Overview

If events from your connected Google Calendar are not appearing in the Tonomo scheduler — or are showing but not blocking availability for new bookings — this guide will walk you through the most common causes and how to fix them.

Cause 1: Photographer's Google Calendar Is Not Connected

Before any external events can appear in the Tonomo scheduler, each photographer must individually connect their Google Calendar to their Tonomo account. This is a per-user step and is not done automatically.

To connect a Photographer's Google Calendar, please see the Connecting Photographer Accounts documentation.

Cause 2: A Shadowed Block Remains After a Cancellation

After an appointment is cancelled or rescheduled, the Tonomo scheduler may continue to display a greyed-out "shadowed" external block on that time slot. This block does not prevent new bookings but can cause confusion.

How to Remove a Shadowed Block

1. Locate the shadowed block in the Scheduler view.

2. Click on the block to open the event details.

3. If a Delete or Remove option is available, use it to clear the block.

4. If the block cannot be removed manually, contact Tonomo Support with the order number or a screenshot with the date and photographer name so we can clear it on the backend.

Cause 3: Sync Delay After a Calendar Change

Changes made in Google Calendar do not always appear in Tonomo immediately. There is typically a sync interval of 5–15 minutes before new or updated events are reflected in the scheduler.

Cause 4: Multiple Calendars — Wrong One Is Connected

If a photographer manages multiple Google calendars (e.g., personal, work, shared team), Tonomo may be connected to the wrong one. Events added to a different calendar will not sync.

How to Verify Which Calendar Is Connected

1. Go to Configure Booking → Scheduling.

2. Check which Google account and calendar is currently linked.

3. If it's incorrect, replace it with the correct Google Calendar account.

4. If the correct Google Calendar is not showing up, please refer back to Cause 1.

5. Add a test event to the newly connected calendar and verify it appears in Tonomo within 15 minutes.

Cause 5: External Events Are Marked as "Free"

Even when Google Calendar is properly connected, some events may not block availability in the Tonomo scheduler. This happens when the event's status in Google Calendar is set to Free instead of Busy.

Tonomo — via Nylas — only treats events marked as Busy as time blocks that prevent new bookings. Events set to Free will still appear in the scheduler with an "External" indicator, but the time slot will remain open for clients to book.

⚠ This is a common source of double-bookings. A photographer may have a personal appointment synced to Tonomo that appears on the calendar but isn't actually blocking the slot because it was saved as "Free" in Google Calendar.

How to Fix This

1. Open Google Calendar and locate the external event that should be blocking availability.

2. Click on the event and select Edit.

3. Find the status field (usually labelled Status or shown as a dropdown near the event details).

4. Change the value from Free to Busy.

5. Save the event. Tonomo will pick up the change within 5–15 minutes and the time slot will be blocked.

Summary