What connecting your calendar to Whenn actually means
When you connect your calendar to Whenn, one specific category of data is shared: free/busy information. Here is exactly what that means, what it doesn't include, and how access works.
What free/busy means
When you connect your calendar to Whenn, you're sharing one specific category of data: free/busy information. Free/busy is a binary signal — a slot is either occupied or it isn't. It carries no content about what the slot contains.
Whenn reads whether time is blocked. It doesn't read the event title, the attendee list, the location, or any notes attached to a calendar entry. A slot marked as busy by a confidential board meeting looks identical to one marked by a dentist appointment. They are both, to Whenn, simply: occupied.
This isn't a policy choice. It's a constraint of the OAuth scope requested — Calendars.Read for participants, which is explicitly limited to free/busy data by Microsoft and Google's API definitions. Requesting broader access would require different scopes, and Whenn doesn't request them.
What connecting means technically
When you click to connect your calendar, you're redirected to your calendar provider — Google or Microsoft — where you authenticate with your own credentials. Whenn never sees your password. Your provider issues an access token that lets Whenn query your free/busy data for a defined period.
That access is used at one specific moment: when AutoWhenn is determining the best slot for your meeting. It reads your availability, compares it with the other participants', and selects the optimal time. The token is stored encrypted and remains active for as long as you have a calendar connected to your Whenn account. You can disconnect at any time from your account settings, which revokes access immediately.
What gets stored and for how long
Whenn stores the access token, encrypted, for as long as your calendar remains connected. It doesn't store a record of your free/busy windows — it reads them live at the point of need. Once a meeting is confirmed or expires, that availability data is no longer referenced.
You can delete your account and all associated data directly from your account settings. If you'd prefer to make the request by email, that's handled via privacy@meetwhenn.com in line with UK GDPR.
For Microsoft 365 users
Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise organisations often require IT admin approval before employees can connect third-party applications to their work calendar. If your connection requires approval, your IT department can review Whenn's permissions, compliance credentials, and Microsoft Marketplace listing at meetwhenn.com/microsoft-approval.
The Calendars.Read scope requested for participants is the minimum permission that makes the scheduling work. The technical difference from a manual availability form is that Whenn reads your availability directly rather than asking you to transcribe it.
Read next
Whenn handles the entire coordination process — automatically.
Add participants by email, they connect their calendar, AutoWhenn finds the best slot and sends everyone an invite.
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