Productivity app
Next event on your desk
The Next event app counts down to your next meeting on Perchi Matrix from any calendar's iCal link: Google Calendar's secret address, Outlook, iCloud, Fastmail, Proton or any .ics feed, checked every 15 minutes. Only the next event's title and start time reach the display. On Perchi the event 5 minutes out is a curious moment.
- Available
- API key
- Works on Perchi Matrix
- Works on Perchi
App id calendar.ical_next. Checked against Any calendar (iCal) on .
What it shows
What does the Next event app show?
A countdown to your next meeting from any calendar's iCal link, checked every 15 minutes; Google Calendar sign-in follows after Google's verification.
The countdown layout shows the minutes to your next event beside a calendar icon with the event title as its label; the text layout shows the title alone. The app reads the next event from an iCal feed every 15 minutes: Google Calendar's secret address in iCal format, Outlook, iCloud, Fastmail, Proton or any .ics link. Turn on Hide titles and only the countdown reaches the display, which suits a shared desk.
The calendar address is stored as a sealed connection, encrypted per record and masked after saving, and the installation itself holds only a reference to it; the feed is downloaded and parsed once before the connection is saved, so a broken link is caught immediately. Only the next event's title and start time are ever sent to the display.
A second app, Google Calendar next event, signs in to your Google account and reads the primary calendar every 5 minutes with no link to copy. It is built, but Google has not yet completed the verification of its calendar scope, so it is coming after provider approval; until then the iCal secret address gives Google Calendar users the same countdown today.
How it connects
What do you need to connect Next event?
An API key or link you control. The iCal link of your calendar (Google's secret address, Outlook, iCloud, Fastmail, Proton or any .ics URL), stored encrypted.
Keys, tokens and links are tested against the provider before they are saved, stored encrypted per record, masked after saving and never shown again. Revoke them at the provider any time; the app simply stops. The security page lists what we have and have not done.
Speed
How fast does Next event update?
The iCal feed is read every 15 minutes; the countdown itself is drawn on the device between reads, so the minutes tick without a server. Stale after an hour without a successful read, expired after 24 hours. The Google sign-in app polls every 5 minutes once Google approves it.
Style
How does Next event look on the matrix?
A calendar icon beside the minutes remaining, with the event title as the label, is the default; the text layout scrolls the title alone. With Hide titles the countdown is all that shows. A threshold can turn the last 5 minutes orange.
The preview at the top of this page is the default Next event scene on a 24x8 Perchi Matrix, reading 5M. The apps page explains how freshness badges work, and the Perchi Matrix page lists every font, colour and effect in the style panel.
On Perchi
What does Perchi do with Next event?
A calendar event 5 minutes away is one of Perchi's built-in moments: a curious face, then the event on the card. It is silent, and during a Phone Nap block it waits until the block ends.
A moment is Perchi's reaction to a real event: the face changes mood first, then a small card with the value slides in beside it and the face returns. Moments queue three deep, never interrupt a Phone Nap stage change, and wait silently during a block when do-not-disturb is on (the default). See which real events Perchi celebrates and how Phone Nap works.
Setup
Set up Next event in three steps
Everything happens in the web dashboard from any browser; there is no app to install on your phone and no account wall before the first pixel.
- STEP 1
Copy your calendar's iCal link
In Google Calendar: settings, your calendar, Secret address in iCal format. Outlook, iCloud and the rest have an equivalent.
- STEP 2
Add the connection
In Connections add Calendar (iCal) and paste the link. It is fetched once to check it, then stored encrypted.
- STEP 3
Install Next event
Install it on your display, choose the countdown or title layout, and turn on Hide titles if the desk is shared.
Honest limits
Where does Next event stop?
What the provider, the hardware or our own roadmap does not allow yet, stated before you reserve rather than after.
Questions about Next event
Specific to this app. The general questions (do I need an app, does it work offline, what does a reservation cost) live on the pages that own them.
Which calendars work with the next event app?
Any calendar that publishes an iCal (.ics) link: Google Calendar through its secret address in iCal format, Outlook and Microsoft 365, iCloud, Fastmail, Proton and your own CalDAV server if it publishes a feed. The link must start with https://.
Does my calendar link stay private?
Yes. The address is stored as a sealed connection, encrypted per record and masked after saving; the app installation only references it. Only the next event's title and start time are sent to the display, nothing else from the feed is kept.
Can I hide meeting titles on the display?
Yes. Turn on Hide titles and the display shows the countdown alone, so a shared office sees 12 MIN without seeing what the meeting is.
Why is Google Calendar sign-in marked as pending?
Because the Google Calendar next event app reads a sensitive calendar scope that Google verifies before an app can use it with any account, and that verification is not complete. It is built and polls every 5 minutes; until Google approves it, use your Google Calendar's secret iCal address with the Next event app.
How far ahead does the meeting countdown look?
It always shows the next event that has not started yet, whether that is in 12 minutes or in 3 days, counting down in minutes, then hours, then days as the distance changes.
Does Perchi warn me before a meeting?
Yes. A calendar event 5 minutes away is one of Perchi's built-in moments: the face turns curious and the event slides in beside it, silently, so you notice without a notification.
More on the FAQ hub, the Perchi Matrix page and the support page.
Batch 2 - estimated 2 to 3 weeks, no payment today
Put Next event on your desk
Perchi Matrix is ₹4,499 incl. GST (MRP ₹4,999). No subscription needed.
No payment today. We email a checkout link when your unit is bench-tested; current estimated wait 2 to 3 weeks from the day you reserve. Cancel any time before then.