Apple Invites

"With Apple Invites, users can create and easily share invitations, RSVP, contribute to Shared Albums, and engage with Apple Music playlists."

Correct me if I'm wrong:

- create & share invitations: must have iCloud+

- iCloud shared albums: barebones upload/download on non-Apple devices

- apple music: cross-platform, must be subscribed

- RSVP: cross-platform (Apple account req'd)

So yes, it "works" outside the Apple ecosystem, but missing features to encourage lock-in.

The only problem I have with this, as an android user, is that there's probably no API available for someone to build an integration for other platforms if the market was there. I don't expect Apple to go and create cross platform clients for every service they put out, they're not a service first company, they're an Apple service first company.

Pull requests welcome.

It literally says, “...anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether they have an Apple Account or Apple device.”

[Citation needed]

Can you direct me to where I can make pull requests to unlock Apple's walled garden?

[ignore, I've misread] ~~In that case, you must have iCloud+ subscription~~

I tried this and RSVP'd with an email that didn't have an Apple account, and it asked me to created an Apple account.

I originally created the event using my own Apple account which definitely has iCloud+. So how do I create an event that someone without an Apple account can RSVP to?

That's a big problem though. They're targeting a class of use cases currently covered by iCalendar family of open protocols[0] and handled by every calendar and e-mail app there is. Because of their narrowed focus on features most relevant to individuals, families and groups of friends, they'll be able to deliver a superior experience there for people on their platform - and they have both enough users and the correct placement in the "tech stack" (unlike e.g. Facebook/Meta or other social platforms, that already tried and failed to pull it off) to break universality of iCal for everyone else.

If this sticks, it won't only screw you or me over as Android users with Apple users in our friends groups. This will quickly bubble up from friend gatherings to community groups and local services businesses. At some point, you'll find that your kids' kindergarten or your stylist or even your doctor starts sending you Apple Invites instead of e-mail invites (.ics), because the Apple variant also comes with a shared photo album. It's actually surprising when you notice just how many appointments could use a shared photo and/or document collection directly linked to them - that part is actually a good idea from Apple. It's just sad that they're weaponizing it instead of improving what already works for everyone.

--

[0] - https://icalendar.org/RFC-Specifications/all/

Anyone can RSVP, but only Apple users can fully partake in it.

Also, per sgt's comment below, it seems it works the same way as sharing documents via OneDrive. "Share with anyone, doesn't require sign-in". That is the actual text from the Share dialog in Windows 11. "Doesn't require sign-in". Well, except if you're sharing more than one document under a link - then it forces recipients to sign in with an account. It's even documented in the on-line help for the feature, just not mentioned in the UI. Also, when you share a single document, while sign-in truly isn't required, the link still leads to a login page that urges signing in or creating an account, and just has this tiny, barely noticeable link to access without login, tucked in the corner somewhere.

(I miss Dropbox's "Public" folder from a decade ago. That was the first and last time sharing documents from web drives made sense.)

I can't say I've ever received an event invitation via iCalendar. Getting an .ics download for an event to put it on my calendar, sure, but that's not an invite, it's just a read-only event.

I don't know - I was able share a link and RSVP without an account. AFAIK I enabled every option other than the shared album.

It does prefer contacting via email, so it did an email verification via mailed PIN, and then attached that email to the guest list from the link.

Yeah I think this is targeting Facebook Events (which they seem like they've been trying to kill off anyway) and Partiful more than calendar meetings/appointments.

Do you have a personal stylist or doctor that sends you direct calendar invites?

Usually a friend just DMs me and tells me to show up somewhere.