Connect two-way calendar sync (Google and Outlook)
Sync your Google or Outlook calendar both ways so PulseHub always sees your real availability, and every booking lands in your own diary.
Why this matters
If your day already lives in Google or Outlook, PulseHub needs to see it. Two-way sync keeps both calendars talking, so PulseHub blocks out times you are already busy, and anything booked through PulseHub appears in your normal calendar straight away. Fewer double-bookings, and one source of truth for your week.
Before you start
A few things worth knowing before you connect:
Each person connects their own calendar. Calendar connections are tied to your personal profile, not the whole account. If you have a team, every person who takes bookings needs to connect their own.
You will need to grant full calendar access when you connect. If you only allow some permissions, syncing can fail.
Two-way sync only looks forward. It syncs events from the moment you connect, it does not import your past calendar history.
Connect your Google calendar
In the left-hand menu, click Calendars, then Calendar settings in the top right.
Open the Connections tab, then click + Add New.
Click Connect next to Google Calendar.
Choose the Google account you use for your diary.
Accept all the permissions it asks for, including full calendar access, profile and email. This is what lets the sync work both ways.
Connect your Outlook calendar
In Calendars, then Calendar settings, open the Connections tab.
Click Connect next to Outlook or Office 365.
Sign in with your Microsoft account.
Accept the permissions to finish connecting.
Once a calendar is connected, you can set which one is your Linked calendar (the one your PulseHub bookings are written into) and which are Conflict calendars (the ones checked to block out busy times). If you keep more than one calendar, this is how you tell PulseHub which is which.
Turn on two-way sync
Connecting your account is step one. Two-way sync is a setting on the calendar itself.
Open the calendar you use for bookings and go to its settings.
Find the sync option (under the meeting and team setup).
Choose Two-way sync.
For context, here is what each option does, so you can pick the right one:
One-way sync blocks out your external events as busy time and pushes your PulseHub bookings to your diary. It does not pull the other events in as contacts. This is the simplest option and suits most solo setups.
Two-way sync does all of the above, and also reads who was invited to your external events, can create a contact for them, and can trigger PulseHub automations. Choose this if you want external appointments to flow into PulseHub properly, not just block time.
What two-way sync does
Blocks out times you are already busy, so clients cannot book over them.
Writes every PulseHub booking into your Google or Outlook calendar.
Pulls your external events into PulseHub, shown in colour.
Can create a contact from an event's guests and start any linked automation.
What two-way sync does not do
It is not instant. Updates come through every few minutes, not the second you make a change. If you have just added something, give it a moment.
It does not import your past events. Only events from after you connect will sync.
It does not connect for your whole team at once. Each team member must connect their own calendar. On a round-robin calendar, if one person has not connected theirs, PulseHub can still book them at a time they are actually busy.
It will not add unknown guests as contacts unless you want it to. If you would rather block time without creating contacts or firing automations, use one-way or smart sync instead.
How to use it day to day
Keep running your diary in Google or Outlook as normal. PulseHub respects whatever is in there, so a dentist appointment or a school pickup in your personal calendar quietly blocks that slot. When someone books you through PulseHub, it lands in your diary with the details. If your availability ever looks wrong, check Settings, then Integrations, for a permissions warning, and use Reconnect to fix it.
Pro tip: if you run a team calendar, ask everyone to connect their own calendar before you go live. It is the single most common reason bookings land at the wrong time.
Need help?
If your calendar is not syncing the way you expect, contact the PulseHub team at support.pulsehub.nz and we will take a look with you.
