Fantastical Usage Guide
I’ve been using Fantastical for many years, and recently saw that they released a Windows version. Excited about this, I decided to organize the features I frequently use.
Cross-Platform Support
I currently primarily use the following platforms:
- Mac
- iPhone
- Apple Watch
Premium subscription required- cannot be used without Premium subscription
Fantastical also supports iPad and Windows, though I don’t use these platforms frequently at the moment.
Note
- Except for the Apple Watch version, other devices can use Fantastical for free, though with some feature limitations.
My Personal Subscription Status
- Mac version: I previously purchased Fantastical 2 outright, then upgraded to version 3. Currently not subscribed to Premium due to the high cost.
- iPhone version: Using the free version, but to try out Apple Watch features, I used a hack solution with Surge.
Now that we’ve covered cross-platform support, let me introduce some of the features I commonly use.
Natural Language Input
This is a standout feature, but note that Fantastical is not very Chinese-friendly, so I recommend getting used to using English syntax.
Syntax
(Task) Event with Person at Location on Date and Time Reminder URL Link Calendar Name
Examples
1. Swimming with lily on tomorrow at shuilifang
2. Meeting on 4/1 2023
3. Team weekly meeting every monday 12:00
- Use “on” for dates, “at” for locations, and “with” can trigger contact suggestions to add people.
- If you want locations to trigger map positioning, use pinyin. If you just want it as text without being recognized as an address, use Chinese directly.
- For recurring events, remember to use “every”.
Once you get used to this syntax, you’ll really appreciate this feature.
Calendar Subscriptions
Besides adding events, I also want to view public holidays, so calendar subscriptions come in handy here.
Synchronization is a paid feature. With the free version, you need to manually add calendar subscriptions on each device.
Recommended calendars include Chinese Holidays
Mac - Hotkeys
- On Mac, I recommend setting up custom hotkeys - I use
⌥⌘X. This allows quick access to the calendar popup. - Both in the popup and full window views, you can use
⌘+and⌘-to zoom text size.
iPhone - Custom Widgets
If you have Fantastical installed on iPhone, I personally recommend removing the built-in Calendar app. Also recommend using Fantastical widgets.
Apple Watch
When Fantastical has premium access on iPhone, you can install it through the iPhone Watch app. After installation, you can configure your watch face to display Fantastical information, such as dates.
Final Thoughts
Of course, what I’ve mentioned above are only some of Fantastical’s features, but they’re sufficient for my current needs. Fantastical’s design and user experience are excellent, so I personally really like it.
