Apple’s party-planning app is getting more social. Version 1.13.0 of Apple Invites lets hosts add polls directly to an invitation, so guests can vote on details such as the theme or the menu, and adds a decorative emoji effect that floats across the invite. Apple has also included the usual bug fixes and performance improvements.
Polls are the more useful addition by some way. Event planning rarely ends once the invite goes out. Questions about whether it’s a costume party or casual, or whether the food is pizza or barbecue, usually play out in a separate group chat where answers get buried among memes and late replies. Putting the vote on the invitation keeps the decisions next to the date, location and RSVP list, which is where hosts need them. It’s a modest feature, but it targets a real annoyance.
The floating emoji effect is much lighter, a small visual touch to match the event’s mood. It won’t change how anyone uses the app, but it shows Apple sees Invites as a fun, personal product as much as a practical one.
The update continues a steady stream of improvements since Invites launched in early 2025. Apple has since added Image Playground backgrounds and an iMessage app for sending invitations without leaving Messages. Core features include cohosting, shared photo albums where guests can add pictures, and automatic Apple Maps directions and weather forecasts on each event page.
The bigger question is whether Invites can attract users already settled elsewhere. Partiful has become a favourite with younger crowds, while Evite and Paperless Post still dominate more formal occasions. Apple’s main advantage is integration, but its business model works against it. Anyone can RSVP for free through the app or a web browser on any device, Android included, but only iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations. That keeps Invites positioned as a subscription perk rather than a standalone product, which limits its reach in a category that depends on network effects.
Polls also overlap with Apple’s own tools. Messages added native polls in iOS 26, so iPhone users can already vote inside a group chat. The difference is that a poll in Invites reaches every guest, including those not on iPhone or not in the chat. That matters more than it might first appear for mixed-platform groups.
Invites is free on the App Store and needs iOS 26 or later. The question now is whether Apple keeps adding small features like these, or eventually opens up hosting to more users and turns Invites into a real competitor in event planning.