, start and end times, and locations. Delete notes or other people’s events that should not be imported.
5. Add the reviewed events. They are saved to the iPhone’s default calendar. Check the result in Apple Calendar, then repeat for the next section.

Set the destination before saving. For a Google account, follow the Google Calendar setup guide.

School-year PDFs need extra attention

School documents often span two calendar years. Check that January belongs to the new year and that holidays are all-day events. A color-coded legend may distinguish elementary and secondary schools; remove dates that do not apply to your child.

Avoid overlapping captures

If two screenshots include the same row of dates, review duplicate warnings and remove repeated drafts. The app’s warnings help you check; they do not guarantee every overlap will be caught.

Keep the source PDF

Retain the original document so you can compare dates when a revised version arrives. A changed PDF does not update events already saved to Calendar. Edit or remove superseded events yourself.

When a different approach is quicker

For one or two dates, entering an event manually can be simpler. For a published calendar feed, subscribe using the publisher’s instructions. For a long PDF with tiny text, ask the organizer for an accessible calendar export or split the document into readable sections before importing.

After saving, configure any alerts you need in Apple Calendar. Converting the document does not guarantee that an alert has been attached to every event.

Questions before you scan

Keep going

• School calendar import checklist
• Import a screenshot from Photos
• Review, edit, and undo events in Fridge2Cal