How to Stop Google Calendar Spam

If you’re getting spam and junk sent to your Google Calendar lately, you’re not alone. In this guide we’ll show you how to stop Google Calendar spam right now, then explain what we know and what Google is doing to fix this frustrating problem.

Forget about spam emails or robocalls, over the past few weeks we’ve seen a huge increase in spam that gets automatically added to the Google Calendar. Some of these say “iPhone X Max is here”, “Spin the lucky wheel”, or “Congratulations You Have Won iPhone” and directs you to a YouTube link. DO NOT CLICK anything when you get Google Calendar spam. Instead, follow these instructions.

This has actually been a problem since 2017, but lately, it’s getting out of control. Google is aware of the problem and working diligently on a fix. We saw a huge increase of this type of spam in August and September of 2019.

It’s so bad, actually, that you can find dozens of guides explaining how to stop Google calendar spam links and invites. Most of those focus on desktop versions of Google Calendar. Below, we’ll show you how to stop spam on Android or iPhone.

How to Get Rid of Google Calendar Spam on Android/iPhone

1. Open the Google Calendar App
2. Tap the 3-lines or 3-dots menu button in the top corner
3. Scroll down and tap on Settings, then tap Events from Gmail
4. Now, turn off and disable Events from Gmail

Additionally, you’ll want to go back to your Calendar settings and tap on General, then scroll down and disable the “Show declined events” option. This way you won’t see the calendar entries at all, even when you disable, decline, or otherwise try to delete them.

This is your only option right now, which obviously, isn’t ideal. A lot of people get invites and calendar entries sent to them for work and personal life through email, which they can easily accept in Gmail and automatically add them to a calendar.

It’s an awesome feature that makes saving important dates and events easier, but it’s also what spammers and bad-actors are exploiting. When you disable all of this, everything you’ve ever saved to your Calendar from an email gets removed. You can add them back later, or once Google fixes the problem, but this is far from ideal.

Again, Google is very aware of this situation plaguing users on Google Calendar and sending people back to YouTube to click shady links. They’re working hard on a fix and hopefully come up with something soon. For now, hide those events you’ve declined or dismissed, and turn off the feature that auto-adds entries from Gmail to your Calendar.

As soon as we learn more from Google we’ll share all the details right here. So, check back soon for more info.