Birthdays in Calendar: Automatic Synchronization from Address Book

Birthdays in Calendar: Automatic Synchronization from Address Book

The automatic birthday synchronization transfers birthdays from your address book directly into your calendar. Your appointments are created as annual recurring entries and synchronized with all connected devices. Never miss an important birthday again!


The automatic birthday synchronization is available free of charge in all plans and has been active since March 2026.
 

• Requirements

  • You need access to Organizer > Address Book and Organizer > Calendar in your eclipso Mail Europe account.
  • Birthdays must be entered in the address book contact in the "Birthday" field.
  • For CalDAV synchronization (Thunderbird, Apple Calendar): Activated calendar synchronization.

• Adding Birthday to a Contact - Here's how:

  • New Contact:
    • Open the menu Organizer > Address Book in the desktop version.
    • Click New Contact.
    • Fill in First Name, Last Name, and Email.
    • Enter the Birthday (e.g., 08/15/1992).
    • Click [ OK ].
    • The birthday automatically appears in the calendar as an all-day event.
  • Existing Contact:
    • Open the contact in the address book.
    • Click Edit.
    • Add the Birthday (if not yet entered).
    • Click [ OK ].
    • The birthday is immediately transferred to the calendar.

• Viewing Birthday in Calendar - Here's how:

  • In Web Interface:
    • Open Organizer > Calendar.
    • Navigate to the corresponding month.
    • The birthday event is displayed as an all-day entry.
    • Title format: "First Name Last Name (Birthday)" or "First Name Last Name (Company) (Birthday)".
  • In Thunderbird:
    • Open Thunderbird > Calendar.
    • Click Synchronize (or wait for automatic sync).
    • The birthday appears as an annual recurring event.
  • On Smartphone:
    • Open your calendar app (iOS Calendar, Android Calendar, eclipso Mobile App).
    • Ensure the eclipso calendar is synchronized.
    • The birthday is visible with annual recurrence.

• Changing or Removing Birthday - Here's how:

  • Correcting Birthday Date:
    • Open the contact in the Address Book.
    • Click Edit.
    • Change the birthday date.
    • Click [ OK ].
    • The calendar event is automatically updated.
  • Removing Birthday from Calendar:
    • Open the contact in the Address Book.
    • Click Edit.
    • Delete the birthday date (leave field empty).
    • Click [ OK ].
    • The birthday event automatically disappears from the calendar.
  • Deleting Contact Completely:
    • Open the contact in the address book.
    • Click Delete and confirm.
    • The associated birthday event is automatically removed.

• Setting Up Reminders for Birthdays

  • Open the birthday event in the calendar (not in the address book!).
  • Click Edit.
  • Select Add Reminder.
  • Example options: "1 day before", "1 week before", "same day at 09:00 AM".
  • Click [ OK ].
  • The reminder is triggered automatically every year.
  • Tip: You can set multiple reminders per birthday.

• Important Notes

  • Birthdays are created as annual recurring all-day events.
  • Synchronization occurs automatically and immediately after saving a contact.
  • Birthdays are CalDAV compatible and synchronize with Thunderbird, Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, etc.
  • Changes to the contact (name, birthday date) are automatically updated in the calendar.
  • Deleting a contact automatically removes the associated birthday event.
  • Important: Existing contacts (before March 2026) are not automatically synchronized. Open the contact, click "Edit" and save again to activate synchronization.
  • The suffix text "(Birthday)" in the title serves for unique identification and cannot be changed.
  • ⚠️ Birthdays can ONLY be edited in the address book, NOT in the calendar! Changes to the birthday event in the calendar (e.g., moving the date) have no effect on the address book entry and will be automatically overwritten at the next sync.

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  • Why doesn't the birthday appear in the calendar?
    • Check if the birthday date is correctly entered in the address book.
    • Wait 1-2 minutes and refresh the calendar view (F5).
    • In Thunderbird/Smartphone: Manually click "Synchronize".
  • Are old contacts also synchronized?
    • No, only contacts created or edited after March 2026.
    • Solution: Open existing contacts, click "Edit" and save again.
  • Can I change the text "(Birthday)" in the title?
    • No, this suffix is fixed and serves for unique identification of birthdays.
  • What happens if I manually delete a birthday from the calendar?
    • The birthday will be restored the next time the contact is edited.
    • For permanent removal: Delete the birthday date in the address book contact.
  • Can I edit birthdays from the calendar?
    • No, not permanently. Birthdays are linked to the address book and can only be edited there.
    • What works in calendar: Adding/changing reminders (saved), temporarily moving event (current year only).
    • What does NOT work: Permanently changing birthday date (will be overwritten at sync), changing names (source is address book), deleting event (automatically restored).
    • ⚠️ Important: Changes to the birthday event in the calendar have no effect on the address book entry.
    • For permanent changes: Open contact in address book > Edit > Change birthday date > Save.
  • Are birthdays also displayed in the Mobile App?
    • Yes! Open Calendar in the eclipso Mobile App and synchronize (Pull-to-Refresh).
    • Birthdays appear as all-day events with annual recurrence.
  • What happens when multiple people have birthdays on the same day?
    • All birthdays are displayed as separate entries.
    • You can see them all simultaneously in day or week view.

• Synchronization Process

  • Synchronization occurs immediately after saving a contact.
  • No manual steps are required.
  • CalDAV clients (Thunderbird, Apple Calendar) synchronize at the next automatic or manual sync.
  • For eclipso Mobile App: Pull-to-Refresh in the calendar section.
  • You can continue working normally during synchronization.

• Practical Examples

  • Example 1: Adding Girlfriend with Birthday
    • Address Book > New Contact
    • First Name: Julia, Last Name: Schmidt, Birthday: 08/15/1992
    • After saving, appears in calendar: "Julia Schmidt (Birthday)" on August 15 (annually)
  • Example 2: Business Contact with Birthday
    • Company: Mustermann GmbH, First Name: Max, Last Name: Mustermann, Birthday: 12/20/1980
    • Appears in calendar: "Max Mustermann (Mustermann GmbH) (Birthday)" on December 20
  • Example 3: Adding Birthday Retroactively
    • Open existing contact > Edit > Enter birthday date: 05/10/1988
    • After saving, the birthday appears immediately in the calendar (also visible for past years).

• After Setup

  • Check birthday events in the calendar view.
  • Verify synchronization in Thunderbird or your Mobile App.
  • Optionally set up reminders for important birthdays.
  • Use the search function in the calendar with the term "Birthday" to list all birthdays.
  • Tip: Regularly check your address book contacts for completeness of birthday data.