Google Calendar alarm on Mac
A Google Calendar reminder is a banner. If you wanted an alarm, here is the closest thing on a Mac.
People search for a Google Calendar alarm because a notification is too easy to ignore. On a Mac, Google Calendar gives you a notification in the browser or in Apple Calendar, and a notification is a banner that fades. There is no setting that turns it into something that interrupts you until you answer.
Why a notification is not an alarm
- It is small. A corner banner on one display.
- It leaves on its own. Unless you set the style to Persistent in System Settings, Notifications, it is gone in seconds.
- It is easy to block by accident. A closed tab, a muted browser or a Focus mode and nothing shows. The fixes are on the Google Calendar notifications on Mac page.
The closest thing to an alarm on a Mac
Slapss lives in the menu bar. When the event starts it covers the screen, on every display if you want, with the title, the time and a Join button, and you cannot keep typing until you deal with it. It can also play a sound.
- Lead time you choose. At the start, or from 10 seconds to 15 minutes before.
- Snooze that comes back. 1, 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes, 1 hour, or until the meeting ends.
- A sound if you want one. Turn on Play sound when alert appears.
- Several Google accounts. Choose which calendars alert you, and which account opens each calendar's Meet links.
Set it up in a minute
1
Open System Settings, Internet Accounts, add your Google account and turn on Calendars.
2
Install Slapss from the Mac App Store and allow calendar access when it asks.
3
Pick which calendars should alert you in Slapss Settings, Calendars. Done.
Slapss reads the events through macOS, so there is no extra Google sign-in inside the app, and your calendar never passes through a server of ours.
Get Slapss free on the Mac App Store
Questions
Can Google Calendar ring like an alarm on a Mac?
Not by itself. On a Mac its reminders are notifications, shown as a banner by your browser or by Apple Calendar. To get something that takes over the screen, you need an app that reads your calendar and does that, such as Slapss.
Can the alert make a sound?
Yes. Turn on Play sound when alert appears in Slapss Settings and the alert comes with an audio cue.
What happens if I snooze it?
It comes back. You can snooze for 1, 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes, 1 hour, or until the meeting ends. Dismissing is a separate choice.
Do I need to keep Google Calendar open in Chrome?
No. Slapss reads your Google Calendar through macOS Calendar, so the alert fires with every browser closed.
Is Slapss free?
Yes. No subscription, no in-app purchase, no limit. Slapss is open source under the Apache 2.0 license.