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The MacRumors Show: Apple's All-New 'Invites' App

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On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss Apple's all-new "Invites" app for iPhone and iCloud.


Earlier this week, Apple announced "Invites," which is designed to help users plan group events like birthday parties, graduations, vacations, baby showers, and more. Users can choose a background image or generate one using Image Playground and customize the look of the invite with different fonts. Apple automatically adds in data from the Maps and Weather apps so that invitees have all of the information they need for an event. People who receive invites can RSVP and the sender can track who has responded. There are options to create a dedicated shared Photos album and a collaborative Apple Music playlist for the event.

Invites is an iCloud+ service, which means that it is available to iCloud+ subscribers only. iCloud+ is priced starting at $0.99 per month, and it provides users with additional iCloud storage over the free 5GB that comes with any device. While anyone is able to respond to an Invite that's sent out, creating invites is limited to iCloud+ subscribers.

We discuss Apple's iCloud website and accessing the company's services from non-Apple devices, since Invites is also available via icloud.com. In addition, we reflect on the other apps that Apple has introduced in recent years, including Clips, News, Journal, and Sports. The MacRumors Show also has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips.



You can also listen to The MacRumors Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player.

​

If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up for our discussion about all of the latest rumors about the iPhone SE 4 as it nears launch.

Subscribe to The MacRumors Show for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Kevin Nether, Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Sam Kohl, John Gruber, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.

The MacRumors Show is on X @MacRumorsShowhttps://twitter.com/macrumorsshow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also head over to... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: The MacRumors Show: Apple's All-New 'Invites' App
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/02/07/the-macrumors-show-invites-app/
ATP covered this really well this week

Sort of an overly cumbersome design that doesn't go full "iPhone only", but also doesn't really have all the features and full affordances one would expect from a truly cross platform targeted product (which "invitations" really should be)

It's only a 1.0, so hopefully it grows and improves, but it's likely an uphill adoption slog right now




(They also seem to have at least partially ripped off Partiful :mad:, which was just a 2024 App Award finalist )
 
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turbineseaplane said:
ATP covered this really well this week

Sort of an overly cumbersome design that doesn't go full "iPhone only", but also doesn't really have all the features and full affordances one would expect from a truly cross platform targeted product (which "invitations" really should be)

It's only a 1.0, so hopefully it grows and improves, but it's likely an uphill adoption slog right now




(They also seem to have at least partially ripped off Partiful :mad:, which was just a 2024 App Award finalist )
Click to expand...

Shame it’s iPhone only.
 
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Hartley clearly stated that stealing and copying is fine as there is always a space for third parties. What a viewpoint. Hartley, I thought you were more honest and upstanding. Disappointing. I hope Tim has your correct bank account details.
 
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Expos of 1969 said:
Hartley clearly stated that stealing and copying is fine as there is always a space for third parties. What a viewpoint. Hartley, I thought you were more honest and upstanding. Disappointing. I hope Tim has your correct bank account details.
Click to expand...

Copying is fine?
Not according to Apple

They apparently forgot to read 4.1 section (a) of their own rules

My favorite part is "Don’t simply copy the latest popular app on the App Store"

You mean like how you, Apple, simply copied the App that you'd just highlighted as a 2024 App Award finalist?

Screenshot 2025-02-07 at 09.53.51.png


The fact that anyone is defending Apple on this point is frankly embarrassing
 
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Aeronauts said:
Shame it’s iPhone only.
Click to expand...
I agree with you but I think it’s because iPhone is apples weakest link at the moment. I mean: iOS 18.x hasn’t been a fluent or stable update (for me and many others of if I read the comments), Apple Intelligence the same and not available in many countries , iphone 16 was a lackluster upgrade from previous models, Siri is still braindead. In my opinion they desperately try to make it more interesting with whatever they can. Too bad they ripped off another developer for that.
 
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Not having a Mac version is a deal-breaker for me. I get it, I'm no longer young and prefer to use a computer ('full size' screen) over an iphone which perhaps is not all that common any more, but still. Not having a Mac version is super lame, I expect better from Apple. :(
 
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Very good show. It really highlighted how poor Apple is in maintaining apps it bothers to create (or steal). The list went on and on and it certainly raises questions. This episode should be running on continous loop in the Cupertino cafeterias and coffee areas. Many employees are probably asking similar questions in quiet discussions but are terrified to bring it up the chain. How did it get to this stage and can it be resolved under Cook? I say no. Others may have differing views.
 
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MacRumors said:


On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss Apple's all-new "Invites" app for iPhone and iCloud.


Earlier this week, Apple announced "Invites," which is designed to help users plan group events like birthday parties, graduations, vacations, baby showers, and more. Users can choose a background image or generate one using Image Playground and customize the look of the invite with different fonts. Apple automatically adds in data from the Maps and Weather apps so that invitees have all of the information they need for an event. People who receive invites can RSVP and the sender can track who has responded. There are options to create a dedicated shared Photos album and a collaborative Apple Music playlist for the event.

Invites is an iCloud+ service, which means that it is available to iCloud+ subscribers only. iCloud+ is priced starting at $0.99 per month, and it provides users with additional iCloud storage over the free 5GB that comes with any device. While anyone is able to respond to an Invite that's sent out, creating invites is limited to iCloud+ subscribers.

We discuss Apple's iCloud website and accessing the company's services from non-Apple devices, since Invites is also available via icloud.com. In addition, we reflect on the other apps that Apple has introduced in recent years, including Clips, News, Journal, and Sports. The MacRumors Show also has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips.



You can also listen to The MacRumors Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player.

​

If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up for our discussion about all of the latest rumors about the iPhone SE 4 as it nears launch.

Subscribe to The MacRumors Show for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Kevin Nether, Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Sam Kohl, John Gruber, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.

The MacRumors Show is on X @MacRumorsShowhttps://twitter.com/macrumorsshow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also head over to... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: The MacRumors Show: Apple's All-New 'Invites' App
Click to expand...
Hey guys,
I know it’s still some time to go, and, yes, the EU has given us a disadvantage, but would you please also give us a ‘how to’ with all new apps and things related to Apple Intelligence? We’ve been kind of left out with all of all of the new and (moderately?) exciting things Apple Intelligence… And I know you’ve relayed and rehashed all the new things regarding this topic, but we’ve been just accepting that as ‘a given’, but being unable to see it (or experience it) for ourselves… When the time comes (hopefully April, release 18.4?), could you please have an episode (article) explaining all the things Apple Intelligece (again….)? - For all the others, who’ve been using Apple Intelligence - I really do apologize, it’s not that we’re slow (but the EU is…)…
 
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it seems crazy to me that I can only listen to podcasts on the Apple Podcast app when so many podcasts have video. I have to go into YouTube to watch this podcast rather than just listen to it.
 
It’s a weird and clunky experience. And I haven’t found how to view the invitation you just created. And why do invitees need to have an email. It seems so outdated.
 
turbineseaplane said:
(They also seem to have at least partially ripped off Partiful :mad:, which was just a 2024 App Award finalist )
Click to expand...
Given Apple's recent history on these sideline apps (Clips, Journal, et al), I don't think Partiful have much to worry about. But I don't get the point of all these little apps from Apple that get released and never touched again - why do them in the first place if they're never going to update them again. All they've done is train me not to bother installing their apps. 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
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Looks like it doesn’t particularly support online events? I could stick a link in the description but there’s no special field for a link to join the event? It shouldn’t be hard to have a button to create a FaceTime link for an event. (And of course it should support links to Zoom, Google, etc. All in addition to, not only as an alternative to, a physical location.)

Creating events without a paid service sounds like it could be great, but also like it could become a free tool for spammers. How do other services prevent that sort of misuse?

Is the list of invitees visible to other invitees? How about their responses?
 
While I have no idea about this app itself, I agree that the absence of iPadOS versions of many iOS apps troubles me. Mainly because I’m a stalwart iPhone as Necessary Evil™ with the iPad doing 80%+ of my daily computing…
 
What a disappointment. This could have been free but it is locked behind a subscription.
 
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