I just tried to move to Android because it's more open. Was not prepared for the "open" OS to not have basic support for self-hosted calendars. Yes, contacts and calendar are a core OS level feature in 2026.
Yes DAVx5 exists, but Google Calendar was buggy with local calendars and DAVx5 actually didn't work reliably afaict.
Calendar.app is totally seamless with synology on iOS. Same with contacts.
Android was working overtime to make sure I use Google for everything. iOS isn't perfect but I don't have to jump through crazy hoops to be in control of my data.
I've been self-hosting it for several years, with the entire thing (ntfy / UnifiedPush for calendar event updates, Radicale for CalDav & CardDav) working perfectly once background "optimization" is disabled
iOS was actually much worse - it happily synced to an ip address and port on the LAN, then failed silently and without error messages when using a VPN away from home.
> tried to move to Android because it's more open
At least we agree on this - AOSP is more open, but that's not what's on offer any more. Hell, Android Beam was AOSP, and super nice for transferring files. It's now "Google Share", with all the proprietary bullshit that implies, and NFC's utility crippled if you don't use Google Services.
OK, but don't you have problems with apps that add events to calendar transparentny? These add events to Google calendar here, not my self-hosted synced with DavX. Something I can't fix at all.
Also, do you use Gemini for adding calendar events and tasks?
Exactly that. It's mind-blowing, to be honest, because I hear Android fanboys claim the system is so much more open, when it reality it's a mixed bag: iOS is more open in some areas, Android in other, but it's not a clear-cut case at all. There's some hope in EU making them be more open, at least on some fronts, e.g. https://www.heise.de/en/news/Google-EU-demands-Android-be-op...
Yes DAVx5 exists, but Google Calendar was buggy with local calendars and DAVx5 actually didn't work reliably afaict.
Calendar.app is totally seamless with synology on iOS. Same with contacts.
Android was working overtime to make sure I use Google for everything. iOS isn't perfect but I don't have to jump through crazy hoops to be in control of my data.