iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk

[MacRumors]

If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost.

The new perk is the ability to create invitations in the Apple Invites app for the iPhone, which launched in the App Store last month.

In the Apple Invites app, iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations for any occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, and more. Anyone can RSVP to an invite, even if they do not have an Apple Account or an Apple device, but creating an invitation is a perk available only to iCloud+ subscribers.

iCloud+ is the official name for Apple's paid iCloud storage plans, which range from 50GB for $0.99 per month to 12TB for $59.99 per month in the United States. iCloud+ plans already came with multiple perks for free, such as Hide My Email and HomeKit Secure Video, and the ability to create invites in the Apple Invites app is the latest perk.

In its press release last month for the Invites app, Apple highlighted other iCloud+ perks:

- Expanded storage allows users to keep large libraries of original, high-resolution photos, videos, and files safe in iCloud, and easily accessible across all of their devices and the web.
- Private Relay keeps browsing in Safari entirely private from network providers, websites, and even Apple.
- Hide My Email generates unique, random email addresses whenever needed.
- HomeKit Secure Video allows users to capture and review home security footage in an end-to-end encrypted format.
- Custom email domains enable users to personalize their iCloud email address.
- Family Sharing allows users to share their iCloud+ subscription with up to five people at no extra cost.

To learn more about the Apple Invites app, watch our hands-on video.

Article Link: iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk

 

[Rafagon]

What's the new perk?

 

[BigBlur]

Bad bot. This is old news.

 

[JCoe13]

I'm confused.... This came out over a month ago and was heavily covered on MacRumors. Why is being posted again today?

 

[walterpaisley]

Come on people – you say there's a new perk, but then you don't say what it is (unless it's the Invites app, which is old news as this article even says), but what's worse, there's no link to the press release. Come ON.

 

[bryanhalpin]

lol what is news about this? Mac rumors had an article already weeks ago pointing out the Invites app is now included with iCloud +. What a pointless article

 

[jz0309]

and the new perk is: no idea

 

[TonyC28]

Guys, be patient. This article was built for the new perk. It will be released in a future update.

 

[Westside guy]

Is this a "perq" in the sense that Windows users have free access to Cortana as a "perq"?

 

[zorinlynx]

They should add a feature that lets your innie and outie text each other. Using an old video camera is inefficient.

 

[Lone Deranger]

How about upgrading the free 5GB tier, which in this day and age is pathetic, to 50GB.
Typical Apple scrooge-iness.

 

[tgwaste]

dumbest app ever

 

[WilliApple]

Didnt they already say this?

 

[Johnny907]

Free advertising for an app no one is using despite Apple's massive hype train at launch is not a "perk."

 

[kurtfoster]

What's the new perk?

You took the words right out of my mouth!!

 

[svish]

The invites app should have been made available to all and not just to paying iCloud members. Have not installed it and tried it out. Planning to do so in the coming weeks.

 

[Kleber20]

You can only reply if you have an Apple account. As when you click the link, it forces you to log in/create an Apple account.

This is what my android friends says and I think it’s very lame, or maybe… this is the new perk?

 

[Chazak]

I would be pretty surprised that this would induce anyone to spend more that they are currently spending.

dumbest app ever

Considering the number of other apps offering similar function, I would say it doesn't even come to being "the dumbest app ever.

You can only reply if you have an Apple account. As when you click the link, it forces you to log in/create an Apple account.

This is what my android friends says and I think it’s very lame, or maybe… this is the new perk?

Of course androids say that. Would you expect them to praise it?

I'm confused.... This came out over a month ago and was heavily covered on MacRumors. Why is being posted again today?

Fresh promotion.

You can only reply if you have an Apple account. As when you click the link, it forces you to log in/create an Apple account.

This is what my android friends says and I think it’s very lame, or maybe… this is the new perk?

"iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk"​

Anyone can RSVP to an invite, even if they do not have an Apple Account or an Apple device, but creating an invitation is a perk available only to iCloud+ subscribers."

The headline by itself makes it quite clear there is no perk without iCloud+. So yes, the ability to do more than reply to a received invite is a new perk. Without the perk, issuing invites requires a subscription. If you already have iCloud+ there is no additional benefit.

The invites app should have been made available to all and not just to paying iCloud members. Have not installed it and tried it out. Planning to do so in the coming weeks.

Why should it be free to everyone? Because you think so or because you have a business case to prove that out?

Are you familiar with other invitation services and event organizers? Are they free or require a fee/subscription for full functionality?

You took the words right out of my mouth!!

The promotion makes it pretty clear there is no perk if you already have iCloud+, but will receive it if you do or if you sign up.

You can only reply if you have an Apple account. As when you click the link, it forces you to log in/create an Apple account.

This is what my android friends says and I think it’s very lame, or maybe… this is the new perk?

You can reply to invitations issued using the app no matter what platform you are on or with or without any Apple account. If you wish to collect the perk, of course you have to have an account. Any personal data being asked for in order to reply is no different that any other invitation service asks for.

Not trying tone the curmudgeon of the day, but after reading through the posts on this thread, at least prior to mine, I wonder if people really read through an article and think about what is being said and apply logic before they start pounding on their keyboard. It appears many of them do not.

 

[Fuberman]

I have tried the app, and actually it works okay, the only issue right now is that if you don't have an iCloud account you are not able to respond to the invite despite it is described in the Apple instruction guideline. Maybe it's a future feature, that already is included in the guideline?

 

[xiJulian_]

Old news

 

[DDustiNN]

Apple Invites is missing some of the most basic features compared to Facebook invites. It’s a huge miss for me.

 

[Mazda 3s]

A "new perk" would be to give you more base iCloud storage instead of making you fight for table scraps over a shared 5GB. At a minimum, it would seem fair to give everyone 15GB -- it's not 2013 anymore.

 

[mobilegrigs]

Not trying tone the curmudgeon of the day, but after reading through the posts on this thread, at least prior to mine, I wonder if people really read through an article and think about what is being said and apply logic before they start pounding on their keyboard. It appears many of them do not.

Like many others in this thread, I’ve been trying to figure out what the new perk is. I read your comment multiple times, but as far as I can tell, you’re describing features announced in February.

You wrote:

The headline by itself makes it quite clear there is no perk without iCloud+. So yes, the ability to do more than reply to a received invite is a new perk. Without the perk, issuing invites requires a subscription. If you already have iCloud+ there is no additional benefit.

Here is Apple’s press release from February 5. In the first paragraph of the press release, it states, “iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations, and anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether they have an Apple Account or Apple device.”

I’m not trying to be obtuse here and yes, I have attempted to apply logic before replying, but I can’t figure out what is different from what you wrote and what Apple announced in the press release on February 5. Can you clarify what you see as different?

 

[CarAnalogy]

iCloud+ and Invites isn't the thread to pull. I don't think anyone wants to hear anything more about iCloud+ until they lower prices and/or increase storage.

 

[CarAnalogy]

You can only reply if you have an Apple account. As when you click the link, it forces you to log in/create an Apple account.

This is what my android friends says and I think it’s very lame, or maybe… this is the new perk?

I doubt I'll ever see it in the wild, but I don't think this is true. I'll test it when I have time to waste, but they say anyone with the link can reply. But it does seem geared towards getting people to sign up for Apple accounts.

I wouldn't be surprised if after RSVPing there is a deceptive screen that strongly encourages you to make an account even though it's not actually required.