iCloud Users Continue to Be Plagued by Calendar Spam - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iCloud Users Continue to Be Plagued by Calendar Spam

Despite previous attempts to put the situation at rest, some iCloud users continue to experience spam calendar invitations, causing their calendars to be filled with random events.

iOS Spam Calendar Feature
The situation received widespread coverage in 2016, where Apple said that it was "actively working to address this issue" by "identifying and blocking suspicious senders." Victims are targeted in various ways. The most common method is by receiving a normal iCloud calendar invitation through their calendar app.

Interacting with the invitation, including declining, accepting, or choosing "Maybe," lets the spammer know that the email is valid, so it can continue to be targeted.

Other users are targeted through web pop-ups on potentially malicious or adult websites. Apple has not publicly commented on what specific measures it has taken to solve the issue, but through a video posted by Apple Support, that has so far garnered more than 97,000 views, it has a solution.

The video advises that users, logically, unsubscribe from these spam calendars. The video doesn't offer any insight into what proactive measures users can take to not receive the invitations in the first place.

One measure that some users have found to be helpful is to redirect calendar invitations to their email, rather than an in-app calendar invitation. By redirecting invitations to their email, users can better manage and delete calendar invitations. For more detailed instructions, make sure to check out our how to.

Popular Stories

app store monthly sub commitment

Apple Introduces App Store Monthly Subscriptions With 12-Month Commitment

Monday April 27, 2026 12:52 pm PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of a new subscription option for App Store developers: monthly subscriptions with a 12-month commitment. The new option allows developers to offer subscribers discounted pricing typically associated with an annual subscription but paid on a monthly basis to keep payments more affordable. This new payment option allows you to offer subscribers more affordable...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

This Is What the iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like

Saturday April 25, 2026 10:00 am PDT by
A recent leak provides our best look yet at the design of Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Leaker Sonny Dickson recently shared images of the first iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone dummy models. The images largely conform with rumors about the designs of the three devices and provide the first real visual confirmation of how they will look. ...
MacBook Pro Low Angle Wide Lens

Apple to Launch 'MacBook Ultra' With These Six New Features

Friday April 24, 2026 10:32 am PDT by
While the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro were just updated with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips last month, bigger changes are reportedly around the corner. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the higher-end MacBook Pro models will be receiving a major redesign by early 2027, and he said that Apple might use "MacBook Ultra" branding for them. If so, the MacBook Ultra would likely be a...

Top Rated Comments

63 months ago
You have to approve it for it to be added to your calendar. Stop clicking OK without reading the pop up window and you’ll be fine lol.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pgiguere1 Avatar
63 months ago
Part of the issue is that some users tend to click "OK" to popups without reading them, which is what makes them subscribed to spam calendars in the first place.

Apple could make this less likely simply by respecting their own Human Interface Guidelines.

This ('https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E4V_TS9WUAEXbem?format=jpg&name=4096x4096') is what the modal looks like.

"Cancel" button should be on the left, and "OK" button should be a verb like "Subscribe".

From Apple's HIG ('https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/ios/views/alerts/'):

* "Cancel buttons should always be on the left."
* "To the extent possible, use verbs and verb phrases that relate directly to the alert title and message—for example, View All, Reply, or Ignore. Use OK for simple acceptance."
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
63 months ago
This is news to me.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
63 months ago
I've never had this happen. Been using iCloud since inception. Probably has a lot to do with sketchy websites people visit for their personal entertainment and clicking on stuff that leads them to this.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HiVolt Avatar
63 months ago
Odd, never happened to me. Maybe by default this is off?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
63 months ago
The video shows how simple it is to just unsubscribe the calendar (how did one even subscribe to a spam calendar in the first place?).

What else can Apple do?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)