Apple Unveils New Invites App for Sending Event Invitations

Most of you have an Apple iPhone in your hand or a Mac on your desk. And chances you’ve got a birthday or a special event coming. If you’re thinking of sending out an event invite, you might as well try Apple’s new Invites app, which launched today. The app almost replaces ad-filled third-party options like Evite and Partiful, at least for Apple users, to corral folks together in the well-coifed, walled garden way.

The Rumors Were True

We knew Apple Invites was coming this week. The rumors about what’s next from Apple are usually on the money if it’s loud enough that it’s circulating the blogs and on Bloomberg, too. Apple describes the Invites app as a tool for creating “unique invitations” and bringing “people together for life’s most exciting moments.” Yes, that means celebrating that you finally figured out how to unclog a drain without an expensive phone call to a plumber. That’s something worth celebrating! Most people would melt into a puddle and cry in front of the kitchen sink. But you? You conquered the fear of domesticity alone. You deserve to throw yourself a party.

How the App Works

When you’re done setting up the invitation, you can invite people from other platforms to RSVP using a shareable link or from your contacts. I sent the link to some friends and colleagues to see how the RSVP mechanism works. The only person who had trouble with Apple Invites was on a developer account, which required them to log in to see it. Everyone else was able to pop in and leave their reply.

Integration with Apple Intelligence

The other essential part of Apple Invites is its integration with Apple Intelligence. Any RSVP updates you receive will be bundled into the periodic daily summary on the lock screen. Apple also hopes you’ll use Image Playground to generate images of yourself as the header imagery for these invitations. As you can imagine, I used it to create a picture of myself with a hard hat on and confetti in the background. Because when you’re celebrating the little wins in life, like unclogging a drain, being silly about it with the image generation tool is at least one way to call out the absurdity of what we call life.

Getting Started with Apple Invites

If you want to use the Apple Invites app, grab it from the App Store or try it on the web at iCloud. Apple notes you must have an iCloud+ subscription to host an event, though anyone can attend.