When you have OwnCloud managing your files, you might also want it to start managing your contacts and calendar. When I set it up, I was not sure how well the syncing would be but it ended up being efficient and reliable. Here are the learning points I got on making the full transition.

Make sure you have enabled the Calendar and Contacts. You can click on the OwnCloud icon on the top right of the page and select “Calendar”, “Contacts”, or if you see neither, “Apps”. Install it through the page that comes up.

Calendar

Phone Sync with Owncloud

The free app I use is Caldav Sync Free Beta. This performs more as an account service rather than an app so you need to access it through the Settings>Accounts & sync option. You can add an account through here using the username, password, and URL of your calendar. You obtain the URL via the Calendar page and selecting the link button for the calendar. Do not get confused and select the bottom left nut/gear and grabbing the Primary CalDAV address. This address will not work.

Thunderbird Sync with Owncloud

Make sure to install Lightning into Thunderbird so you will have a calendar. Then simply select:

• File>New>Calendar
• On the Network
• CalDAV
• The URL of your Calendar.
  • Obtain it from the link next to your calendar and not the nut on the bottom left of the Calendar page.
• Complete the steps and you should see the calendar begin to sync.

You might also want to install the add-on Provider for Google Calendar so you can access your Google Calendar during your transition phase.

Google Data to Owncloud

My solution requires using your Android phone and the app iCal Import/Export CalDAV.You will need to have your Caldav Sync Free Beta up and running for this to work. So the app is not too straight forward but:

• In Google Calendar, go the page called “Calendar Settings” by clicking on the nut on the top right and then settings.
• In the middle of the page select “Export Calendar” and save the downloaded zip file. It might take a few moments for Google to build the zip file.
• Extract the files and put them on your Android device (how about by uploading to OwnCloud and then downloading with your OwnCloud app?)
• Open the iCal Import/Export CalDAV app.
• Change the active calendar at the bottom to your OwnCloud calendar. It might be defaulted to your Google Calendar.
• Select import and then select the iCal file you downloaded onto your device.
• From here, select continue and import the calendar.
• Your Caldav Sync Free Beta will sync your events to OwnCloud. Give it some time especially if you have been using Google Calendar for a while.

P.S. – The popular fix suggested here is broken as said here and in many other places. It might work for you so you can give it a shot first before my solution above.

Contacts

Phone Sync with Owncloud

The free app I use is CardDAV. I have not needed to pay for the full version. Through this app, you can tell it the username, password, and URL of your OwnCloud CardDAV. The URL is obtained by going to the Contacts page, clicking the nut on the bottom left, and then clicking the link button.

Thunderbird Sync with Owncloud

You will need to install the Inverse SOGo Connector add-on. Then simply select:

• Tools>Address Book
• File>New>Remote Address Book
• Input the URL and the name you want to give it for this contact address book.

You might also want to install the add-on Google Contacts so you can access your Google Contacts during your transition phase.

Google Data to Owncloud

First, make a backup of your Google Contacts. You could lose them all if you mess up.

(Works for the LG G3) From your Android phone after installing CardDAV

• Go to your Contacts app.
• Select Settings
• Select Manage Contacts
• Select Copy Contacts
  • Copy from Google to OwnCloud Contacts.

Give your phone, Owncloud, and other stuff time to run successfully. I found that it will take up to an hour to fully sync so refrain from checking its progress too often because you will make the sync slow down!

Sources:

• https://workaround.org/article/moving-contacts-and-calendar-entries-from-google-to-owncloud
• http://www.maxi-muth.de/2259/allgemeines/migrating-from-google-to-owncloud-howto/
• http://sebastiangreger.net/2014/03/own-your-data-part-3-calendar-contacts-owncloud/

Edit Sept 7, 2015 – Changed “bottom left nut” to “bottom left nut/gear”