How to remove iPhone calendar virus (Tips to stop the spam)

If you’ve experienced reminders and events randomly appearing in your iPhone’s Calendar app, you’re not alone. This is a common issue with many iPhone users wherein the user subscribes to a third-party calendar service unknowingly. This, in turn, results in the calendar being clogged with spam events. Thankfully, this is easy to resolve. Learn what the calendar virus is, how to remove it from your iPhone, and tips to stop this.

• Where does iPhone get the calendar virus from?
• How to get rid of deceptive calendar events virus on iPhone
• How to stop iPhone calendar spam

Where does iPhone get the calendar virus from?

iPhone calendar spam is similar to phishing emails. Hackers create text messages, emails, web pages, and popups with links that look very similar to the original page. And when the user unknowingly clicks on these links, it takes them to the Calendar app. Even if you press back or decline the event, iPhone’s default settings are in such a way that these hackers can still send spam calendar events.

Apple is partly at fault here since the company allows anyone, including the people not in your contacts, to send calendar invites to your iPhone. Since the user isn’t expecting spam links in the Calendar app, they might click on the link in the event, which (most probably) will lead them to a phishing page. These pages may contain hacking scripts and malware that could result in your personal information getting compromised.

How to get rid of deceptive calendar events virus on iPhone

1. Delete spam events using the iPhone’s Calendar app
2. Clear calendar virus from iPhone Settings

1. Delete spam events using the iPhone’s Calendar app

1. Open the Calendar app on your iPhone.
   • You’ll see all events, including spam events. Note the color of the spam event invites.
   • In my case, the spam event is highlighted in purple.
2. On the main page, tap the Calendars button at the bottom.
   A list with all the calendars synced to your iPhone will show up.
3. Look for the spam event’s color and tap the i button next to it.
4. Scroll down and tap Delete Calendar to delete all spam events from your iPhone.
   Note: If spam calendar events are displayed with more than one color, perform the steps for those colors.

2. Clear calendar virus from iPhone Settings

If you continue receiving spam events on your iPhone, you might need to unsubscribe from these events from your iPhone’s settings. Here’s how you can do it.

1. Head over to iPhone Settings.
2. Scroll down and select Calendar
3. Next, select Accounts and tap Subscribed Calendars.
   
   
4. Select the calendar you did not subscribe to and tap Delete Account.
   
   

How to stop iPhone calendar spam

1. Report the spam event as junk
2. Disable popups on Safari
3. Use privacy-focused DNS server on iPhone

1. Report the spam event as junk

Reporting a calendar invite as junk will notify Apple about the spam events. Apple will then block the events from appearing on your and other users’ iPhone. To do so:

1. Log in to iCloud.com on your Apple device
2. Go to Calendar, select the spam event, and tap Report as Junk.

2. Disable popups on Safari

More often than not, these spam events enter your iPhone through Safari. These hackers use dubious popups to get the user to click them and then send spam events to your iPhone. Disabling popups on Safari will minimize this problem.

1. Go to iPhone Settings.
2. Select Safari.
3. Enable Block Popups, if not already.

3. Use privacy-focused DNS server on iPhone

Using a privacy-focused DNS on your iPhone will not only protect you from Calendar virus but also other malware.

Cloudflare’s WARP is one such DNS service that tracks malware and virus on the internet and prevents them from entering your iPhone. To set a custom DNS on your iPhone:

1. Go to Settings and select Wi-Fi.
2. Tap your Wi-Fi network’s name.
3. Scroll down, select Configure DNS, and change the configuration from Automatic to Manual.
4. Click Add Server and enter the DNS address (1.1.1.1 in case of Cloudflare’s DNS address).

I hope this guide helped you understand how to delete the Calendar virus from your iPhone and block it from appearing again. If you have some issues with the iPhone calendar not syncing with Outlook or any other iPhone calendar issues, let us know in the comments section below.

Related:

• Google Calendar not syncing with iPhone? How to fix It
• Best Calendar apps for iPhone to stay organized
• How to share Calendar events on iPhone and iPad
• Apple Calendar vs. Google Calendar