Latest news with #AppleInvites
Business Insider
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
RSVP SOS
Julia Landon is moving out of Jersey City this summer, and she's enlisting her friends to schlep boxes. Instead of texting or calling them to beg for help, she's inviting them on Partiful. The 27-year-old made three events on the popular event planning app: one for packing ("Pizza, Packing and Party — oh my!"), one for loading the truck (marked with a cartoon of a vintage U-Haul truck that reads "U help me haul" in the company's logo), and a final going away party at a bar ("One Last Time," which, because no Gen Z party is complete without one, is decked with a Shrek meme). Founded in 2020, the venture-backed Partiful has become the talk of the town in online invites and is trying to grow beyond the casual hang to take on save the dates and wedding invites. But it's competing in a crowded marketplace of companies looking to get ROI from your RSVP. There's the new Apple Invites and Shine Parties (from former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer's AI company Sunshine) and also Luma, all of which echo Partiful's playful vibe. There are early adopters like Evite and Paperless Post, which are known for email invitations more than texts. And then there's a chaotic flurry of other ways to ask people to come to your hang: group chats, email threads, Instagram close friends stories, Snapchats, Canva cards, and the dying art of a phone call. When our phones endlessly ping with invites, it's harder to understand what we're attending and what's expected of us. Landon says using Partiful "really does help set the tone" of whatever event she's hosting, whether it's a New Year's Eve party or a Seder. The app's cute aesthetic leans more fun than formal, with the ability to make bubbles and confetti move across the screen and add personalized GIFs. But that also can be cringe to older invitees, and the option to have guests Venmo funds toward your party upon RSVP'ing could send most over 40 into an etiquette tailspin. Tech should have made invites seamless. But there's no consensus on a straightforward, non-cringe, anxiety-quelling way to earnestly ask people to show up for you. There are too many ways to send invites running into too many ways to receive them — and ultimately, some people will still ignore an invite or choose not to show up. RSVP etiquette seems to have died off just as flaking has risen to a social norm. Welcome to the age of invitation overload. "It's exhausting," Fernanda Read tells me of the state of invitations. The founder of the luxury travel company At The Top But Not Alone says she prefers "whatever doesn't require me to make a new account." Read, 43, recently received a wedding invite in a group text and on WhatsApp and was thrown into a sea of dozens of unknown phone numbers. That wasn't any better, she says: "It's just a hot mess." Emily Post would drop an f-bomb if she were alive today to see the chaotic state of invitation etiquette. In the past year, I've received invites for: an adult's birthday party in a vacant lot, replete with live reptiles, sent via Partiful; a wedding via Paperless Post; a 30th birthday marked with a Canva-made card sent in a chatty group text (cute, but I made the mistake of not saving the image and struggled to remember what time dinner started); and a barbecue using Facebook that I had no idea about until the friend texted me a few days before wondering whether I was coming. People take to Reddit to ask repeatedly what invite platforms are best for communicating across groups, what they should use for a toddler's birthday, or whether digital invites for a wedding are tacky. Emily Post would drop an f-bomb if she were alive today to see the chaotic state of invitation etiquette. I spoke with experts on manners and invitations as well as the self-appointed event coordinators of their friend groups about how they navigate the stress and anxiety of modern party planning and why they're brave enough to keep inviting people to get together. However they're sent, all invites should receive replies, no matter how formal or informal, says Myka Meier, founder of the etiquette school Beaumont Etiquette. But those that are personalized and actually address the invitee, whether on Evite or in a call or text, are likely to influence the receiver to feel their presence at an event is more important. "If they feel like there was little effort put into the invitation, you'll see probably little effort for the reply," Meier says. The way an invite goes out may seem like a small detail, but it can make or break a gathering. "How you communicate things is very important, and it influences what the person understands about the event," says Alexa Hirschfeld, a cofounder of Paperless Post, which has sent nearly a billion invites since 2009 and focuses on more formal events, like weddings, showers, and milestone birthdays. Since the dawn of online invitations some 30 years ago, we've made the invite process messier. Various invite companies may encourage people to download apps; Partiful prompts guests to RSVP before revealing the event's location or other attendees (which can leave hosts with handfuls of maybes, a Type A planner's nightmare). New York Tech Week caused drama earlier this month by requiring all official events to use Partiful — Andreessen Horowitz, which ran the latest iteration of Tech Week, is also an investor in Partiful, leading the app's $20 million Series A in 2022. The move left Tech Week attendees confused about whether they should look to Luma or Partiful for events. We've "strayed from the light," when it comes to planning, says Tyler Bainbridge, a former software engineer at Meta who's the 29-year-old founder of the new social network Since many have abandoned their Facebook accounts, there's been nothing like the site's events feature to help people discover events as seamlessly — Bainbridge says he'll often see a post on Instagram for an event and think, "That looks amazing," but it's easily lost. "You can't actually see which of your friends are going," he says. "They may have 2,000 likes, but who's actually going to the thing? And, it's easy to forget about them." He says is working on its own events feature, which would draw people more to community events they have an interest in, much like Facebook has done. Invites matter, but maybe the platforms they're sent on don't. For many younger hosts, Partiful is the standout replacement. Kirsten Meyer, a 25-year-old in Portland, Oregon who works in public relations, swears by the app to send out invites even when a gathering includes just a handful of people. (On TikTok, people make videos about asking someone on a date via Partiful or setting up time for crash-out convos with a bestie.) She's hosted a murder-mystery-themed party, a "Love Island" watch party, and a Beer Olympics. Customizing the invites instead of just sending a text, she says, helps "to get the vibe and theme across" and conveys that people better come prepared to play their part. Partiful declined to share specific numbers on invites with me, but Jess Eames, head of the company's business and product operations, tells me in an email that Partiful has hosted tens of millions of invites. Birthdays are popular, but so is "throwing parties without any particular reason — just for the sake of partying," Eames says, and weddings are becoming more common on the app, too. Invites matter, but maybe the platforms they're sent on don't. Sukhi Sahni takes party planning so seriously that her friends have jokingly dubbed her the chief administrative officer of her WhatsApp chat, the NOVA gang (short for Northern Virginia, where she and a few other longtime friends live). She has hosted big events like Christmas and Diwali celebrations, but she also helps make personalized invites for different members of the group's birthdays, sometimes sending out videos that feature photos of the honoree and include a voice memo at the end with the pertinent details. "When you see yourself in something, you are more likely to connect," Sahni, a public relations marketing executive, tells me. Right now, the group is in the middle of a big milestone: Several members are turning 50. But it's not just the lead up to the event — Sahni tells me she will also often take the photos from the event and turn them into a picture book as a gift. Part of what makes these events so successful is that people trust that when Sahni is behind the planning, it's going to turn out well. That meant building trust over multiple gatherings and sending people nudges and reminders to set expectations about RSVP'ing. Hosting for big groups in 2025 means fighting against the norm of ghosting and cancelling plans. Some have given up on nailing down the head count. Tom O'Malley, a 40-year-old in Springfield, New Jersey, is in 159 group chats — some with friends, but many with parents from his kids' school or soccer club. His family hosts two large get-togethers a year (for back to school and St. Patrick's Day) and smaller ones monthly. O'Malley tells me his wife will make an invite card on Canva and then email it to some people and text blast it to others. There's no good way to track who is coming with that method, but O'Malley has found that it doesn't matter. Yes, some people who RSVP don't turn up anyway, leaving his family with too much leftover food and beer. But now, O'Malley takes more of a "throw it out there and see what happens" approach. Despite people being flaky, he says, those who have shown up have a new look on gathering and may be more likely to come back. "I forgot that this was super nice," he says some people have told him. By letting go of anxiety around hosting and high expectations of others, he's been liberated, and it makes him a more relaxed host and the parties more enjoyable. "To be the kind of social beacon to some degree," he says, "you kind of just have to be willing to do that." I've been planning a birthday party for the end of this month, a task I find increasingly embarrassing as a person fully in my 30s still desperately awaiting RSVPs. I defaulted to Partiful, as it seemed the method my different groups of friends would all be most likely to use, and I was happy it took on the task of sending nudges to invited guests to commit and reminders to show up. Despite sending out the invite weeks in advance for a Sunday afternoon hang, I'm dealing with an accordion effect when it comes to attendees; the numbers rise and fall as people change their plans, and a handful of "maybe" replies taunt me, sparking an internal debate as to whether I should splurge for a bigger reservation (logically, I know that "maybe" probably means "no," and I may end up with fewer guests and extra money on the tab that leaves me bitter on a day that's meant to be fun specifically for me). In my nightmares, everyone flakes, and I'm left at the roller rink alone. But I'm trying to take some advice and optimism from the star hosts I spoke with for this story: plan the day, let go, and hope people remember that it's nice to gather together.
Geeky Gadgets
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geeky Gadgets
The Complete Guide to Using Apple Invites
Apple Invites is a comprehensive event planning tool designed to streamline the process of organizing gatherings, whether casual meetups or formal events. Fully integrated with iCloud and compatible with both Apple and non-Apple devices, it provides a wide array of features to create, send, and manage invitations with ease. Requiring iOS 18 or later and an iCloud Plus subscription, Apple Invites ensures accessibility and functionality for a diverse audience, making it a versatile solution for modern event planning. The video below from Apple shows us how to use the app. Watch this video on YouTube. Designing an Event: Personalization at Its Core Apple Invites makes event creation intuitive and highly customizable, allowing you to tailor every aspect of your gathering to suit your needs. Accessible through or the Apple Invites app, the platform offers a seamless experience for users. Here's how you can create an event: Begin by entering essential details, such as the event title, date, time, and location, making sure all critical information is clear and concise. Include a brief description to set the tone or provide additional context for your guests. Enhance the invitation with integrated features like real-time weather forecasts, helping attendees prepare for the day. Incorporate navigation tools to provide precise directions to the venue, reducing confusion and making sure timely arrivals. These features not only make your invitations more informative but also add a layer of convenience for your guests, simplifying the planning process and enhancing the overall experience. Fostering Engagement: Collaboration and Shared Memories Apple Invites extends beyond basic event planning by encouraging collaboration and interaction among attendees. Its advanced tools are designed to make your event more engaging and memorable: Create shared photo and video albums where guests can contribute their own content, allowing everyone to relive the event's highlights together. For Apple Music subscribers, build collaborative playlists where attendees can add their favorite songs, creating a personalized soundtrack for the occasion. These features transform your event into a shared experience, fostering a sense of community and making sure that the memories created are cherished by all participants. Sharing Invitations: Inclusive and Flexible Options Once your invitation is ready, Apple Invites offers multiple ways to share it, making sure flexibility and inclusivity for all participants: Preview and edit your invitations before sending them via messages, email, or a public link, making sure they meet your expectations. For private events, approve guests individually to maintain controlled access and ensure only invited attendees can participate. Non-Apple users can accept invitations through a web browser, with secure verification codes making sure their participation is both safe and straightforward. This cross-platform compatibility ensures that everyone, regardless of their device preference, can join your event seamlessly, making the planning process more inclusive and efficient. Effortless Guest Participation: Simplified Responses Apple Invites is designed to make responding to invitations easy and accessible for all guests, regardless of their device: Apple users can accept invitations directly within the app, providing a quick and seamless experience. Non-Apple users can respond via a web browser without the need for an Apple account, making sure accessibility for everyone. Verification codes are issued to non-Apple users to confirm their identity, adding an extra layer of security to the process. This streamlined approach eliminates unnecessary barriers, allowing all attendees to confirm their participation effortlessly and focus on enjoying the event. Streamlined Communication: Keeping Everyone Connected Effective communication is a cornerstone of successful event planning, and Apple Invites prioritizes this by offering tools that keep both hosts and guests informed: Custom messaging options allow attendees to share preferences, ask questions, or provide feedback directly through the app, making sure clear and open communication. A detailed guest list displays attendee names and RSVP statuses, helping hosts stay organized and informed throughout the planning process. These features reduce misunderstandings, enhance collaboration, and ensure that everyone remains connected, contributing to a smoother and more enjoyable event experience. Empowering Event Planning with Apple Invites Apple Invites is a powerful and versatile tool that simplifies event planning while enhancing the experience for both hosts and attendees. By offering features such as weather forecasts, navigation tools, shared media albums, and collaborative playlists, it provides a comprehensive solution for creating memorable gatherings. Its cross-platform compatibility and secure verification systems ensure inclusivity, making it accessible to a wide range of users. Whether you're organizing a small get-together or a large celebration, Apple Invites equips you with the tools needed to plan and execute a seamless, engaging event. Advance your skills in Apple Invites app by reading more of our detailed content. Source & Image Credit: Apple Support Filed Under: Apple, Apple iPhone, Guides, Top News Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. 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Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Select Apple One subscribers get two new perks
Apple is quietly introducing two new perks for some of its Apple One subscribers. One is already available, while the other must wait until the company releases a new iOS update. Last month, Apple introduced Apple Invites, a platform that allows users to create and share invitations, manage RSVPs, contribute to Shared Albums, and engage with Apple Music playlists, among other features. Apple Invites is also accessible online for those without an iPhone or any other Apple device. However, to create invitations, you must be an iCloud+ subscriber. Anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether they have an Apple account or device. Every Apple One subscription includes iCloud+, and individual, family, and premier subscribers can also receive Apple Invites as an extra feature. Beginning with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, Apple also adds a new food section to Apple News+. This section promises to add thousands of recipes and food-related articles from publications like Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Allrecipes, etc. The new software updates are in beta and should be available to the public next month. Apple New+ is exclusive to Apple One Premier subscribers. If you aren't an Apple One user, you can purchase Apple News+ monthly for $9.99. An Apple One Individual subscription ($19.95) includes: iCloud+ with 50GB of online storage Apple TV+ Apple Music Apple Arcade An Apple One Family plan ($25.95) can be shared with up to five others. It includes: iCloud+ with 200GB of online storage Apple TV+ Apple Music Apple Arcade Finally, with an Apple One Premier ($37.95) subscription (also shareable with up to five people), you can get: iCloud with 2TB of online storage Apple TV+ Apple Music Apple Fitness+ Apple News+ Apple News+ is only offered in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia.
WIRED
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- WIRED
Use Apple Invites to Organize Your Next Event
Apple's new event planning app lets you gather friends and family in one place—even if they're on Android. If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED Apple wants to make your events run more smoothly. It has just launched Apple Invites, an app on the iPhone and the web that lets you schedule occasions, invite people to them, and share any related photos and music with your guests. If you're an iCloud+ subscriber—so if you pay Apple money for iCloud storage—you can create and manage events, while everyone else is able to respond to invites and participate on event pages. (Yes, even Android users, via the web.) Whether or not you've already got a favorite event planning app in place, Apple Invites is worth a look to check out its features and capabilities—especially if you're an iPhone and iCloud+ user. Creating and Managing Events Apple is clearly keen to make the event creation process as straightforward as possible in Apple Invites: From the front screen of the iPhone app, tap the + (plus) button in the top right corner, and you can start building your invite. You've got a few bits of information to fill out here, including the all-important event date and start time. Tap Add Background to create a backdrop to your event listing, which will replace the colored gradient that's there by default. You can pick an image out from the selection provided, choose a picture from your camera roll, or generate something with AI by tapping on the Playground button. You're able to attach times, a location, and music to an invite. Courtesy of David Nield You'll see you can adjust details like the font size for the event invitation, and you'll also see a weather forecast for the event day (if one is available). Choose to add a location to the event—handy if you want people to find it—and the app attaches a map of where the occasion is being held too. Further down the invite creation screen are a couple of fun features: Tap Create Album to attach some photos to the invite, and Add Playlist to build a playlist for the event in Apple Music. You can choose to manage these yourself, or let your guests contribute photos and playlists. Both the photos and music can be added to during the event too. Invites are shared via a link. Courtesy of David Nield All of these details can be changed if needed as the event approaches. When the invite's ready, tap Preview to see how it looks, then Next to specify the people you want to invite—the invite link can be shared across just about any app or platform you like. Turn on the Approve Guests toggle switch to approve guests before they join, otherwise anyone who comes across the link or has it forwarded to them will be able to get involved. Tap the options button (an icon showing three sliders, top right), and you can make more tweaks to the invite: You're able to specify how many guests your invited contacts can bring (if any), and remove the background preview for anyone who hasn't been approved as a guest. There are also options to duplicate and cancel the event here. Responding to Invites and Participating However your guests get their invite link, they'll be able to tap on it to respond. iPhone owners with Apple Invites installed will get directed to the app, while everyone else will be able to view the invite on the web. If you've turned on guest approval, the contacts you've invited need to request access before they can see the invite. The first order of business on the invite is to respond to it: Going, Not Going, and Maybe are the choices, with the option to attach a message if needed. The RSVP response can be changed at any point, and both hosts and fellow guests can see a list of everyone who's attending on the event page. There are three RSVP options. Courtesy of David Nield If photo albums and playlists have been created, guests can view them from the event page, alongside all the other event details. Guests can also add photos to the event album, if sharing access has been granted, and contribute songs to the event playlist—as long as they're signed up for Apple Music. There are a few guest settings, which can be found by tapping the options button (three sliders, top right). As a guest, you're able to leave the event completely, and specify whether or not you get email notifications about it—which can come in handy if the host changes key details. Events can be added to a calendar app. Courtesy of David Nield Everything works in a similar way in the iCloud interface: Hosts and guests can see all the details about events, including playlists and photos, while hosts can make any changes they want. More guests can be invited at any point, and it's possible to kick out guests that have already been invited too. The iOS and web Apple Invite apps do a capable job of showing all the events you've created and are going to, and you can scroll through them in chronological order. Both guests and hosts also have the option to add events to their calendar. (Apple Calendar is supported natively, but you can also export a standard ICS calendar event file for use in the calendar app of your choice.)
TECHx
08-02-2025
- Entertainment
- TECHx
Apple Launches Apple Invites App for Seamless Event Planning - TECHx Media Apple Launches Apple Invites App for Seamless Event Planning
Apple Launches Apple Invites App for Seamless Event Planning News Desk - Share Apple has launched Apple Invites, a new app for iPhone that makes creating and sharing custom invitations easier than ever. Available now for download on the App Store or via the web at the app allows users to design invitations for any event and share them with friends and family. iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations, while anyone, regardless of their device or Apple account, can RSVP. Brent Chiu-Watson, Apple's senior director of Worldwide Product Marketing for Apps and iCloud, explained, 'With Apple Invites, an event comes to life from the moment the invitation is created, and users can share lasting memories even after they get together.' The app integrates with iPhone, iCloud, and Apple Music, offering an easy way to plan and celebrate special events. Apple Invites allows users to choose an image from their photo library or a curated selection of event-themed backgrounds. With built-in Maps and Weather integrations, the app provides guests with directions and event-day weather forecasts. Users can also invite participants to contribute photos and videos to a Shared Album, preserving memories, and Apple Music subscribers can create and share collaborative playlists directly through the app. The app's use of Apple Intelligence makes creating unique invitations simple. Users can tap into the Image Playground experience to generate creative images and use Writing Tools to find the perfect wording for their event invites. Hosts have full control of their events, with the ability to manage details, view RSVPs, and share invitations via a link. Guests can respond through the app or the web, even if they don't have an Apple device or account. Participants can also choose how their details are shared and have the option to leave or report events at any time. iCloud+ subscribers enjoy additional benefits, including expanded storage for photos, videos, and files, keeping them safe and accessible across all devices. Premium features like Private Relay ensure browsing privacy in Safari, while Hide My Email offers unique, random email addresses for extra security. Subscribers also get HomeKit Secure Video for encrypted home security footage, the ability to create custom email domains, and the option to share their subscription with up to five family members. Learn more about iCloud+ and its features, starting at just AED 3.99, by visiting
