APPLE has just dropped a surprise new app for your iPhone – and I’ve tried it out.
It’s called Invites and it’s meant to make it easier to see pals, but there’s a little detail that might ruin things for you. Even if you’re just trying to organise drinks at the pub.
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First off, what is Invites?
Well it’s meant to help you invite people to events that you’re planning, and then manage those guests afterwards.
It won’t be on your iPhone by default. You’ll need to go to the App Store to find it.
The app didn’t show up right away when I searched for it. So instead I looked for Apple TV, tapped on the Apple brand, and then downloaded the app from the page.
By the time you read this, it’ll probably be easier to bag.
Once you’re in the app, you can get started with creating events.
I was able to choose a background – you can pick anything you like, but there are some presets, including fun emoji-themed ones.
Then you set up a title, as well as a date and time. There’s also the option for “All Day” if you’re planning something big.
You get the option to plug in a location and an event description too.
Where it gets a little more exciting is the Shared Album option.
You can create an album that anyone who comes to the event can add to.
That way, everyone can stick in their snaps – rather than you having to beg for pics from mates over WhatsApp for days afterwards.
And if you’re throwing a party, there’s also the option to create a Shared Playlist.
This lets guests add their songs to a music playlist that you can use at the event.
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Don’t worry: if someone picks something naff, you can simply delete it. It’s your party.
Once the event is set up, you can invite people – and manage the RSVPs.
If you want, you can set it up so that you can deny entry to certain people. This might be useful if you’re creating a more public event.
And you can send notes to guests at any time updating them on plans.
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There’s an option to sync your event to your calendar so you don’t forget about it too.
It all sounds pretty handy, so what’s the catch?
Well it turns out that the app isn’t free – or rather, creating events isn’t.
You can be a guest and RSVP to events created with the app even if you don’t have an Apple account – or an iPhone.
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But if you want to use the app to create invitations, you’ll need to subscribe to iCloud+.
In the UK, that’ll cost you at least £0.99 a month – or $0.99 in the US.
So if you’re not willing to fork out for that, you’re stuck.
Of course iCloud+ comes with some other benefits – it’s not just this app.
ICLOUD+ PRICES – HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Here’s how much iCloud+ costs in the UK each month based on the amount of storage you get with each tier…
- 50GB – £0.99 / $0.99
- 200GB – £2.99 / $2.99
- 2TB – £8.99 / $9.99
- 6TB – £26.99 / $29.9
- 12TB – £54.99 / $59.99
And here’s Apple’s official list of iCloud+ perks:
- Expanded storage allows users to keep large libraries of original, high-resolution photos, videos, and files safe in iCloud®, and easily accessible across all of their devices and the web.
- Private Relay keeps browsing in Safari® entirely private from network providers, websites, and even Apple.
- Hide My Email generates unique, random email addresses whenever needed.
- HomeKit® Secure Video allows users to capture and review home security footage in an end-to-end encrypted format.
- Custom email domains enable users to personalize their iCloud email address.
- Family Sharing allows users to share their iCloud+ subscription with up to five people at no extra cost.
Picture Credit: Apple
With the base plan, you’ll also get 50GB of iCloud storage to back up your files.
There’s a Private Relay feature to help hide your browsing activity, and Hide My Email to create fake email addresses to reduce spam.
And you can also use Family Sharing to let up to five people in your household borrow your iCloud+ subscription at no extra cost.
There’s a good chance that you might already have iCloud+, so just head into Settings > [Name] > iCloud on your iPhone to check.
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In any case, remember that when you create an event, you can share it with anyone. They won’t need iCloud+ to see it.
It seems like a decent way to create, share, and manage events.
People might not want to use it for weddings where physical invites can feel more personal.
But if you’re throwing a birthday party or just want to go for pints down the pub, it’s pretty easy to chuck something together with Invites.
Of course, it can’t guarantee that anyone will actually come. There’s no app for that yet.
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