Apple announces event planning ‘Apple Invites’ app

Apple has announced Apple Invites, an event planning app for the iPhone that will let iCloud subscribers create and share invitations to parties and other events. Recipients can RSVP regardless of whether they have an iCloud subscription or an Apple device. It’s also available on the web.

With Invites, Apple says hosts can “view and manage their events, share invitations with a link, review RSVPs, and choose the details they want included in the preview,” such as a home address or a specific background. Guests can use the app to contribute to a Shared Album with photos and videos from the event.

When creating an invite within the app, hosts can use photos from their library, or choose from backgrounds available within the app. There’s a built-in Image Playground option as well, allowing hosts to generate images with AI as long as they have a supported device, along with Maps and Weather integrations that offer forecast details and directions. Apple Music subscribers can also add a collaborative playlist that guests can view from Apple Invites.

Only users who subscribe to iCloud Plus, which starts at 99 cents per month, can create invites within the app. Invites was first spotted on Apple’s iCloud website shortly before its official announcement. It’s available to iPhone users with iOS 18 and up.

The app appears to be very similar to Partiful, a popular event invitation service that was founded in 2020 and has blown up over the past few years. Both services offer a simple, mobile-friendly interface for responding to invites and getting event details. Partiful doesn’t charge a fee, and it’s much more oriented toward Gen Z.

Update, February 4th: This story has been updated to cover Apple Invite’s official launch; it initially covered the app leaking shortly before the announcement.