🎉 New: Transparent Updates
Stanza makes it dead simple to discover and subscribe to calendars. Part of the magic of Stanza has always been how easy it is to get started—just hit the Add to Calendar button and your calendar is forever updated.
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Picking Up Where We Left Off
In our last post, we shared how Google Connect was making life easier for Google Calendar users—speeding up subscriptions, removing mobile roadblocks, and laying the groundwork for a more transparent calendar experience. We also hinted at a future feature that would show you exactly when and how your calendars were refreshed, so you never have to guess if you’re looking at the latest events.
Well, the time has come! Keep reading to learn more about Transparent Updates—a simple yet powerful way to know exactly when your calendar app last updated.
The Silent Update Problem
All calendar apps refresh behind the scenes—quietly and automatically. While that approach seems convenient, it can leave you wondering:
⇒ When was my calendar last updated?
⇒ How current are the events in my calendar?
⇒ What exactly changed?
For events that matter, this ambiguity can lead to frustration—and sometimes, missed events.
🎉 Introducing Last Updated
To solve this uncertainty, we’ve introduced a simple yet powerful addition: a “Last Updated” timestamp in your calendar events. Now, you’ll know exactly when your calendar last refreshed, giving you the confidence that you’re always looking at the most accurate schedule.
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How It Works
Behind the scenes, your calendar app pings Stanza regularly for event changes. We keep track of when your calendar last pinged us to automatically apply a Last Updated timestamp to every event.
Where to look for it
- Open any event from your Stanza-powered calendar.
- Scroll down to the event description.
- Spot the clock emoji (🕒) followed by the exact time your calendar app last updated.
Google Connect Users
If you’re using Google Connect, your calendars are “smart” updated—meaning we only refresh events when actual schedule changes occur. You’ll get the most accurate read on your Library page, where you can see the Last Updated status at a glance.
Why This Matters
- Clarity: No more guesswork on whether your calendar is current or stale.
- Trust: Whether it’s a rescheduled sports match, a newly announced meeting, or a last-minute TV listing shift, you’ll know you have the most accurate information.
- Transparency: We’re not just updating silently; we’re showing you exactly when it happened so you can plan with confidence.
💬 New Help Center
Over the past few months, we've heard feedback from both free users and Stanza+ members around needing resources to bridge the subscription experience gaps that product simply never can. Our previous approach of using this blog to also address troubleshooting questions wasn’t cutting it. Finding solutions was taking too long.
Last month, we launched a completely redesigned Help Center—not just another support page, but a purpose-built resource designed to solve your most pressing questions. Here’s what we improved:
- Dedicated troubleshooting articles by calendar app and device
- AI-search - ask questions to be directed to relevant posts
- Detailed feature breakdowns for Stanza+ members
⇨ First stop is the Help Center: Head to the Help Center as a place to find resources to resolve your issue.
⇨ Submit a ticket: If your issue is still unresolved, the Help Center includes instructions on how to submit a support ticket. You can also click on the “Report” link in the top navigation drop down to submit a ticket.
🔜 What's Next?
- Have more questions about Transparent Updates? Check out FAQs in our brand spankin’ new Help Center.
- Apple & Microsoft Connect launches are on the horizon – with Transparent Updates being the first feature released.
Coming soon: Search & Discovery Overhaul
We're redesigning the discovery and search experience taking into account all the feedback that we've received.
- Search will be more accurate, especially for NCAA calendars.
- The new homepage will make it much easier to discover new calendars via tags.
- You'll also be able to personalize your homepage based on tags.
That’s it for this product update! As always, you can email founders@stanza.co with your feedback.
— Team Stanza
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