It’s finally happened: Microsoft is officially sunsetting Sunrise, the very, very popular calendar app for iPhone and Android, just like they promised when they acquired the app last year. If you haven’t downloaded a copy of Sunrise yet, you have a couple days before Microsoft removes it from the iOS App Store and the Google Play store.
To new beginnings. https://t.co/0a5zGgL6zL
— Sunrise (@sunrise) May 11, 2016
Microsoft plans to discontinue service for the app completely by Aug. 31 however, so while you may still be able to nab Sunrise, it’s time to start looking for alternative calendar apps to replace Sunrise. Below are iDigitalTimes’ top three choices for alternative Phone and Android calendar apps.
Fantastical 2 (iPhone/iPad: $4.99) & Business Calendar 2 (Android: $4.99)
Fantastical 2 and Business Calendar 2 are two of the most widely respected calendar apps out there, with Lifehacker picking them as their favorite iOS and Android calendar app respectively. Both apps are compatible with Google Calendar and Exchange (Fantastical 2 is also compatible with iCloud), and both have an innovate design features in their interfaces. Both can be customized thematically to your tastes, and support different view modes when looking through your schedule.
Cal (iPhone, Android: Free)
From the makers of the Any.do: To-Do List ( iPhone , Android ) Cal, is not the most robust calendar app out there, but it does have one big thing going for it: it’s free. Cal can set up time and location based reminders, and as well as recurring events, and includes in-app integration with other apps such as Google Maps, Waze, and even Uber. Cal can sync with both Google Calendar and Exchange, as well as iCloud, and is designed to work hand-in-hand with its aforementioned sister app, Any.do: To-Do List.
Outlook (iPhone/iPad, Android: Free)
I know what you’re thinking: Microsoft killed Sunrise! There’s no way you’ll use Outlook! You may want to reconsider. The Outlook app for iOS and Android is top-rated, and is the spiritual successor to Sunrise — the Sunrise team now works on the Outlook app.
“As heartbreaking as this sounds, we’re hard at work bringing the magic of Sunrise to the Outlook apps, with all your most loved features - interesting calendars, event icons and calendar apps. We’re confident you’ll be able to find our special touch there too,” the Sunrise team wrote in their farewell blog post. “Whether you decide to follow us to Outlook or not, we couldn’t go without first saying a massive THANK YOU.”
Some of the features that the Sunrise team are bringing to Outlook? Calendar Apps, for example, which Microsoft announced this previous month. The feature allows you to sync calendars and to-do lists from other apps directly into Outlook, and while only Wunderlist, Evernote and Facebook are currently supported, expect more soon, such as support for Skype for Business and OneNote.
Honorable Mentions: Google Calendar (iPhone, Android: Free), Calendars 5 by Readdle (iPhone/iPad: $6.99), Moleskine Timepage (iPhone: $4.99), Jorte (Android: Free) and aCalendar (Android: $4.99). Not happy with any of these? Check out this thread on reddit or this list on Product Hunt.
