(Credit: Apple)
Apple wants to help you plan your next big event.
Its new Apple Invites app works similarly to most event planner apps. Users create the event, customize it, and send it off to friends and family members. They can then join and engage with the invite; hosts can post messages with any last-minute changes.
Events are easy to share with a link that can be sent through text or email. Attendees also control how much of their information is shared with the group for an added splash of privacy.
"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," says Brent Chiu-Watson, Apple’s senior director of Worldwide Product Marketing for Apps and iCloud. "Apple Invites brings together capabilities our users already know and love across iPhone, iCloud, and Apple Music, making it easy to plan special events."
(Credit: Applea)The integrations also look quite useful. Guests can participate in collaborative playlists using Apple Music for use when the party starts and there is a Shared Album where people can post photos they take during the event. Maps and Weather integrations also help people figure out where to go and how they should dress.
As is apropos, Apple inserted a dollop of AI into the experience as well. Per Apple, people creating invitations can use Apple Intelligence and Image Playground to customize the event page and make it more visually appealing.
There are some caveats. The app isn't available for Android so you need an iPhone running iOS 18 or later to use it. You'll also need an iCloud+ subscription, which has angered some of the Apple faithful on social media. You don't need an iPhone or an iCloud+ account to RSVP.