Planning a party or get-together? If you’re using an iPhone, Apple has a handy app that makes creating beautiful invites a breeze. Here’s how to whip one up in just seconds.
Good to know: learn how you can set up and edit Contact Posters on iPhone.
Who Can Use Apple’s Invites App
Apple’s Invites app doesn’t come pre-installed on your iPhone or iPad. Instead, you’ll have to download it from the App Store. The app requires an iCloud+ subscription to work. You’ll also need to have a device running iOS 18 or older.
While this might sound like an inconvenience, it does make sense since the resulting invites will be stored in the cloud and are bound to take up some space.
If you don’t feel like creating invites using your iPhone, you can also access the feature without downloading anything extra via the web on your PC or other device.
Create an Event Invite with Apple Invites App
Open Invites on your iPhone and press the + button in the upper right corner.
Tap on the first option that says Add Background to add a background to your event. This is a recent addition to the app.
Browse through the available options. If you don’t like what Apple has to offer, you can always tap into the photos from your camera or snap a new picture.
Once you’ve selected a background, you can tap the Edit Background -> Adjust Background button to position the image according to your preference, or pinch to crop it.
Note: iPhones with access to Apple Intelligence get to take things to the next level. Users can tap into the Image Playground to create original images using prompts and images of people from their gallery. There’s also the option to tap into Writing Tools to come up with more compelling event descriptions.
Next up, press on Event Title and name your event. There’s a selection of fonts available.
Now it’s time to add the Date and Time, as well as the Location of the event. Tap on each and select the specifics.
You can write up a description of the event if you want to. This will let others know what to expect and provide suggestions on what to bring along.
Given the nature of your event, Apple will automatically create some cards for you, such as the Weather one, which taps into the Weather app to bring you the forecast for the date of the event.
The app will also automatically show the destination on the map, so that event guests can access the location from there easily.
Another cool feature is the ability to create a Shared Album where you and your friends can add images from the event (this option is only available for other guests with an iOS device).
Furthermore, you can add links to the invite. For instance, in this case, we’ve added a link to the beach website, so guests can check whether the venue offers all the facilities they need.
Finally, if you and your friends have Apple Music, you can easily set up a Shared Playlist so you can all create a common playlist you can listen to on that day.
Tip: here’s how you can share Apple Music with your family.
Previewing and Sharing the Event
Once all the info has been added, it’s time to start sending the invite on its way. The good news is that guests don’t need to have an Apple account or device to be able to RSVP.
First, tap on the Preview button to see an overall view of your invite.
Check if everything is according to your liking and that no info is missing. Then press Next.
On the next screen, decide how you want to share the event link. If your guests are iOS users as well, you can send the invite via Messages. Alternatively, you can share through email or by simply copying and pasting the link in other apps you use.
In case you want to make sure that no random guests show up at your gathering, toggle on the option to Approve Guests. Now, each time a guest wants to RSVP, you’ll receive a notification to review the request.
Alternatively, you can send a one-time link to a single guest who may not even be part of your contact list. At the same time, you can give Invites access to people from your contact list.
FYI: did you know you can use Emoji Kitchen on iPhone too? Our post shows you how.
Viewing and RSVP-ing an Invite
Tapping on an Apple Invites link will take you to an iCloud page in your (mobile) browser. Enter your email below or sign in with your Apple account if you have one.
You will receive a verification code in the email you’ve added. If the host enabled the Approve Guest option, typing in the code will send them a request to allow you to view the event.
On the host’s device, open the event page and tap the 1 Access Request button that appears at the top.
At the bottom, tap on the green tick button to approve the guest.
Back to the guest device, you should receive an email alerting you that you can now view the event. Refresh the iCloud page in your browser. Check the event overview.
Swipe up to the top and tap Going if you want to attend. Other options include Not Going or Maybe.
If your answer is positive, leave a note and press the Confirm button to join.
The new participant and their reply will appear in the Guests card on the event page.
Add Event to Your Calendar on iPhone
Once you’ve created an event on your iPhone you can add it to your calendar, so that you don’t forget about it.
Open the event in question in the Invites app on your iPhone. Press the calendar-like icon in the upper right corner.
Modify any of the parameters as you see fit. Select the calendar type you want to include this event in and press the Add button at the top.
Invites will automatically create an event for you in Calendar, complete with the link to your invite. Make sure you review the resulting invite, as we noticed the ending hours were changed in the final version.
Create an Event Invite on PC
As already mentioned, you can also create event invites on the web on your PC. Navigate to this iCloud page and log in with your Apple ID.
Doing so will sync up your devices, so you will be able to access the events created on your iPhone from your PC and vice versa. To create a new invite, press the New Event button.
You can set up the invite page as you did on your iPhone, although you’ll now view the page in landscape rather than in portrait mode.
If you’re looking to learn more iPhone tricks, check how you can easily set two photos side by side without downloading an extra app. Or, learn how to change lock screen shortcuts on your iPhone.
