81 ms·

Apple Invites

• sjacob 2y ago
  Looks like an Apple version of Partiful?
  • sergiomattei 2y ago
    Exactly what it is.
  • I_ 2y ago
    Was about to say this. Though less useful, because Partiful doesn't require an app so can be used by anyone. I wonder how much the network effect may be leveraged for apps like these, to the benefit or detriment of apps like Partiful in comparison with Invites. I know Facebook's last useful feature appears to be events in many circles.
    • killerdhmo 2y ago
      Apple Invites can be used on the web. https://www.icloud.com/invites/ https://www.icloud.com/invites/
  • yread 2y ago
    WTF is this? How do they make money? They have picture of 10+ people as a "team", on their help page https://help.partiful.com/hc/en-us/articles/26526557943067-How-do-you-make-money https://help.partiful.com/hc/en-us/articles/26526557943067-H... it just says "We offer party add-ons and merch on our online store!" Their online store has like 2 tshirts, stickers, sun glasses and a bag?!
    • kube-system 2y ago
      They probably don't make much money. Their wikipedia page says they got $20m series A funding.
    • rafram 2y ago
      It’s… unclear. Right now their stated business model is explicitly to burn VC cash: https://x.com/partiful/status/1620481353396658176 https://x.com/partiful/status/1620481353396658176
    • kyletns 2y ago
      VC for now, offer ticketing with a fee later.
      • freedomben 2y ago
        That's actually an interesting plan! That totally might work
• dogman123 2y ago
  RIP Partiful
  • openchampagne 2y ago
    Well, Partiful is free, available on Android, and doesn’t require an iPhone or iCloud+ subscription to use. In contrast, this seems more exclusive. For now, Partiful lives to fight another day.
    • darknavi 2y ago
      Hoping they can figure out a funding model before this space becomes very crowded with many people ditching Facebook.
      • billbrown 2y ago
        They have! https://help.partiful.com/hc/en-us/articles/26526557943067-How-do-you-make-money https://help.partiful.com/hc/en-us/articles/26526557943067-H...
        • echoangle 2y ago
          And the merch store is funding multiple developers? Zero chance they’re currently making a profit from that.
    • scarface_74 2y ago
      And also doesn’t make enough money to be sustainable…
  • deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
• anotherhue 2y ago
  > Creation of invitations requires an iCloud+ subscription.
  • nitinreddy88 2y ago
    This is first thing I noticed and Uninstalled
    • kylebenzle 2y ago
      But think of the status symbolism! To know that someone has had to spend so much $$$ just to send you a message! Next they should do it for phone calls too!
      • nozzlegear 2y ago
        Do you really think status symbolism is what they were going for when the cheapest iCloud+ plan is $0.99 USD per month?
• ARandomerDude 2y ago
  > Anyone can reply to invitations. Creation of invitations requires an iCloud+ subscription.
  • cglan 2y ago
    DOA
    • kylebenzle 2y ago
      I think its great this is an "Apple only" thing. People willing to pay extra $$$ for a status symbol should stick together.
      • crossroadsguy 2y ago
        Status symbol? Here's my take on it - iPhone is dozen a dime here in my country now (3rd world) but iCloud, iMessage are not. iCloud+ is definitely not. People are used to WhatsApp here (just to take an example of messaging apps) and even if they ever stumble upon iMessage they immediately see what a decidedly inferior and opaque oddity that thing is.
      • nozzlegear 2y ago
        It's literally $0.99/month in the US for the cheapest iCloud+ plan. That's not much of a status symbol. Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/108047 https://support.apple.com/en-us/108047
    • darknavi 2y ago
      I'm surprised more people here don't pay for iCloud for at least the bottom tier storage (50GB). The free 5GB is almost worthless in 2025 for doing nightly backups. I don't back up with Apple Photos but even with "just" app data my nightly auto backups are like 10-15GB.
      • crossroadsguy 2y ago
        Even on iPhone there are much better and much cheaper solutions out there (not to mention cross platform) and those have everything a couple of times better than Photos.app and then a bit more. Maybe except Apple's troupe of privacy claims.
• king_magic 2y ago
  ctrl-f "android", expected result
  • tssva 2y ago
    "anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether they have an Apple Account or Apple device." It's in the 1st paragraph.
• anotherhue 2y ago
  > Creation of invitations requires an iCloud+ subscription.
  • ZeroCool2u 2y ago
    Maybe it's just me, but seems a bit extreme for what amounts to a fancy calendar invite.
    • turnsout 2y ago
      What's really extreme is that you need an iCloud+ subscription if you want more than 5GB of iCloud storage… so requiring the subscription for this app is not much of a hurdle
      • bombcar 2y ago
        iCloud+ is just extra space; the other "features" are free addons. That's how everyone I know uses it.
    • r00fus 2y ago
      Honestly I think it's still a large enough market to get traction. They can always open it up further if it really catches on.
    • turtlebits 2y ago
      Extreme? A subscription costs $1/mo and includes other features.
      • RIMR 2y ago
        >other features Yeah, for people who own Apple hardware...
        • turtlebits 2y ago
          Of the 12 services/apps that show up in the iCloud web UI, only "Find My" isn't usable without Apple hardware.
• jppope 2y ago
  correct me if I'm wrong but this used to be a main feature of facebook. Are they starting to compete?
  • punnerud 2y ago
    A lot of people are not using Facebook, so it’s easier to use custom tools that only require a browser and send SMS/e-mail for alerts. Some of them have Facebook, but turned off all notifications and never check for updates. So they can be counted as not having it.
• ddalex 2y ago
  Somebody reinvented the calendar ?
  • kube-system 2y ago
    If it's like Partiful, which it looks like it is, it simplifies the management of events a lot more than just being a calendar. Partiful helps to find a time for an event that works for everyone, automates reminders, RSVPs for >1 person, and also allows the organizer to send messages to attendees without creating some big group thread that turns into a mess.
• sebmellen 2y ago
  After spending $49 on a crappy baby shower invite sending tool I’m glad to hear this. Could save a lot of people a lot of money! Hopefully it works for non Apple users too.
  • duxup 2y ago
    The organizing people ecosystem is a mess. It's nice to see something new.
  • KolmogorovComp 2y ago
    What’s missing when sending invites via mail, or a message on a social media they’re in?
    • xcrjm 2y ago
      You need to know your friends' addresses for mail. For both, you have to send out invites individually. People want to make a list of names and phone numbers and send out a blast. They then want a low-effort, centralized place to receive and manage RSVPs.
• cptcobalt 2y ago
  This era of new experimental apps from Apple (Invites, Journal, Sports) has me excited about the future of app design. Vibrant colors, bold personality-driven typography, etc. The SwiftUI style onboarding screen that features the carousel is really fun. This approach feels very Apple'y, but gives me more freedom to explore designs for my own app to have its own unique voice on iOS, while still feeling in-family with Apple's other more experimental UI. There are a few misses. - I already declined a friend's invite, but that doesn't get auto filtered away, so my "decline" is still the primary thing the app has to show me. It's still my only invite, so maybe it gets filtered to the back of the card stack if there are multiple? - I also don't seem to be able to see friends I know who were invited to the party (but have not yet responded). Perhaps it was because it was shared as an invite URL in a group chat rather than manually inviting everyone?
  • duxup 2y ago
    It might be thought of as a bug but I love that the Apple Sports app announces scores for a live game before it hits TV. In this day and age of everyone multitasking ... that's a hell of a great feature to be able to say "guys look!". For a while I was amazing my kids predicting touchdowns, but they caught on ;)
    • cptcobalt 2y ago
      Less latency is a feature, not a bug. We've just grown too used to latency in everything we use.
      • dylan604 2y ago
        The lag between OTA broadcast and cable/streaming is insanely bad. We had several screens tuned in to World Cup, and the group watching the OTA broadcast would cheer 15-20 seconds before the cable/streaming screens would. Knowing it exists is one thing, but seeing it in that manner puts it on a whole other level
        • mrguyorama 2y ago
• p410n3 2y ago
  So since RCS is now here, Apple needed a new way to force people into buying iPhones by direct social pressure from peers. (In the US)
  • nozzlegear 2y ago
    From the FAQ¹: > Do invitees need to have an Apple device with the app to attend an event? > Apple Invites is for everyone. Guests don’t need the app, an Apple device, or an account to RSVP to an event. ¹ www.icloud.com/invites
• h1fra 2y ago
  yes, please one more reason to delete facebook
• koalalorenzo 2y ago
  I really needed this, I have not used Facebook Events in a while though that is the only way to easily engage and plan: the "ease of use" (as lazyness of not having to deal with many other issues) is way better than Calendar invites. I'll try to use it on my next event with my friends, as I am avoiding as much as I can Meta, and Calendar / ical are not the best to deal with this kind of event! :)
  • DashAnimal 2y ago
    Why not Partiful? It's already widely adopted, has all the features you need, isn't owned by a big tech company, doesn't require an account, and is multiplatform. Signed, an Android user
    • cglan 2y ago
      everyone I know uses partiful for events these days
      • scarface_74 2y ago
        Maybe you should get out of your bubble…
        • kyletns 2y ago
          Maybe you should get more invites
          • scarface_74 2y ago
            How many people do you think really use it?
            • ng12 2y ago
              I don't know but anecdotally living in a major city every social event I attend has a Partiful attached.
• morsecodist 2y ago
  Unfortunately, I have to hope this doesn't see widespread adoption. If this becomes the standard it will just add to already existing social pressure to get an iPhone in the US.
  • ahmeneeroe-v2 2y ago
    Im literally sick over the thought of the increased social pressure
    • xcrjm 2y ago
      Your friends joking with you to get an iPhone is making you sick?
    • _mlbt 2y ago
      I mean this completely seriously and as a concerned internet stranger...if that is literally true for you, please go seek mental health services right now. That's not normal or healthy. All my social circles where we communicate over SMS/RCS group text chats consist of a little gentle ribbing about "those darn green bubble people" and that's about the extent of it. The Android users occasionally respond in kind by showing off some cool new feature that Samsung or Google came up with that Apple hasn't copied yet and everybody laughs it all off.
  • xattt 2y ago
    That’s the point: get an iPhone or be left out. But don’t worry, there will be a web version…
  • kingnothing 2y ago
    > anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether they have an Apple Account or Apple device.
  • pulisse 2y ago
    > anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether they have an Apple Account or Apple device.
• theuur 2y ago
  [dead]
• kimi 2y ago
  What's wrong with "create a Whatsapp group and invite all your friends there, and if they don't care they just mute/leave"?
  • fsflover 2y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Facebook https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Facebook
  • nickthegreek 2y ago
    Id prefer to cut Meta's social product use in my life to a minimum.
  • duxup 2y ago
    For me it would be ... I don't use Whatsapp and I don't know many who do. Can I send invites from Whatsapp and get responses from people who don't use it? Honestly I've never received one.
    • frizlab 2y ago
      I’m in the EU, don’t use whatsapp but know a sh*tton of people around me do. It annoys me greatly and I truly hope I’ll be able to move them away little by little now that RCS is here.
      • dismalaf 2y ago
        Annoys you why? Signing up just requires a phone number... It's the least invasive of all the social network type things. Also RCS hasn't been widespread until recently, WhatsApp has been around for over a decade.
        • frizlab 2y ago
          I do not want to use multiple apps for chat, first, and I especially do not want to use anything from Meta. I know it’s E2E encrypted, but they still get to know who I’m talking to and how often, and other metadata. I don’t want that.
• jbentley1 2y ago
  Unless they add some basic functionality to include Android users, this is the evilest use of their walled garden yet.
  • kube-system 2y ago
    From the third sentence of TFA: > anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether they have an Apple Account or Apple device.
    • probably_wrong 2y ago
      The article also says "collaborative playlists allow Apple Music subscribers to create a curated event soundtrack" so there's clearly a subset of functionality that's only available for certain users. There's "integration with Maps and Weather", but how does that look like in Android? Can I still "contribute to Shared Albums"?
      • killerdhmo 2y ago
        Shared Albums, Apple Web, are all available on the web.
  • kingnothing 2y ago
    > anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether they have an Apple Account or Apple device.
    • deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
    • silisili 2y ago
      I'm skeptical of the implementation, given iMessage. I'm sure Android users RSVPs will show up in a green toxic fume cloud or some such.
      • furyofantares 2y ago
• probably_wrong 2y ago
  Does anyone know how this interacts with guests using Android? All I see is "anyone is able to respond" but that was already possible with literally anything else.
  • dqv 2y ago
    They use a web link.
  • openchampagne 2y ago
    “iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations, and anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether they have an Apple Account or Apple device” & When I create an Event in the app i see the ability to share via a Public Link, Mail, & Messages
    • probably_wrong 2y ago
      RSVPing is clearly accessible to everyone, but how about all the other features? Namely, the "integration with Maps and Weather" and "contribute to Shared Albums". I already know I can only contribute to the "curated event soundtrack" if I have an Apple Music subscription, but those other ones are still unclear.
      • sgt 2y ago
        I created an event and it doesn't seem like anyone can RSVP unless they have an Apple account. They can easily create one but still, that's one more step.
• roddylindsay 2y ago
  Brilliant move. The transition of the major social networks over the last 10-15 years -- from being a space for friends to interact to being a space to consume content produced by "unconnected" entities like influencers -- has created a huge opening for someone to claim the friends and family network. There is no one better positioned (at least in the U.S. where iPhones are the majority handset) than Apple.
  • aaronblohowiak 2y ago
    Group texts and shared albums (iPhoto or Google photo if you have androids in the mix) are most of my social interaction already..
    • mikepurvis 2y ago
      This is what it's been for me as well, for several years— all meaningful friend-group interactions are now taking place in group chats, sadly this is entirely in Whatsapp and FB Messenger for me; would love if there was a reasonable migration path to getting these interactions entirely off of Meta properties.
      • aaronblohowiak 2y ago
        Group text works cross platform now.. some friend groups are on discord
  • RIMR 2y ago
    The problem is that by vendor-locking these services to Apple users, they create an environment that alienates non-Apple users. If they want to truly claim the friends & family network, they need to remember that everyone has friends & family that aren't in the Apple ecosystem. So long as Facebook remains available to everyone, even if the content feed is a mess, the event planning space is going to be more accessible to everyone and will end up being the defacto friends & family ecosystem. I'm not an iCloud+ member, so I can't go in an look for myself, but ideally this would be just a fancy way of extending your iCloud Calendar invites where Gmail, Outlook, etc. users can still create events and invite people in roughly the same way. If as a Linux & Android user I am only able to RSVP to Apple users' invites, but I am never able to invite them to anything myself, then I literally cannot embrace this product without investing considerable money into their hardware, which I am not going to do. Hell, if they featureset was compelling enough, and they had an iCloud app for non-Apple hardware platforms, I might actually consider being an iCloud+ member, but I guess it's not worth it to Apple to collect a monthly payment from me if I won't make the downpayment on an iPhone and a Macbook...
• system7rocks 2y ago
  This is small but a cool way to integrate those various features across different apps and services. Like adding the Music playlist is not something I would ever use by my daughter, a teenager, probably would. Cute.
• financetechbro 2y ago
  Separate app download which requires iOS 18. Neat but will be a pass from me
  • deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
• crossroadsguy 2y ago
  [dead]
• timewizard 2y ago
  Hallmark cards as an app. Silicon valley is entirely out of ideas.
• nineplay 2y ago
  I just sent out some invitations with evite and it's one of those 'begging for disruption' applications. Everything about it is unnecessarily difficult and stupid.
• deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
• xattt 2y ago
  I am curious about the potential of this app for community organizing, or if any neutering has taken place in the same way AirDrop was limited during Hong Kong protests in 2020.
  • duxup 2y ago
    There's little to no magic as far as "this app can't be censored by the local government" goes if we're talking about something offered from a private company.
• cglan 2y ago
  I don't see how this competes with partiful. Feels like it'll be another half baked never updated app from apple. I wish they'd open their apis and integrations more. Feels silly that these apps get first class access to apple apis, meanwhile better made apps are forced to do weird workarounds, or simply have no integrations.
  • dewey 2y ago
    It’s based on the new GroupKit API, which sounds like something that would be available to other apps in the future. Otherwise it would just use some private API.
    • kittikitti 2y ago
      You're being disingenuous, or you're incompetent, if you think Apple isn't going to keep this API in their closed garden.
      • dewey 2y ago
        It’s not the first time that a new API is used in a first party app and then opened to all developers.
      • Jcowell 2y ago
        I thought because of the EU they have to make these private APIs public?
  • Invictus0 2y ago
    They're shipping the org chart: this app is someone's ticket to a promotion.
  • nozzlegear 2y ago
    I see this app as more like the Notes, iMessage or Freeform apps. There are tons of apps out there that do XYZ better, but Apple wants to ship a polished version that does 90% of everything the average user needs. It accomplishes three things (in my eyes): 1. It helps grow Apple's ecosystem by covering just enough ground to make third-party alternatives less necessary for most users. 2. It reduces one of the major "sticky" points that keep people in Facebook's own moat. Events and Marketplace are the two reasons I still use Facebook. 3. It encourages competition from the people who want to do that last 10% better than Apple's apps, raising the baseline and hopefully forcing innovation as well. Those apps lead to more App Store revenue, so, cynically, it's a win-win for Apple.
• cleverwebble 2y ago
  I'm in my mid-thirties and most of my friends have ditched Facebook. I didn't really realize this until when I used it to create an event for a house party... I was somewhat surprised that only 2 people out of 15 even saw it. I ended up resorting to good old text message and that worked, but it was tedious. Not sure how popular this will become, but having a social-media-less event invite/broadcasting system would be nice, and having one that most people with an iPhone have access to covers much of my friend base
  • crossroadsguy 2y ago
    Here friends just send a message on WhatsApp. I do not know anyone who has hosted a house party of 79800 people so that they are struggling with this. But then again I guess some geographies have it more complicated, isn't it?
    • lxgr 2y ago
      A (for most of the world, in any case) possibly surprising fact about the US is that WhatsApp is not very popular there. This indeed causes problems when wanting to create a quick ad-hoc group for a party invitation etc., if at least one of the invitees is not an iPhone user.
      • talldayo 2y ago
        It causes problems if one of the iPhone owners isn't an active iCloud+ subscriber: > Creation of invitations requires an iCloud+ subscription. This isn't about making life easier on people, this is about getting you to subscribe to Apple's services for access to a REST API. Apple gets some benefit of the doubt, but this is literally Slop-as-a-Service.
        • nozzlegear 2y ago
          I can't tell what you're arguing here – are you misunderstanding what you quoted from the FAQ? Only the person who creates the event needs to have an iCloud+ subscription. Everyone else can RSVP to it regardless of whether they have an iCloud+ subscription or even an Apple device at all. > Do invitees need to have an Apple device with the app to attend an event? > Apple Invites is for everyone. Guests don’t need the app, an Apple device, or an account to RSVP to an event. Source: www.icloud.com/invites
• maratc 2y ago
  It's always nice to see some first-party apps from Apple[0], but historically the "iPhone-only social networking" hasn't been very successful — iTunes Ping or Game Center haven't been a huge hit, while group messaging in iMessage has only gained some traction within the US and virtually non-existent almost everywhere else. --- [0] One can even say "first first-party party app" in this case :)
  • infecto 2y ago
    In this case they don't need an Iphone to RSVP though. Seems like a good implementation. The challenge is for the organizer not the folks rsvping.
  • Jeremy1026 2y ago
    Fortunately you don't need everyone to be on iOS to reply. So you can send your Android using friends invited and they'll just get a weblink.
    • Mindwipe 2y ago
      It still requires people to read a text message. It may as well be delivered via carrier pigeon outside the US.
      • barbazoo 2y ago
        Genuine question, is SMS text delivery unreliable where in certain countries?
        • ASalazarMX 2y ago
          It's unneeded because phones have affordable/free access to the Internet these days, SMS is a relic of the 20th century.
          • cyberax 2y ago
            And the alternative on iOS is...? What exactly? RCS is a flaming trash dump of failure.
• i_have_an_idea 2y ago
  No one will use this
  • nozzlegear 2y ago
    I will literally use this.
    • i_have_an_idea 2y ago
      alright
• moralestapia 2y ago
  I hope this doesn't take off at all as it would be a net-negative for everyone involved. The whole "app for events" experience is a complete piece of crap with the exception of lu.ma perhaps. "Oh you're not an Apple user, whoops you can't RSVP" is a giant step towards enshittifying them even more.
  • readdit 2y ago
    Anyone can rsvp.
• itishappy 2y ago
  > iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations, and anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether they have an Apple Account or Apple device. Only paying customers are allowed to construct their digital social life, but at least they're allowed to invite those filthy Android users!
• reureu 2y ago
  All I want is for my calendar invites from my custom-domain iCloud email to consistently work for gmail users.
• DRAGONERO 2y ago
  “Additionally, participants can easily contribute photos and videos to a dedicated Shared Album within each invite to help preserve memories and relive the event.” This sounds like a great feature. Post event photo sharing is always a bit of a mess.
  • duxup 2y ago
    Yes, I've had tons of invites to share on google photos and it has always been a cluster in some way.
  • mmmlinux 2y ago
    Seriously, this is a killer feature.
  • bombcar 2y ago
    This will be quite nice for Apple Funerals.
  • 6thbit 2y ago
    Massive if it truly works cross-platform. Has anyone tried from android yet?
• racl101 2y ago
  It would be nice to move away from Facebook for this sort of thing.
  • syassami 2y ago
    Now is the perfect time for Apple to enter this space. Facebook and Instagram have shifted away from personal connections and are now dominated by promoted content.
• resource_waste 2y ago
  Can't wait to see this thread in 60 minutes when the Apple marketers/astroturfers pick a positive organic comment and upvote it to the roof.
  • dewey 2y ago
    Or maybe people are just excited that there’s something new in this space that’s not Facebook Events?
    • kittikitti 2y ago
      Wrong thread?
    • crossroadsguy 2y ago
      Do we get to deploy a litmus test now to discern between simple excitement or fetid fanboyism? Not to mention unpaid shilling which is just sad and utterly demoralising. I mean at least get paid (disc: I don't mean you directly and personally).
  • bilbo0s 2y ago
    Look on the bright side! You could just as easily see the anti-Apple professional influence campaigns astroturf this thread by upvoting negative organic comments! Am I right!?!?!?!
• kittikitti 2y ago
  When I did this almost 2 years ago with Midjourney, people came at me and started harassing me. It was just a party invite but people hated that I used AI. I guess I just needed to wait until the gatekeepers or a rich white man to do it for it to be socially acceptable. The pain from these AI luddites was real. I have strongly negative feelings for how Big Tech manipulated everyone into attacking everyone who was doing AI but them. They made it seem like the only ones to protect us from AI was them but the pain this caused didn't go away.
  • dewey 2y ago
    Wrong thread?
    • kittikitti 2y ago
      How is this the wrong thread? Apple Invites is exactly like what I was doing with Midjourney a GenAI image generator.
      • dewey 2y ago
        I had a hard time connecting your comment to an event booking app. But I guess you are talking about the Memoji integration?
        • deleted 2y ago
          [deleted]
        • WorldMaker 2y ago
          The article mentions in the future being able to use Apple Intelligence to create "splash artwork" for invites rather than just uploading a photo or using emoji/memoji backgrounds.
          • kmoser 2y ago
            "Image Playground is built right into Apple Invites, giving users an easy way to generate original images that make their invitation even more unique." I look forward to the aberrations this will inevitably produce.
• mrcwinn 2y ago
  Apple always sweats the details and I so respect it! Upon arriving at the kid's birthday party Android users get green balloons.
  • freedomben 2y ago
    Green balloons, but they are deflated enough so that the #555555 (grey) balloons are clearly the superior experience. And then when people point out that the green balloons are intentionally hobbled, a voice tells them to just buy their mom an iphone if she wants a balloon that properly bounces.
    • renecito 2y ago
      I'd like some of what you are having.
• HumblyTossed 2y ago
  Interesting. So a lot of people still use FB for doing this. I wonder if this will be the tool for getting them off of FB finally.
• egypturnash 2y ago
  "Requires iOS 18 or later". Well nobody will be inviting me to any parties with this, I'm still using a 6s.
  • lxgr 2y ago
    Invitees can apparently use a webapp to RSVP.
• ChrisArchitect 2y ago
  Official release: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42934513 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42934513
• reader9274 2y ago
  Another service offering from Apple, where iCloud+ is required to send invites. They can't be more clear that services are their future.
• bredren 2y ago
  Pretty cool. I created a birthday party invite exactly to modern iPhone portrait size and sent it out over text last year and it was successful. I suspect Apple has a prioritized list of products that collect personal data that their ecosystem has some of the best potential to disrupt.
• nxobject 2y ago
  Just release the damn thing for everyone and take advantage of the halo effect. Sure, in an age where every social media app tries to do everything – Reels and statuses and DMs – it's nice to see an app trying to do one thing. Unfortunately, Apple seems to have done everything possible to to stymie it. It'll go the way of Game Central.
• 42772827 2y ago
  It’s not an app I have any use for personally, but it looks cool. Thankfully they did not push it to my iPhone during an update like they did Image Playground.
• hoppp 2y ago
  Tricky. Now all your friends must have Iphones else they are not invited to your birthday party. It's like the green bubble - blue bubble thing.
  • HumblyTossed 2y ago
    ...or access it on the web through icloud.com/invites. iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations, and anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether they have an Apple Account or Apple device. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/02/introducing-apple-invites-a-new-app-that-brings-people-together/ https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/02/introducing-apple-inv... Not perfect, but something.
• jillyboel 2y ago
  And how does it work for people who aren't indoctrinated by Apple? Are you even allowed to invite them or is it verboten?
• deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
• AnonMO 2y ago
  I had a section in class back in highschool and we were told you should never base you opinions on titles instead you should read the content then come to a conclusion. seeing so many > "anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether they have an Apple Account or Apple device." in the comments proves the problems still exists today.
• ChrisArchitect 2y ago
  What year is it? After all of Apple's failed incursions into the social/media sphere, surprised they're trying this one. But I guess at least it has a web version which is where the competition lives like Facebook Events and Google calendar, not to mention eventbrite or whatever other things. Not really groundbreaking news from them, but interesting to see if this will hold on after awhile with users or just another tossed aside feature.
• gioazzi 2y ago
  If anyone's looking for an open source alternative (and maybe wants to contribute to it) we're working on it here! [1] We actually started before this was announced, and initially it was developed for a somewhat different use case (more focusing on "recurring invites"), but since it was asked a few times, I think we can offer a good alternative with it. [2] [1]: https://github.com/gruprsvp/grup https://github.com/gruprsvp/grup. [2]: https://github.com/gruprsvp/grup/discussions/148 https://github.com/gruprsvp/grup/discussions/148
  • halostatue 2y ago
    Looks neat, but I won't use it or recommend it to anyone because it's built with Flutter. I understand your reasons for choosing it, but that does not change that Flutter apps feel completely _wrong_ on any platform except Android, but most especially on iOS/macOS and the web. (This is unsurprising because Flutter is essentially a modern day implementation of Swing complete with personalities, and it's just as incorrect in its styling as Swing was. It's worse for the web because Flutter explicitly eschews standard web technologies in favour of either one big canvas or lots of little canvases.) Best of luck.
    • m0zzie 2y ago
      > Flutter apps feel completely _wrong_ on any platform except Android [...] Flutter explicitly eschews standard web technologies in favour of either one big canvas or lots of little canvases. I think you're confused about how Flutter works on Android. It's not native to Android, it uses canvas with custom drawn implementations of most components there too – same as it does for iOS/macOS/web.
      • halostatue 2y ago
        Oh, I’m not confused; there is no "native" for Flutter. I just don't think that Android has a meaningful platform aesthetic‡ and most people who use Android tend to expect nothing to necessarily make sense (these are the same people who use Windows).¶ ‡ I periodically try Android devices and bounce off them because I find the UI to be obtuse or deliberately built for dark patterns. I was helping a neighbour with his new-to-him Pixel 8a and to see the pictures he had taken with his camera on the phone, he had to sign in with a Google account — and then we disabled the backup because he didn't actually care to back up the photos (they are ephemeral for his purposes). It took 45 minutes to figure this out because the settings and controls can only be set when you have already signed into the damned account. ¶ I am not saying that the people who expect nothing from Android would find iOS any better; they have just been trained through decades of bad UI/UX in Windows and Android (because they're cheaper) to understand that they have to fight with their computing devices to get anything done, so they don't expect anything better … and is it ever delivered to them, in spades. Flutter, here, does not help — but at least it doesn't clash with the fifteen different "platform" styles on your typical Samsung Android device.
• dkobia 2y ago
  These lite apps are a way for Apple to dip its toes into popular niches in the App Store while not killing the goose. In this case, Evite, Partiful and Hobnob have been put on notice as Apples expands its services revenues which have grown to roughly 25% of its annual earnings.
• jug 2y ago
  App without iPad version. This is so weird, Apple.
  • killerdhmo 2y ago
    what would you get from an iPad app that the web app doesn't?
• tetrisgm 2y ago
  Considering all the event invites I’ve gotten in the past two years are either Partiful or SecretParty, this is a cool development. Wonder which service people will end up using more. This might integrate better with Calendar and Wallet. That said I can see web and Android users being apprehensive. Also your Apple ID is t necessarily your “party id“.
• offsky 2y ago
  It would be cool if Apple made something like this for public events with a way to browse local events. I acknowledge that moderation of spam would be an issue.
• rchaud 2y ago
  A trojan horse for Apple Intelligence, soon to be powered with a social graph.
• yalogin 2y ago
  Looks like they brainstormed and found a way to use AI for their users. It could be useful as an engagement tool but weird that they found evites as the way to go
  • rib3ye 2y ago
    If you have young kids, this is a huge time saver — Evites without all the upsells and ads + photo sharing without meta
• Gothmog69 2y ago
  Apple has lost its way. Who is this for?
  • RIMR 2y ago
    For people who have enough drive to plan an event, but not enough drive to use a real photograph for the invite instead of GenAI.
    • jackvalentine 2y ago
      I’ve seen a few comments like this and I’m wondering why they’re being made. Maybe you can tell me? The first image on the press release is a real photo.
• happyopossum 2y ago
  My wife is in a position (board chair for a co-op) that results in her sending out a lot of invites to events. Evite has kinda been the go-to in her social/co-op group for ages, but man it suuuuuuucks these days. Ads everywhere, annoying patterns, and lacks a bunch of nice features that this seems to have. Very happy to see this
  • boringg 2y ago
    Evite was hot for awhile - totally gone downhill. Same as meetups. Tough to make those things as paid businesses which is probably necessary to keep them operating well (or at least take VC money and try and make a return).
    • ghaff 2y ago
      I see very little use of either Evite or Meetup at this point though I imagine if I sought them out I'd see some continued use. (I do run into an Evite signup from time to time for a paid event.)
    • slt2021 2y ago
      I see people using Luma everywhere these days
      • 42772827 2y ago
        Luma and Gemini have very similar logos, it’s kind of off putting
        • pnw 2y ago
          Luma drives me nuts at conferences, I often end up invited to events without an address because they expect you to subscribe to their calendar feed rather than letting me put an entry in my own calendar.
    • CoryAlexMartin 2y ago
      Meetup has become the worst service I use, bar none. They pretty much doubled our group fees from $200 a year to $400 a year, then started putting giant banner ads at the top of all of our member emails, then started locking essential features (like seeing RSVP lists) behind a member-level membership and started begging our members to give them money directly.
• aeturnum 2y ago
  Event organization has been fractured for some time. Folks in my area have been using Partiful[1]. Bash[2] (now theBash) used to be in this space a bit but they left. Facebook has even added the ability for people without facebook to attend events on Facebook (they get an interface that shows them the event details and lets them put a name in "on" the event that isn't connected to an account). I think Partiful is pretty good at what it does - no ads, can specify reminders, manages text blasts. The problem, to me, is messaging - how do you tell people about a thing? We are all getting tons of spam texts all day. Apple can cheat here because they own iMessage so maybe they will win overall - but still, what about your android friends? Time will tell. Good luck to everyone organizing events. [1] https://partiful.com/ https://partiful.com/ [2] https://www.thebash.com/ https://www.thebash.com/
• PaulHoule 2y ago
  Even though "... anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether they have an Apple Account or Apple device" I think this being an Apple branded service is going to make this appear exclusionary and will mean some people won't participate even if they could. I see the same risk involved with Apple TV's branding; Apple TV works great on Xbox, on NVIDIA Shield and on PC. I'm sure though there are a lot of people who just decide that shows like Foundation and subscriptions like MLS Season's Pass just aren't for them. I don't know if it is a 5% or a 20% drop but it has to be real.
  • EyMaddis 2y ago
    As a non-exclusive, non-big tech and dead simple alternative, I’ve built Partey.io [1] myself. [1] https://partey.io https://partey.io
    • 13_9_7_7_5_18 2y ago
      [dead]
  • Brystephor 2y ago
    Software engineer here with an android phone. I've never bothered to look into Apple TV because I assumed it'd only be available on Apple devices. Similarly, I saw this post and thought there may be a reason for me to get an iPhone now as I assumed this would be available on apple devices only.
    • echelon 2y ago
      > "there may be a reason for me to get an iPhone now as I assumed this would be available on apple devices only." That's the objective. Green text and all. To force everyone to adopt one platform because of network effects and social stigma. These platform plays by the god tier trillion dollar companies are insidious and should be given scrutiny by the DOJ / FTC. A breakup of these platforms would make none of this matter. You could pick and choose services across devices. We might even see some competition for Android and iPhone if the DOJ would step in and break this up. Big tech is too big. A breakup would oxygenate the entire tech sector. It would probably even make the MAGMA stock go up because the sum of parts are being given away for free just to get eyeballs. Billions of dollars are being given away for free to scrape in network effect advantages. It's at a level where competition from new players is virtually impossible. They can tax anything that moves. Every transaction, every relationship, every quanta of information.
• nicoburns 2y ago
  I'm definitely in the market for something like to replace Facebook Events which was a fantastic piece of functionality that unfortunately isn't so useful now that so many people have left Facebook. But this kind of functionality is pretty useless if it doesn't have first-class support for users of non-apple devices.
• aurelia246 2y ago
  Breathtaking innovation
• noja 2y ago
  This doesn’t replace doodle’s choose a date feature: Apple Events is only for when the event already has a fixed date and time.
• earlyriser 2y ago
  Oh this is great. I made an app very similar to this (in spirit at least) some years ago and I still think we need more real social like this than social networks.
• paxys 2y ago
  > iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations, and anyone can RSVP Pass
• andy_ppp 2y ago
  This will be added to Instagram in about 3 seconds…
• rozap 2y ago
  I don't own and probably never will own an apple product but I'm very glad to see this. Anything that weakens Facebook's stranglehold over society is a good thing.
  • mongol 2y ago
    Could it be a beachhead to a future social network?
  • plufz 2y ago
    Haha, I do own a lot of Apple devices, but that was my first reaction as well. The main selling point of the app is to hurt Meta.
• deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
• popasmurf 2y ago
  Shameless plug: I did create a very basic web based invite app with the goal of being platform agnostic - I really think having a app like Invites or my https://rsvp.ngo/ https://rsvp.ngo/ fills the need of getting invites out across platforms.
• kubav027 2y ago
  I do not get it. Do you really need an app for that? Are your family and friends so disconnected? I would sent email and made a phone call to the rest not heaving email. But I am not from US so it might be the difference.
• websap 2y ago
  Imagine your kid not getting invited to birthday parties because they or you don't use an iPhone. Apple knows what it's doing and shareholders are gonna love it!
  • WXLCKNO 2y ago
    Imagine not reading the article
• Alifatisk 2y ago
  What a great idea, my friend was working on an almost identical idea but built using Flutter instead. A couple of downsides with this is: - Only for Apple users - Requires iCloud+
  • Factor1177 2y ago
    It's not only Apple users, you can view and respond to an invite without an apple account or device but cant create an invite without an apple account. Really really dumb to have it require icloud+ however. Why??
• OsrsNeedsf2P 2y ago
  Hey Siri, what's a tarpit idea?
• canucker2016 2y ago
  I think some demographic info can be useful in judging the potential uptake. Apple iPhone ownership amongst USA teens: 2024: 87% 2019: 83% 2014: 67% https://www.iclarified.com/95177/87-of-us-teens-own-iphones-and-30-plan-to-upgrade-for-apple-intelligence-report https://www.iclarified.com/95177/87-of-us-teens-own-iphones-... https://www.pipersandler.com/news/piper-jaffray-completes-semi-annual-generation-z-survey-8000-us-teens https://www.pipersandler.com/news/piper-jaffray-completes-se... https://www.pipersandler.com/news/different-new-cool-according-piper-jaffray-survey-7200-teens https://www.pipersandler.com/news/different-new-cool-accordi... Smartphone marketshare for iPhone in various countries: 65%: Norway 59%: Sweden/Japan/Canada/USA 49%: UK 30-39%: Germany/Portugal/Italy other countries are lower from my random sampling of developed countries (South Korea is dominated by Samsung). Source: https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/mobile/norway https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/mobile/norway Change last part of url to get info for another country
  • talldayo 2y ago
    > Creation of invitations requires an iCloud+ subscription. I really wonder what the uptake is on iCloud+ subscriptions.
    • echoangle 2y ago
      Don’t you need to get iCloud+ if you want to have more than 5GB iCloud storage? I would guess it’s probably more than 80% of users.
      • bombcar 2y ago
        That's where most of it comes from - iCloud+ is different than Apple One. iCloud+ for 2TB is priced just where if you have ONE other Apple service, you're probably better off with Apple One. (I admit I misread this whole thing as being a feature of Apple One.)
    • jxdxbx 2y ago
      I switched to iCloud for my personal email once it supported personal domains (switched from Fastmail). It’s all I need really. Work is Gmail of course, with its annoying-in-retrospect tagging system instead of folders, which causes havoc with traditional mail apps.
• lordofgibbons 2y ago
  I really hope this fails. Apple will use it's dominant position to create lock in like how they did with iMessage instead of cooperating with other platforms on a common standard. Oder friends and family are surprised when they want to video call over Facetime and find it hard to believe other people's phones don't have Apple apps.
  • briandear 2y ago
    I hope it succeeds. I hate FB and other “you are the product” products. I don’t care about “common standard” — I care about the best UX.
    • jonrcooper 2y ago
      There are a ton of other options than FB at this point. Partiful is my personal favorite, and has way better features than Apple Invites has after testing.
      • spankalee 2y ago
        Partiful is great! A little funky around the edges, but I keep giving them feedback hoping to be able to rely on a non-shitty indie platform for invites.
    • makeitdouble 2y ago
      Be the product or the caged golden goose. We sure have a choice, but I personally don't see one that much better than the other. When Tim Cook testifies that Apple is entitled to all our digital transactions, I don't think they have a better moral stance.
      • aucisson_masque 2y ago
        Completely agree with you. Neither is better than the other yet it's becoming more and more difficult to find people that understand the flaws of both. I don't understand tho how something like apple can do so well in the USA, land of freedom and individual rights, when they are basically locking people into their system and telling them what they can and what they can't do. Not being able to install whatever app you want on your phone should be a big red flag for freedom advocate. That's literally the reason why hongkong citizens massively ditched apple a few years ago when there was protestation and apple, following CCP order, banned the apps they used to organize themselves. Yet it seems like a non issue in usa ??
• dark__paladin 2y ago
  How is this different than any calendar app?
• thedougd 2y ago
  Interesting that Apple is finally releasing new app functionality outside of OS updates. Is it a new trend? Google made this shift a while ago, but mostly out of necessity to mitigate the impacts of manufacturers failing to release regular OS updates.
  • bombcar 2y ago
    They've been doing this for awhile, but usually it was something announced for the next version of iOS, but only released/activated later. Like Apple Intelligence.
• sss111 2y ago
  Too bad I need to know real people to use this, apple's out here assuming we have social lives
• ryanmcbride 2y ago
  I don't use facebook so I currently invite my friends to various events and parties by texting the same image with the info to a bunch of groupchats and a few individuals, if this makes that cleaner I'd be pretty happy.
• 6thbit 2y ago
  How come through this people with any device can add photos to a shared album, but not through regular shared albums? On that note: how to get cross platform shared photo album without pain or google?
• afavour 2y ago
  How deathly boring this all is. On one hand it’s a good thing: so many invite services are coated in ads they deserve to fail. On the other, yet another service getting sucked up into the tech giant blob. If open formats prevailed we would have expanded calendar invites so they just appear in your inbox like any other email for free. But alas, everyone has given up on that.
  • massive-sac 2y ago
    I am with you, it's so stale and dull as an offering. No one would even use the calendar stuff even if it was an open format. The fact it isn't even that....
• echoangle 2y ago
  My first though was „oddly specific“ but most people here seem to think this makes sense. Is my social life dead or what are you guys inviting so many people to? If I want to organize an event, I just write a message in the relevant group chat and get responses about who’s going to come.
  • kccqzy 2y ago
    That's exactly my thought. I don't even need a group chat and instead copy–paste a message to several individual chats, customizing the invitation message along the way. This is definitely not for me.
• n0rdy 2y ago
  I have 2 conflicting feelings about this: - I'm glad to see this, as it might be an easily accessible alternative to Facebook events, which I tend to miss as I'm checking my FB only once in a while - on the other hand, each new Apple release adds apps that might kill some small start-ups that are offering similar services for the small fee. Having a free alternative on your phone out of the box with most of your contacts using will lead to a decent number of subscriptions' cancellations. A good lesson to build smth that is harder to reproduce, though...
  • dmitrygr 2y ago
    To point 2: who cares? As a consumer I prefer (1) a team that will not run out of money and sell my data and (2) a free service built-in and well integrated, and (3) not yet another subscription to forget to cancel
    • n0rdy 2y ago
      I see your point. There are a few objective moments, imho, that I'd consider, though: > a team that will not run out of money and sell my data While "not run out of money" is true, the "sell my data" part is not given. For example, in 2023 Google sold its domains business (https://domains.google/ https://domains.google/) to Squarespace. Also, while not directly selling your data, they might sell the outcomes of your data in a form of ads or AI models, for example. I believe that can objectively bother some people. Another point: this is the way to build a monopoly, or a global dominance on the market, and then dictate the rules. I see that stories about some Big Tech monopoly controversial moves are often quite popular on HN, as those situations resonate with many tech enthusiasts. As for the rest of the point, I agree with you, that a free, high-quality, and decent service is a benefit for us, consumers, over another subscription. I still feel sorry for small bootstrapped services. But that's my subjective feeling, I'm aware of that.
  • teitoklien 2y ago
    Not necessarily, I used to use Apple Reminders initially because it was free, i found the value of a good TODOs app by using it extensively. Then once I loved using Todo apps, I migrated to Todoist and started paying for a Todo app. Apple Reminders is the reason why I pay for Todoist app, it helped me learn it, same reason why I moved from free iMovies app to a paid video editing app. Same reason why I moved from Free Apple Notes to Bear Notes + Muse App (both paid subscriptions) In a way, provided other apps keep accelerating and moving ahead of apple, apple’s free apps kinda end up working as free trial sessions for showcasing the Utility of a good App. Also, its a good thing apple ends up commoditizing free entry-level apps, there’s a billion software out there to build for different industries, its the only way, the prices of software will fall, which means more money in our pockets to spend on other things. So it’s fine, just as long as people don’t forget to innovate, that’s the way a free market should be. What is anti-competitive tho, is stuff like Apple Music and Spotify, where spotify has to pay 30% cut to apple while apple music doesnt have to pay anything. But as long as apple is commoditizing entry-level apps, for other fast moving startups that can be a good thing, as they can show better value to customers who already have tried out free apple apps and see the value of those softwares. I would have never paid for all those apps each month, were it not for apple’s free apps that helped me see the value in it.
• gamedever 2y ago
  What does Apple do to be "privacy first" with this product. I'm happy when friends invite me to an event. I'll less happy they type my email address or phone number into some 3rd party site so be tracked. That includes Apple.
• fiberhood 2y ago
  As an Apple developer for 42 years I tried all permutations I could think of and found there is no way around the walled garden: Apple Invites requires a mandatory iCloud+ account (minimal 0.99 euro/dollar per month) and a non-anonymous Apple ID requirement with credit card or bank account. It probably has a perpetual lock-in of your invite groups and tracking of all participants as well but I couldn't test this properly without paying 12 Euros.
• anal_reactor 2y ago
  It's incredible to think that for many people this is a real problem that needs a real solution, because personally, I struggle to maintain social life. A few months ago I organized a party for the first time in my life, and probably it'll happen twice a year at most in the very optimistic scenario. This means that whatever new trendy way of inviting people is hip, it's not worth the effort to learn it, and it's just way more effective to use the methods I do know and I'm used to (physical conversations and texting).
• RamiAwar 2y ago
  CIA's top project thus far
• devmor 2y ago
  Great, another Apple service I will have to find every option to disable on my phone before its abused by scammers.
• dmitrygr 2y ago
  Finally! I only maintain my facebook account since all big skydiving events are organized on it. Nothing else has approached the convenience. If this is what does it, awesome!
• ed_mercer 2y ago
  Anyone else who thinks the birthday cake looks disturbing?
• numpad0 2y ago
  The link doesn't mention payment collection features but obviously that'll be one of next steps. Congrats, now the famous App Store moderation teams moderates and limits people's income.
• spandrew 2y ago
  I, for one, welcome our new Apple overlords. I'd like to remind them as a trusted personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar caves.
• fungiblecog 2y ago
  Are people all so useless now we need an app for this despite having all the tools we need already? No wonder innovation in software is dead when you can pump out the same crap over and over with shinier graphics
• deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
• passive 2y ago
  My wife is an event planner, and events as a technology space has never been great. At this point there's basically Facebook and Eventbrite, both of which are very established in their lanes and face very little competitive pressure. I don't love the idea of Apple dominating this space either, but there's a lot of opportunity to improve things, so I'm glad to see it.
• mmaunder 2y ago
  Apple: How can we make iCloud+ subscriptions viral? A subscriber throws a party and invites all their friends via iCloud+.
• sen 2y ago
  I like this. I'm a parent with multiple kids, and absolutely despise getting Facebook invites to birthday parties where I can't even see the invite because I don't have a Facebook account. Meanwhile every family I know uses Apple these days because the kids need iPads for school, so this finally gives a way of doing birthday/event invites that all families can see/use. I agree open standards would always be better, but reality doesn't always work like that and instead everyone just uses Facebook "because it's easy". This is now easier, and more open than Facebook at least.
• stainablesteel 2y ago
  an interesting way of competing with facebook, I like it
• schmorptron 2y ago
  This is a good type of feature. I've been super happy that WhatsApp finally added events recently, it's made seeing who will be coming to an event or not so much easier. Them adding polls a while back had already improved that a bunch, but this is even better, since it sends reminders and so on. Of course Apple could use this to do vendor lock in (only apple users can create invites), but since anyone can join them I don't see it as a large issue.
• leecoursey 2y ago
  Interesting. The word "calendar" does not appear on the Apple Invites announcement webpage. Does it integrate with Calendar? If not, I'm not sure how well this will fit into my daily routine - I definitely need events to appear on my calendar, not (just) in a dedicated "Events" app.
  • freeAgent 2y ago
    There's a button at the top of the event page (after it's created) to add it to your calendar, but it's a bit strange that you even have to do that manually.
• password4321 2y ago
  Is there a leading self-hosted OSS option in this space?
• ctippett 2y ago
  Poppy was onto something when she came up with 'dinner party' for Mythic Quest.
• moritonal 2y ago
  But... we have CalDAV, it exists, it's open, it's right there for sods sake. There's a whole spec to allow people to accept invites, why don't they just build on that?
• xyst 2y ago
  This is just a fancy UI on top of CalDAV. You have probably seen CalDAV in action at work with Microsoft’s god awful version of it (via Exchange Server or MS365 or w/e they call it); or Google Workspace or Google Calendar invites. Across domains, it tends to be a hit or miss (due to proprietary EEE bs) but within the same organizations/domain it works decently enough. Even works well beyond the 100 person limit in “Apple Invites” Sigh, why do we keep re-creating the wheel.
• deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
• CobrastanJorji 2y ago
  Do you think that Evite getting more and more aggressive about getting people to pay them for sending evites was partially because they knew this was happening? Or do you think them sucking so much was what made Apple think they could fix the problem? And what do you think the poor founders of Partiful are drinking tonight?
• yapyap 2y ago
  “and keep those damn Samsung (android) users away” what is unsaid but implied here.
• cebert 2y ago
  I tried out the app tonight. I generally like the concept. However, I wish the “add playlist” feature wasn’t limited to Apple Music.
• m3kw9 2y ago
  needs a desktop app
• boredatoms 2y ago
  This is going nowhere if it requires paid subscription
• sdjcse1 2y ago
  Apples kinda tending towards status game, it can be called as leveraging the ecosystem from their pov. But the impact it has on younger generation is more of a status symbol / peer pressure to have an iPhone over other phones.
• DavidPiper 2y ago
  Honestly, if I have to pay 99c a month to get the only remaining thing I use Facebook regularly for, I'll pay it to get off Facebook. This could be a solid play, assuming non-Apple recipients get a decent experience across all of their devices.
• Tiktaalik 2y ago
  It's incredible on Instagram I see so many events that people are posting via their stories and there is no ability to save this to my calendar or action on it in any way. I gotta take a photo, and then write it down in my calendar by hand. Just wild really how Meta is letting the advantage they currently have slip through their fingers.
• CivBase 2y ago
  I guess I'm not the demographic for this? I don't see why I'd ever go to the trouble of creating a fancy invite link with a picture and stuff instead of just messaging people directly with the details. "Hey Jim, we're celebrating my daughter's 3rd birthday next Saturday at our house. Let me know if you're able to join us!" Do I really need an app for that? I guess the RSVP thing can be handy for when you're planning especially large events and need an estimate of the guest count. But those kinds of events are extremely few and far between in my life - and it feels tacky to use this for something as formal as a wedding. Glad other people find it useful though.
• classicmotto 2y ago
  just send a .ics bro @apple
• pickledoyster 2y ago
  The event organizing space in my country is all Facebook events, it begs some proper disruption. I'm no fan of Apple's walled garden, because I believe public events should be fully accessible to the public, but it's hard to understate how bad Facebook events are if you do not use its apps and don't have an account. I'm talking about things like missing a crucial time/location change from the organizer because Facebook does not show non-logged in users any event posts. So, while I hope that Apple fails at walling off events, I do hope some proper disruption happens in the space.
  • deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
• jillesvangurp 2y ago
  Non apple users are not invited? Nice if you only interact with people in the Apple bubble. It's the same reason people in europe don't use Facetime a lot. Because there's a majority of users on Android. A chat/call app that only works on Apple is more trouble than it is worth.
  • imgabe 2y ago
    It says that anyone can RSVP, you only need an Apple account to create invitations.
• calmbonsai 2y ago
  I don't understand the value proposition for all this "event management" complexity over a simple shared text thread.
• twalichiewicz 2y ago
  I’m surprised they went the separate app route rather integrate it into the Create New functionality in Calendar. Seems like the main reason I’m seeing in the comments is the event management portion of it, but much like the redesigned Inbox in Mail, could have been an interesting opportunity to rethink the UX of Calendar.
• nielsbot 2y ago
  Slightly off topic--but reminds me that Apple had an electronic greeting card service called iCards: - https://apple.fandom.com/wiki/ICards https://apple.fandom.com/wiki/ICards - https://dribbble.com/shots/4901944-Apple-iCards# https://dribbble.com/shots/4901944-Apple-iCards#
• midtake 2y ago
  Considering the fact that posting on Facebook is roughly equivalent to doxxing yourself, this is more than welcome.
• lunchypunch 2y ago
  Oh no, i was just working on something like this: https://justbtw.com https://justbtw.com
• alkonaut 2y ago
  The problem is finding who to invite. Does the article even say what the pool of people you invite from is? Everyone in my phonebook isn't enough. Everyone with an apple id isn't enough either. Apple doesn't have a list of my friends, that's what makes it a non-starter. The primary "event" thing now is Facebook events. It has the benefit of me having other contact details (email, phone) to maybe 10% of the people I can contact on facebook. That's THE killer feature of facebook, and the only reason I'm still on the platform. Unless this integrates with existing social contact lists - which sounds questionable - I can't see how it would work for more than tiny events for close friends and family, where I can expect to have traditional contact details.
• _the_inflator 2y ago
  Apple's half-hearted approach to entering the dating market since every app essentially is now a dating app in disguise. More importantly, the release announcement appears lost and betting on a different voting result. It reads weird, not the kind of societal benefits drop used over the last years. The product launch seems hasty, somewhat not considering the fact that Trump got elected and went full reversal on DEI. The press feature before Google+ aka Apple Invites was around a special interest topic: https://www.apple.com/ne/newsroom/2025/01/apple-introduces-the-2025-black-unity-collection/ https://www.apple.com/ne/newsroom/2025/01/apple-introduces-t... In contrast, the latest release marks a sharp departure. It is almost clean of pride-/woke-related references: https://www.apple.com/ne/newsroom/search/?q=lgbtq https://www.apple.com/ne/newsroom/search/?q=lgbtq Thoughts?
• chinathrow 2y ago
  Ctrl-f Android: not found.
• rcarmo 2y ago
  I have an idea about why Apple is doing this, but my key takeaway is that they should really read the room and sort out their QA (Spotlight is broken in the latest Sequoia) and platform strategy (the iPad is still gimped) instead of spending engineering resources in another Clips-like fiasco.
  • kthartic 2y ago
    > my key takeaway is that they should really read the room I guarantee the pool of people who really care about those issues/are affected by them is tiny. For example, I use my MacBook daily and haven't noticed any Spotlight issues. I have an iPad too - what's wrong with it? This is coming from someone who works in tech, the average Joe isn't gonna care. I for one am happy to see an app like this. Currently the only way to get my friends together is through a group chat, and it's always a mess.
    • rcarmo 2y ago
      You should see what the app actually _does_, which is fairly useless. I would describe it, but Michael Tsai already did it for me: https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/02/04/apple-invites/ https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/02/04/apple-invites/
• spicy-punk-fog 2y ago
  [flagged]
• DaveMcMartin 2y ago
  This is something that only works in America where "everyone" has an iPhone and you are poor if you have an Android...
• e-clinton 2y ago
  Just tried the app, I like that you can create a shared photo album. Pretty useful feature.
• eitland 2y ago
  Another thing Google had cornered with Photos and and Google+ only to let it rot and die instead of taking feedback and iterating over it. Kind of sad, but I should probably be thankful given the direction Google has been moving since.
• rickdeckard 2y ago
  What a great time to live in, where the three major OS ecosystems are so large that they can avoid collaborating with each other over topics that affects all of them and still reach critical mass in utilization. /s I can't imagine something basic like a common Email specification (or Wi-Fi) to ever happen in this industry again...
• alberth 2y ago
  Feature Suggestion: (for any Apple employees reading), can you add the ability for coordinating amongst the invite attendees what date the event should be. I coordinate creating events but have to sort through figuring out a date that works for most/everyone. And since I'm coordinating with non-employees (no view into their calendar), figuring out peoples calendar is a main pain. If this functionality could be added, it'd be game changing for me.
  • buildallday239 2y ago
    Partiful has this (poll guests to find a time that works)
• anentropic 2y ago
  Can anyone recommend a fediverse version of this?
• experimatt 2y ago
  https://invite.social https://invite.social is another option. Free (up to a point), minimalist design, web-based so it’s cross platform, and built by a solo/bootstrapped founder buddy. 5/5 would recommend.
• MagicMoonlight 2y ago
  No fucking way! This is the example of the unsolvable problem that Y Combinator gives when they suggest what ideas not to pitch. And Apple is going to solve it!
• JadoJodo 2y ago
  I will be honest that I was very disappointed that this didn't include physical (mailed) invites: Apple already has the capability for printed materials via their Photos app, third-party printing services. This service is only a half-measure (in my mind) because some of the people I want to invite are: - Not deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem (this is a weak critique, as the invite URL only requires an email address) - Not tech-savvy enough to manage a response in this way: If I have an Apple account, I have to log in. If I don't, I have to provide my email, enter the code sent to my email, and then remember to click the applicable RSVP option. Add to my calendar? What is an iCal file? Oh, no! I think the event is happening soon... How do I get back to the page with the details? - Friends of my kids (i.e., children), whose address is the only form of contact info they have. Sometimes events are HOW you get to know the parents, get their contact info. I feel like a printed + mailed invite _along with_ the evite was a missed slow-pitch: - It's an ad for Apple (your customers are literally paying YOU to mail advertising material to their friends/family) - It could easily include the evite URL via QR code + a text number to RSVP (e.g., "text 'yes abc123' to XXXXX to RSVP") Failing ALL of that, I have a physical invite with the details of the event.
  • gandalfgreybeer 2y ago
    I prefer physical invites too, but in the context of this, physical printing sounds like a lot of unnecessary overhead and extra work that will yield little to no significant added value on the side of Apple.
    • JadoJodo 2y ago
      My thought is that it's an optional, premium feature of the invite that I'd gladly pay for some events.
• deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
• nerder92 2y ago
  I wonder if it would be possible to do custom integrations for apps
• jccalhoun 2y ago
  Even though they have a web version for us lowly android scum, if I got one of these it would be very hard for me not to give the person a hard time for using this.
• liminal 2y ago
  This is a good way to ostracize people on other platforms.
• ofisboy 2y ago
  You don’t need an iphone or an app for this. Shameless plug: I co-own https://gigb.ee https://gigb.ee , which allows you to create free or paid events, invite people to the event via link, let them get/buy tickets, join waiting list, and you can track your attendee list, check-in and more. Events can be public (also shown on our landing page) or private (only shown on your own Gigbee page). For free events, it’s free. For paid events, you only pay per sold ticket (no monthly or upfront fee etc). Works on any device since it’s a webapp.
• nkotov 2y ago
  I just used it for my annual Super Bowl party. What a crappy experience. I sent the link - the receiving person has to sign-in into iCloud using their Apple ID to confirm. That process requires them to authenticate with MFA. Once said and done, they finally mark as attending and I get a nice notification with their Apple ID picture and name. I sent it to several people, only one completed it successfully. Rest just gave up at the login stage.