The launch of Apple's new event planning app has sparked controversy, with rival platform Partiful accusing the tech giant of violating its own App Store guidelines.
Partiful, a popular event planning service founded in 2020, took to social media to suggest that Apple's new Invites app infringes on App Store rule 4.1, which prohibits copycat applications. The rule specifically warns developers against copying popular apps or making minor changes to existing apps' interfaces.
The new Apple Invites app, released Tuesday, allows users to create and manage digital invitations for events like birthdays, graduations, and parties. The service requires an iCloud+ subscription, with plans starting at $1 per month.
While both apps share similar core functionality in event planning and RSVP management, they differ in key aspects. Partiful offers a platform-agnostic approach, allowing seamless access across different devices without requiring email verification. In contrast, Apple Invites requires non-Apple users to provide email addresses and verify their identity to access invitations.
Partiful CEO Shreya Murthy emphasized their platform's universal accessibility, stating that their product works regardless of users' device preferences. The company also highlighted additional features like shared photo albums and interactive comment walls that distinguish their service.
This situation recalls previous instances of "sherlocking" - a term referring to Apple's history of incorporating features from third-party apps into its own products. The term originated from Apple's enhancement of its Sherlock search tool with features from a third-party app called Watson.
However, the event planning app market includes numerous established players like Evite, Paperless, and Punchbowl, making it difficult to substantiate claims of direct copying from any single application.
The controversy emerges as Apple continues to expand its services division, which has become the company's second-largest business segment, generating $25 billion in sales during the December quarter.