Have you ever been caught playing the middle-man in planning an outing with multiple friends or coworkers through text message? Jeff tells you he wants to go here, so you have to tell Steve, who wants to know if he can invite Larry… on-and-on, around-and-around it goes. Now with SynkMonkey, everybody can be part of the planning conversation for that “Happy Hour” on your calendar.
Overview
SynkMonkey, available for free, allows you to create and send calendar events to your contacts, have group conversation about your get-together, and even pin the location of that new pub, helping get your friends there with ease.
Setting up your SynkMonkey account takes an email address, a phone number, and your name, and is done directly in the iPhone app. After a few permissions pop-ups (location, contacts list, notifications, and calendar integration), you’re greeted with a clean and simple welcome screen.
Creating an event opens your event details screen. Set the time and date, tap to add friends, give your event a title and location, and set your alert options and send it off to your friends. If your friends are using SynkMonkey, they’ll receive a notification. For your friends not using SynkMonkey, you can opt to send them the event as a text.
Requests sent by text include a link for your event online, where guests can RSVP, send a message to the rest of the group, view the location of the gathering, and check for any updates or changes to the plan.
From the app or event link, all your invited friends can share messages and comments about the event with the group, allowing for changes to plans without the need to create a replacement event on your calendar. iOS calendar integration allows you to access and share other events – created outside of SynkMonkey – with your friends for smart, social scheduling.
Verdict[rating:3.5]
As a scheduling app, SynkMonkey provides some decent tools to share events and chat about your upcoming plans. The ability to send the event and location details to non-SynkMonkey users (and even non-smartphone users) is one of the apps key features. More advanced sharing options, like email and Facebook, would truly make this a standout in the crowded sea of productivity apps.
With its clean user interface and clear visuals, SynkMonkey is an easy-to-use scheduling app for novices and pros alike. SyncMonkey is available for free through the App Store (link).
Pros:
- Sharing to any contact (with our without SynkMonkey)
- Location details (with Maps link) included in events
- Integration with stock iOS calendar app
Cons:
- Lack of options when sharing to those without SynkMonkey
- Several setup prompts could be confusing for newer iPhone users
