Apple Invites is an exciting new iPhone application that launched just yesterday. After spending a day exploring its features, here are five key aspects of the Invites app you may not have noticed.
Easily recreate event invites
If you frequently host similar gatherings—like book clubs, happy hours, or work meetings—you can efficiently generate a new invite by duplicating a previous one.
Simply open the event you’d like to replicate, tap the three dots in the upper-right corner, and select Duplicate.
Note that the guest list from the original event will not be carried over, so you will need to re-add recipients manually. However, duplicating the event will still provide a great starting point for your new invite.
Personalize your notifications
By enabling push notifications for the Invites app, Apple allows for extensive customization of the notifications you receive, offering five distinct options. Tap your profile picture in the upper-right corner of the app, go to Push Notifications, and you’ll find toggles for these notification types:
- Events you are hosting
- Events you are invited to
- Recommendations
- New features and tips
- Special offers
If you prefer receiving email alerts instead of push notifications—or in addition to them—there’s also an option for that. By tapping on your profile picture, you can access an Email Updates menu, where you can enable email alerts for both events you are hosting and those you are invited to.
Event privacy features
The Invites app incorporates several privacy features to protect users’ information. These features include:
- Require approval for all RSVPs before they’re confirmed
- Hide crucial details until guests are confirmed, such as the location, guest list, event background image, and more
- Create one-time use invites tailored for specific guests, or use a general link that works for everyone
If you receive an invite, your personal contact information will not be visible to other guests, and you have the option to control how your name and image are displayed.
Guest permissions
As expected from an application like Invites, Apple allows you to determine whether guests can invite other attendees to the event.
The Invites app enhances this feature even further. Besides the typical all-or-nothing permission for all guests, you can also designate specific guests who are allowed to send invites. To do this, open the guest list, tap the three dots next to a guest’s name, and select ‘Allow to invite others.’
Draft invites in advance
Do you prefer to plan ahead? Apple’s Invites app allows for that. While creating new invites, you don’t have to send them immediately. You can create as many drafts as you need and save them for later.
When you’re ready to send, just navigate to the Drafts section of the app, make any necessary last-minute adjustments, and send the invite.
If you’ve completed an invite but want it to go out later, the scheduling abilities available in Apple’s Messages and Mail apps can assist you with that.
Summary of Apple Invites app features
For a newly launched app, Apple Invites is impressively feature-rich. While there are always possibilities for additional features in the future, like more app integrations (such as cost-splitting with Wallet?), the initial offering is impressive and satisfies most user needs—if not exceeds them.
What have been your favorite features in the Apple Invites app so far? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Top iPhone accessories
FTC: We utilize income-generating auto affiliate links. More.
