Apple is reportedly about to launch a new iCloud-based service, codenamed Confetti, that’s tied to the iOS 18.3 Calendar app. Here are three advantages Apple’s offering could provide over its competition.
What is ‘Confetti’?
Over the weekend, Mark Gurman at Bloomberg shared that a new iCloud-based ‘Confetti’ service was launching as early as this week. He wrote:
As the festive code name implies, the service offers a new way to invite people to parties, functions and meetings. For years, Apple has been seeking to revamp its calendar app — and this new initiative could be the beginning of a broader effort.
My colleague Filipe Espósito was the first to report on this service’s existence based on iOS 18.3 code he discovered referencing an ‘Invites’ app. Now, it seems Apple is nearly ready to debut the new offering.
Based on both reports, it sounds like ‘Confetti’ will be a cloud-based service that’s baked into the existing Calendar app and perhaps offers a standalone iMessage app too.
Other apps and services offer similar schedule coordinating functionality, but here are three potential advantages Apple could bring.
#1: Free and ad-free
I’ve used a number of scheduling services and apps over the years. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to find one that’s both free and ad-free.
It’s understandable, of course. Services need to pay the bills.
Apple, however, makes most of its revenue from hardware. Thus, building a new scheduling-type feature and giving it free to Calendar users makes sense.
#2: Seamless multi-calendar use
By tying its new ‘Confetti’ feature to the existing Calendar app, Apple can tap into one of that app’s chief benefits: being a calendar aggregator.
Inside the Calendar app, users can (and do) set up various different calendars from multiple services. You can have calendars from Google, Microsoft, iCloud, and more.
Since all of these calendars can exist in one place, the ‘Confetti’ feature will offer a more seamless experience for anyone using multiple calendar services. Fantastical, again, does this well. But now Apple will provide similar ease of use that’s accessible to its billions of users.
#3: Photos app integration
Finally, one feature I hope we see from ‘Confetti’ is Photos app integration.
After a party or outing, the process of getting photos and videos from other attendees is messy. Some of my friends have gotten in the habit of using AirDrop before leaving, while others send a shared Google Photos album after the fact and ask people to upload there.
Since there’s no standard practice, lots of post-event photo sharing just doesn’t happen.
But Apple could build Photos app support into the ‘Confetti’ feature such that attendees can seamlessly share their photos right from the Calendar event.
Perhaps a new type of Calendar notification could even gently prompt users to share their photos the day after the shared event ends.
Apple Calendar’s ‘Confetti’: wrap-up
Apple left its Calendar app largely stagnant for years, but that’s finally starting to change. ‘Confetti’ sounds like a great addition to the recent UI upgrades in iOS 18 and new Visual Intelligence feature in 18.3.
Once ‘Confetti’ ships, iPhone users should be able to organize parties and meetings with a great, free addition that’s built right into the OS—that’s a compelling advantage.
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