Google Calendar 404 Error: What is it? How to Fix it?

Millions of people use Google Calendar for scheduling and tracking events. Unfortunately, any issues or errors faced while using it can spell doom.

Many companies and individuals integrate their applications with Google Calendar using the Calendar API. It is common to encounter errors while using the API. Google Calendar 404 Error is widespread, and there is nothing to panic about.

In this post, we go into the reasons for the 404 error and solutions for fixing it.

An Introduction to Google Calendar API

The Google Calendar API lets you integrate your mobile or web applications with Google Calendar, creating new ways for you to engage your users. With the API, you can find and view public calendar events and, if you are authorized, you can access and modify private calendars and events on those calendars. You can also work with many other calendar-related objects, such as calendars or access controls.

You can achieve deeper integration with the Google Calendar, which allows you to create, display, or sync with Calendar data.  In the end, this integration can enhance the user experience in more ways than one.

Example: If you are building a booking app (for hotels, flights, etc.), using the Calendar API, you can automatically create or modify events in the user’s Google Calendar whenever they make a booking.

Common Google Calendar API Errors

Since errors are common while using Calendar API, it is better to understand a little bit more about the types of errors you can face before diving into the specifics of Google Calendar 404 Error.

The Calendar API returns two levels of error information:

• HTTP error codes and messages in the header.
• A JSON object in the response body with additional details can help you determine how to handle the error.

You usually receive 4xx errors while using the Calendar API. Some of the errors are as follows,

• 400: Bad Request
• 401: Invalid Credentials
• 403: Daily Limit Exceeded
• 403: User Rate Limit Exceeded
• 403: Forbidden for non-organizer
• 404: Not Found
• 409: The requested identifier already exists
• 412: Precondition Failed

The reason and solutions for each of these errors is varied and unique.

Reasons for Google Calendar 404 Error

The Google Calendar 404 error known as 404: Not Found is the error message returned when a specified resource is not found. This error can occur in different situations, when executing a get request, accessing the calendar, updating an event, etc.

The reasons are as varied as the situations in which the error occurs. Some of them are:

• When the requested resource (with the provided ID) has never existed.
• When accessing a calendar that the user can not access

Of course, the 404 error can also happen due to a global server or service outage, which happens from time to time.

Solutions for Google Calendar 404 Error

While the solutions for this error depending on the problem, you can see some of the more common solutions here. For example, the often-suggested course of action when faced with a 404 error is using exponential backoff.

In the exponential backoff method, you periodically retry a failed request over an increasing amount of time to handle errors related to rate limits, network volume, or response time.

For example, you might retry a failed request after one second, then after two seconds, and then after four seconds. It is used to improve bandwidth usage and maximize the throughput of requests in concurrent environments.

Keep the following in mind while using this method:

• After the error, wait for at least one second before starting the retry periods.
• If the attempted request introduces a change, such as a create request, add a check to make sure nothing is duplicated. Some errors, such as invalid authorization credentials, are not resolved by retrying the request.

If a Google Calendar 404 error occurs while updating an event, it might be because you are missing the proper XML namespace declarations on the entry. Ensure that you are specifying this correctly in your update.

Also, Read | How to Make a Table in Google Docs in 4 Easy Steps

FAQs