iPad User Magazine - UK (2019-10)

Invitees get an

‘envelope’ by

email, which

they click to

see the invite

Make an invitation

with Punchbowl

Sendinvitesand manageyourRSVPswith aneasy-to-useiPadapp

ITWILLTAKE

20 minutes

YOUWILLLEARN

How to use the

Punchbowl app and

platform to create and

send an invitation

YOU’LLNEED

iOS 9 or later and

Punchbowl (free to

download)

Punchbowl (punchbowl.com) is

a free app for sending greetings

cards and invitations. It’s with

the latter that its features really

kick in, because you can track your RSVPs and

chase up non-responders. We’re almost

tempted to start using it for meetings.

This is one of those ‘free’ apps with rather

pricey subscriptions to unlock features, but

you can do plenty without paying. Cards and

invitations are delivered with an advertising

banner unless you subscribe at Platinum level.

This costs £75.99 per year as an in-app

purchase, but on Punchbowl’s website we were

able to sign up to the same plan for $41.

(about £33). Accounts are linked by email

address. You can subscribe for less monthly,

but the cost adds up faster.

Invitees receive an envelope graphic, which

they click to see the invite online. This is where

the banner ads appear; we didn’t find them

particularly intrusive. More importantly,

though, you’ll also need at least a Plus

subscription, at £35.99 a year in-app or $17.

(about £14) online, to use any of the templates

that let you incorporate your own photos, or to

upload your own design.

Return to sender

Cards and invitations are sent via email. You

can also enter a recipient’s phone number to

text to, but this only works in North America.

There’s an alternative: on the Add Guests

screen, tap the menu icon at the top right,

Share Invitation, then Messages. Enter one or

more mobile numbers or iMessage addresses.

The recipient receives a link to click; you can

also copy and paste this to manually share

elsewhere, so you can send it in texts yourself

from the Messages app.

Unless you also add these guests

separately, they won’t appear in the

dashboard for your event or trigger

notifications. When they open the invitation,

however, they’re invited to enter their details,

which are added to your list. Adam Banks