Privacy and troubleshooting

Calendar sync sends customer data to external calendars. Privacy level controls how much info goes there. Error handling helps solve sync problems.

The 3 privacy levels

FULL_DETAILS

Customer name + service name + note:

• Event title: "Anna Kovács - Haircut"
• Event description: "Phone: 06-30-1234567, note: dye allergy"

When good: salon owner's own Google calendar where everyone is the same person (only they see).

When NOT good: public / shared Google calendar (privacy risk).

LIMITED

Service name only:

• Event title: "Haircut"
• Event description: minimal (just time and service)
• Customer name NOT shown

When good: hairstylist personal calendar, doesn't want customer names.

BUSY_ONLY

Just "Busy":

• Event title: "Busy"
• Event description: none
• Zero customer info

When good: medical-spa strict-privacy salon, or shared calendar visible to others.

Privacy level change

Calendar-sync row → Edit → pick privacy level → Save.

Change does NOT retroactively rewrite past events. Only applies to new events (or next manual push).

The 4 main error types

1. Token expired (Google)

• Status: ERROR
• Message: "Token expired or revoked"
• Fix: Disconnect → Reconnect (new OAuth flow)

2. Calendar not selected (Google)

• Status: PENDING
• Message: "Pick a calendar"
• Fix: calendar-sync row → Edit → Calendar pick

3. iCal URL not working

• Typically after token invalidation (you regenerated)
• Fix: add new URL in reader app

4. Sync delayed

• New event doesn't appear
• Fix: "Pull now" button (manual pull). Or wait 15 min.

Step-by-step troubleshooting

Booking doesn't appear in Google

1. Calendar-sync status ACTIVE? If not (PAUSED / ERROR), reactivate.
2. Booking belongs to staff with Google sync? (Per-staff sync only their bookings)
3. Booking status: not CANCELLED?
4. Wait 5 seconds (real-time push), check again.
5. Still not appearing → SuperAdmin support.

Google event doesn't block Bookinda

1. Google event "Busy" status? If "Free," not pulled.
2. All-day? Skipped.
3. Cancelled? Skipped.
4. Wait 15 min (cron) or "Pull now."
5. Still not → calendar-sync row → Edit → re-pick Calendar.

iCal feed doesn't refresh

1. Reader app sync frequency? (Apple default 15 min)
2. URL still valid? (Token regenerated?)
3. New booking visible on Bookinda UI?
4. If yes, reader app problematic. Apple → Settings → Calendars → Refresh.

Token management in detail

Google token

• Access token: 1-hour
• Refresh token: forever
• Auto-refresh on Bookinda
• Revoke: Google Settings → Security → Connected apps → "Bookinda" → Remove

If revoked, sync goes ERROR. Disconnect + Reconnect in Bookinda.

iCal token

• Single URL-token, no expiry
• You can regenerate (if compromised)
• After regenerate, give new URL to reader app

When to use it

Scenario 1, sync dispute Customer complains: "Booking wasn't in my Google calendar." Calendar-sync status check → ACTIVE? Booking was pushed?

Scenario 2, privacy tightening New legal audit: customer name shouldn't be in external calendar. Change all privacy levels FULL_DETAILS to BUSY_ONLY.

Scenario 3, sync troubleshooting New Google event doesn't block. Pull now button → now OK. Cron delay was.

Scenario 4, security incident Staff accidentally shared iCal URL. Token regenerate. New URL.

Scenario 5, disconnect Staff left salon. Bookinda Manager → Calendar-sync → Disconnect every sync. Tokens revoked.

Tips

• Privacy level reflects salon sensitivity, choose wisely.
• Retroactive privacy change isn't applied, only new events.
• Token regenerate rarely, every reader app needs new URL.
• "Pull now" always available, don't wait 15 min if urgent.
• For troubleshooting, read status message first, the fix-key is there.
• On staff departure, always disconnect, otherwise Google tokens stay un-revoked.

Related articles

• Overview
• Google Calendar setup
• iCal feed
• 2-way sync and busy-block