Apple on Tuesday launched a new app called “Invites” that allows users to create custom invitations for any occasion. With Invites, users can create and share invitations on their iPhone, RSVP, contribute to Shared Albums, and curate event soundtracks.
To create an invitation, you need an iCloud+ subscription. However, anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether they have an Apple Account or Apple device.
The launch marks Apple’s latest instance of “Sherlocking” a service, or simply put, introducing a new feature or app that offers the same functionality as an existing popular third-party app.
In this case, Invites is pretty similar to Partiful, a popular invitation app that was crowned Google Play’s Best App of 2024. The company has already taken a dig at Apple in response to the launch of Invites and implied that the app copies Partiful. Beyond Partiful, Invites will compete with startups like Posh, and other popular services like evite, Paperless Post, and Sendo Invitations.
When creating an invitation with Apple Invites, users can select a photo from their library or pick one from the app’s gallery. The app integrates with Maps and Weather to give guests directions to the event and to notify them about the forecast for that day.
Participants can contribute photos and videos to a dedicated Shared Album within each invite as a way to save their memories and relive the event at a later time. A collaborative playlist feature lets Apple Music subscribers create a soundtrack for the event that guests can access right from the invite.
In addition, users can create unique event invitations using Apple’s Image Playground to produce original images for invites. Plus, users can leverage Apple Intelligence’s Writing Tools to compose invitations.
Hosts can view and manage their events, share invitations with a link, and review RSVPs. They have to option to select which details to show in an invite preview, such as the event background or a home address.
On the other hand, guests can view and respond to an invitation through the app or on the web. Attendees can control how their information shows up to others, and they have the option to leave or report events.
“With Apple Invites, an event comes to life from the moment the invitation is created, and users can share lasting memories even after they get together,” said Brent Chiu-Watson, Apple’s senior director of Worldwide Product Marketing for Apps and iCloud in a press release. “Apple Invites brings together capabilities our users already know and love across iPhone, iCloud, and Apple Music, making it easy to plan special events.”
Apple Invites is available for free on the App Store for all iPhone models running iOS 18 or later and can be accessed on the web at icloud.com/invites.
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