Cobot offers an add-on called Google Calendar Sync that keeps your Cobot booking calendar synchronized with Google Calendar. This add-on lets you embed your Cobot calendar outside of Cobot, so visitors can view availability in your space without creating a membership.

Setting Up the Integration

Step 1: Create a new Google Calendar for each Cobot Resource you want to sync.

One Cobot Resource connects to one Google Calendar.
Name the Google Calendar the same as, or similar to, the Resource in Cobot to avoid confusion.
Example: If the Resource is named “Meeting Room” in Cobot, name the Google Calendar “Meeting Room.”

Step 2: Use a new Google Calendar.

All existing events in the selected Google Calendar sync into Cobot.
Do not use a personal or shared company calendar, as all events from that calendar are imported into Cobot.

Step 3: Log in to the Admin side of Cobot and go to » Add-ons » Google Calendar Sync » Get Started.

Step 4: Select the Cobot space you want to connect and click 'Add Calendar'.

Google Calendar notification in Cobot Activity Feed.

Step 5: Log in to your Google account and select the calendar you want to sync.

You must set up a separate sync for each Resource and its corresponding Google Calendar.
Allow all requested permissions after clicking 'Sync Calendar.'

A screen for syncing a Google Calendar with a Cobot resource. The options include: 1. **Google Calendar:** Dropdown menu to select the desired Google Calendar (e.g., "Meeting Room"). 2. **Resource:** Dropdown menu to select a corresponding resource on Cobot (e.g., "Meeting Room").

Syncing Existing Bookings

Initial Sync

After setup, events from the past month sync between the selected Google Calendar and the selected Cobot Resource.
Bookings sync in both directions.

Conflict Rules

Existing Cobot bookings block Google Calendar events from being added at the same time.
Existing Google Calendar events do not block Cobot bookings.
This can result in double bookings.

Recurring Bookings

Recurring Google Calendar events sync into Cobot with the same recurrence pattern.
Recurring events continue indefinitely unless an end date is set.
Add an end date to recurring Google events before syncing.

Ongoing Sync

New bookings and changes sync automatically after the initial setup.
Sync timing:
- Cobot to Google: a few seconds
- Google to Cobot: up to 5 minutes

Multiple Bookings from Google

If a user creates two overlapping bookings in Google Calendar:
- Only one booking syncs to Cobot due to a conflict.
- If the first booking is deleted in Google:
  - It is removed from both Google and Cobot.
  - The time slot in Cobot becomes available.
  - The second Google booking then syncs to Cobot.

IMPORTANT NOTES

Automated calendar blockers created in Cobot, such as breaks between bookings, do not sync to Google Calendar.

What Booking Information Is Synced

Any booking created or changed in Google Calendar appears as an activity in the Cobot Dashboard Activity Feed. These activities always appear under the administrator who set up the Google Calendar Sync.

Bookings created in Google Calendar appear in the Cobot Calendar without a member or admin assigned. In Cobot, these bookings display the same way they do when the Member Name field is left blank.

Notes/Comments Fields

Information added to the Comments field in a Cobot booking appears in the Notes field in Google Calendar.
Information added to the Notes field in Google Calendar appears in the Comments field in Cobot.

The image shows a Google Calendar event titled "Daily Stand Up," scheduled for Friday, August 19, from 9:00 to 11:00 am. Amanda Wolf is the sole guest invited to this meeting, with a request included in the event details for coffee to be provided during the session. The event is set to take place in the Meeting Room and was created by Cobot Test. It is visually marked on the calendar with a red label, clearly indicating its scheduled time and location.

Once the sync is live and changes to a booking are made, Google will not send out invites/updates about synced bookings to the person or guests on the booking (or anyone).

External Bookings

When a Google Calendar event changes, the sync updates the corresponding External Booking in Cobot.

Recurring Bookings

Once the sync is set up, any new recurring bookings created in Google Calendar populate in Cobot. Every booking in the series appears in Cobot.

Editing an individual event or the entire series in Google Calendar updates the corresponding bookings in Cobot.

Recurring bookings created in Cobot only sync the first booking in the series to Google Calendar. The remaining bookings in the series do not sync.

Disconnecting the Calendar Sync

Go to Add-ons » Google Calendar Sync » Get Started » Stop Syncing.

You will be presented with an option to delete all synchronized bookings. If you leave it unchecked, all bookings will remain in your calendar.

The image displays a confirmation page titled "Stop Synchronizing Calendar." It explains that stopping synchronization will halt any new bookings in Cobot and Google Calendar for "Recording Studio #1" associated with the user's Cobot space. There is a checkbox option to delete "2319 synchronized bookings from Cobot/Google Calendar," which is selected. Below the explanation, there is a blue button labeled "Stop syncing" and a link labeled "back" for navigation.

Identify Automated Bookings in Cobot

To clearly distinguish bookings created by automation from those created manually, set up Google Calendar Sync using a dedicated admin account.

Step 1: Create a separate Gmail account specifically for the Google Calendar integration. Choose a clear, recognizable name so automated bookings are easy to identify in Cobot, such as “Google Calendar Autobot”.

Step 2: Add the new Gmail account as an admin in your Cobot space.

Step 3: Log in to Cobot using the bot admin account.

Step 4: Set up the Google Calendar Sync add-on while logged in as the bot admin.

The image shows the "Administrators" section in a management interface. It allows adding more administrators with full access to setup, management, and analytics features. One administrator is listed as "Google Calendar Autobot" with the email address `<a href="mailto:cobotcalendarintegration@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">cobotcalendarintegration@gmail.com</a>`, which is described as being created specifically for calendar integration. Options available for this administrator include "Make owner," "Edit," and "Remove." A blue button labeled "+ Add Administrator" is positioned at the top right of the section.

Step 5: Review the Cobot Activity Feed. Any bookings created or updated through Google Calendar Sync now appear under the bot admin’s name, making it easy to identify automated bookings.