Experience Modes Overview
An Experience Mode decides how PrimeCal is put together for you: which parts of the app are on screen, which calendar views it offers, where the calendar opens, and how much room an hour gets. PrimeCal has six: Standard, Focus, Planner, Family, Simple, and Kid Mode.
Experience Modes change what you see. They do not change your data or permissions. Switching modes never creates, hides, or deletes any event, task, or calendar — it only changes which controls are on screen and how the calendar is laid out.
The Modes At A Glance
| Mode | For | The calendar opens on | Views on offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Everyday planning | Your own default view (Month or Week) | Day, Week, Month, Agenda, 3 days, Work week, Now |
| Focus | Deep work, one thing at a time | Now | Now, Day, Agenda |
| Planner | Full diaries | Work week | Every view, on a tighter grid that shows more of the day, with weeks numbered |
| Family | A household's shared calendar, a kitchen tablet | People: a column for each person | People, Day, Agenda, Month |
| Simple | Occasional use, larger text, fewer buttons | Agenda | Agenda, Day, Month |
| Kid Mode | A child ages 4–8 on a shared device | Its own picture day view | None — read-only |
What Else Changes
| Standard | Focus | Planner | Family | Simple | Kid Mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navigation | Full (Search, More menu, notifications) | Logo, date, and mode switcher only | Full | Full | Today, Calendar, Tasks, notifications, and profile — no More menu | Replaced entirely by the Kid shell |
| Calendar sidebar | Groups, People, sharing | Calendars only, collapsed by default | Same as Standard | Same as Standard: a calendar for each person, sharing | A plain list of calendars | None |
| Dragging events | Yes | Yes | Yes | No — open the event and choose Edit | No — open the event and choose Edit | No |
| Creating events | Yes (Quick add first) | Yes (floating + button) | Yes | Yes (Quick add first, or + for a person) | Yes (Add appointment, the form first) | No |
| Automation, AI Agents, booking links | Visible | Hidden | Visible | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| External Sync | Visible | Hidden | Visible | Visible | Hidden | Hidden |
| Text size | Regular | Regular | Regular | Regular, roomy rows | Larger (Comfort skin) | Extra large (Kid skin) |
| Exiting the mode | — | Instant | Instant | Instant | Instant | Requires a PIN |
How To Switch Modes
- Open the mode selector pill in the top-right of the header (next to your profile menu). Each mode is listed with a line about what it is for.
- Choose Standard, Focus, Planner, Family, or Simple — the switch is instant.
- Choose Kid Mode to hand the device to a child — see Kid Mode for the PIN setup this requires the first time.
You can also change your mode from Profile → Experience, where every mode is shown as a card with its description, and where you can manage a Kid Mode PIN. See Profile Page.
If you switch while the calendar is open, it moves to the new mode's opening view — Now in Focus, Work week in Planner, People in Family, Agenda in Simple. Switching back to Standard returns it to your own default view.
When To Use Each Mode
- Standard — your default. Use it whenever you want every feature available.
- Focus — use it during deep-work blocks, or if you find the full navigation distracting. See Focus Mode.
- Planner — use it if your calendar is full and you want to see more of the working week at once. See Planner Mode.
- Family — use it for the household's shared calendar, on the kitchen tablet or a phone: a column for each person and who is next at a glance. See Family Mode.
- Simple — use it for a calm, large-text view of what is coming up, for yourself or for someone who only needs their appointments. See Simple Mode.
- Kid Mode — use it only on a shared family device you're handing to a child ages 4-8. See Kid Mode.
Best Practices
- Switch to Focus mode before a work block instead of trying to ignore extra navigation — the mode does the decluttering for you.
- Set up Simple mode for a family member who only needs to see their appointments, then leave the device in it.
- Set a Kid Mode PIN you'd be comfortable with a child seeing you type in public — assume it isn't fully secret.
- If you share a device with a child, prefer Kid Mode over just trusting them not to click into other tabs.
- Pair a Skin with a Mode for a house rule your kids can recognize by sight — see Skins & Appearance.