Apple’s new ‘Invites’ service could launch as soon as this week

At the start of the year, eagle-eyed reporters spotted references in iOS code to a new Apple app (or possibly a feature within another app). Referred to as “Apple Invites,” it appeared to be a way to manage and invite people to parties and other events while offering integration with iCloud and Calendar.

Based on the app’s basic feature set and the fact that it disappeared and then reappeared during the progression from iOS 18.2 beta and iOS 18.2 final release to iOS 18.3 beta, the prospects of an imminent launch seemed remote if it was going to happen at all. Apple Invites, we thought, could be part of iOS 19 when it was unveiled in the summer, or it might turn out to be an experiment that went nowhere. But a new report claims it will launch, and considerably sooner than initially expected.

In the latest installment of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman reveals firstly that Apple Invites has been dubbed “Confetti” within the company, and secondly that it’s tied to iOS 18.3, not iOS 19. Given that iOS 18.3 is already out, we can expect the app/feature to launch sooner rather than later; Gurman says it could be as early as this week.

Notably, Gurman refers to Invites not as an app, but as a service and an initiative; he implies it may lie within Calendar. It’s not clear whether the service is free or whether it ties into Apple intelligence at all. “For years, Apple has been seeking to revamp its calendar app,” he writes, “and this new initiative could be the beginning of a broader effort.”

What that broader effort will entail remains a mystery for now, but the launch of Invites means we should get an idea pretty soon.