Microsoft launches new ‘Invite’ scheduling app for iPhone

Today Microsoft is launching a new app called ‘Invite’ that makes scheduling meetings with others easier. The app is arriving first for iPhone and iPad users in the US and Canada with more platforms and locations to follow.

We all know that organizing group meetings can be tricky—especially when you’re on the move. It’s difficult to coordinate multiple people’s schedules on a small screen. As a result, many of us delay scheduling meetings until we’re back at our desks. Today we’re launching a new app through the Microsoft Garage that greatly simplifies this process. Say hello to Invite—the easiest way to organize meetings on the go.

Microsoft made a point of noting that the app “works best for people with Office 365 business and school subscriptions,” but it also supports other client apps including outlook.com, Yahoo Mail, and Gmail. The app will let users suggest potential meeting dates and times, invite attendees, and allow everyone to select available times. Once you discover a date and time that works best for the group, you can send calendar invites from within the app.

The company explained how it differs from other calendar apps:

Invite is designed to overcome the biggest obstacle when scheduling meetings—not being able to see the calendars of attendees outside your organization. As a result, your proposed meeting can be repeatedly declined until you find a time that works. Invite simplifies this by letting organizers suggest multiple times that work for them and attendees can pick from those suggestions. Invite also shows everyone what times other people have said are good for them.

The Invite app is available for iPhone starting today in the US and Canada. It will arrive for Windows and Android users in the near future.