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.

Top Rated Comments

Cndnmax Avatar
38 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
38 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)
max2 Avatar
38 months ago
This is news to me.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Maconplasma Avatar
38 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
38 months ago
Odd, never happened to me. Maybe by default this is off?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ian87w Avatar
38 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)

Popular Stories

iOS 18 Apple Music Messages and Notes Feature 1

iOS 18 Rumored to Add New Features to These 16 Apps on Your iPhone

Tuesday April 30, 2024 10:44 am PDT by
Apple is expected to announce iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, and new features have already been rumored for many apps, including Apple Music, Apple Maps, Calculator, Messages, Notes, Safari, and others. Below, we recap iOS 18 rumors on a per-app basis, based on reports from MacRumors, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, and others: Apple Maps: At least two new Apple Maps features are...
apple watch ipad demo 1

Check Out This Apple Watch iPad Demo Unit From 2014

Wednesday May 1, 2024 1:46 pm PDT by
With the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch approaching, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at an interesting bit of Apple Watch history. After the Apple Watch was announced in 2014, and before it became available in 2015, Apple sent out custom Apple Watch iPad demo kiosks to retail stores. The Apple Watch and iPad units used for these devices were specially designed, had custom ...
Apple Event Let Loose Pastel Green

Report: Five Things Apple Won't Announce at Its Event Next Week

Friday May 3, 2024 4:30 am PDT by
Apple is holding at least five announcements for later in the year that will not arrive at the company's "Let loose" special event next week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report detailing his expectations for Apple's upcoming event, Gurman noted that there are a total of five things that the company is holding for later in the year: AI features: While Apple may tease new...
Apple Silicon AI Optimized Feature Siri 1

Tim Cook on Generative AI: 'We Have Advantages That Will Differentiate Us'

Thursday May 2, 2024 2:11 pm PDT by
During today's earnings call covering the second fiscal quarter of 2024, Apple CEO Tim Cook again spoke about Apple's work on generative AI. He said that Apple has "advantages" that will "differentiate" the company in the era of AI, and some "very exciting things" will be shared with customers in the near future. We continue to feel very bullish about our opportunity in generative AI. We are ...
maxresdefault

Will the New iPad Pro Really Have the M4 Chip?

Wednesday May 1, 2024 8:30 am PDT by
While Apple's upcoming iPad Pro models have been expected to feature the M3 chip for over a year, recent reports have unexpectedly suggested that the new devices will instead feature the as-yet-unannounced M4 chip. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Last week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that he now believes there is a "strong possibility" that the upcoming iPad Pro ...