Howbout: shared calendar

Idk how many friends I've referred to this app when it comes to needing to see multiple calendars and make plans with friends. It use to be so difficult for all of us to get together but now we can all see each others busy times and force time. Not to mention the group chats from each shared invite is great for the little "let's dress in a theme" or "what to bring with" kind of notes for each other. Great app for keeping friends connected even with kids and a busy schedule.

I used Howbout for a couple of years and absolutely loved it. I originally started using it with my family after I moved out, and eventually added friends as all of our schedules became busier and harder to coordinate. One of my favorite things about the app was how simple it was. It was free, you had access to all the colors, and I could easily color-code different activities and repeating events. As a very Type A person, I had YEARS of my calendar organized by color. Unfortunately, Howbout changed the way colors work and started putting certain colors behind a paywall. They also changed how repeating activities can be created and color-coded. I opened the app one day and suddenly all of my previously color-coded activities were grey. Years of organization and visual patterns were basically taken away without warning. That may sound small to some people, but when you’ve used an app consistently for years and built your entire calendar around a feature, it’s incredibly frustrating and honestly feels unfair to loyal users. I ended up downloading TimeTree, which gives me essentially the same functionality for free, and I’m hoping they don’t eventually make the same kind of changes. I genuinely loved Howbout, which is what makes this so disappointing, but unfortunately I’ve now uninstalled the app.