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Calendar Invitations

Copera Inbox displays calendar invitations as a rich, interactive banner directly inside the email thread — no separate calendar app or attachment download required. When someone sends a meeting invite from Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, or any standard iCal-compliant tool, you see the date, time, location, organizer, attendees, and video conferencing link right above the email body. Respond with Yes, No, or Maybe in a single click, and your reply is sent to the organizer automatically.

How Calendar Invitations Appear​

Calendar invitations are automatically detected when an incoming email contains an event attachment. When you open the email thread, a banner appears above the email content with the following information:

  • Date and time --- Displayed prominently at the top (for example, "Thu, Mar 19 - 9:30 AM -- 10:30 AM")
  • Event title --- Shown as a large heading below the date
  • Location --- The meeting location, if specified
  • Video/conference link --- A clickable link if the event includes an online meeting URL
  • Organizer --- The name or email of the person who created the event
  • Attendees --- Small avatar circles showing who is invited, with a count. Hover over the avatars to see the full attendee list with each person's response status.

All-Day Events​

For all-day events, the banner displays the date without a specific time. If the event spans multiple days, both the start and end dates are shown.

Recurring Events​

Recurring events display a badge indicating the recurrence pattern (for example, "Weekly" or "Every Monday").

Cancelled Events​

If the organizer cancels an event, the banner appears with a red border and a Cancelled badge. The event title is shown with a strikethrough to clearly indicate the cancellation.

Responding to Invitations (RSVP)​

When you receive a calendar invitation, you can respond directly from the banner:

  1. Open the email thread containing the invitation.
  2. The banner shows three response buttons: Yes, No, and Maybe.
  3. Click your response. The button sends your reply to the organizer automatically.

Changing Your Response​

After you respond, the three buttons collapse into a single button showing your current response (for example, "Yes"). To change your mind:

  1. Click the response button.
  2. A dropdown menu appears with all three options.
  3. Select your new response. The updated reply is sent to the organizer.

Attendee Status​

When you hover over the attendee avatars, a tooltip shows each person's response:

IconStatus
CheckmarkAccepted
XDeclined
Question markTentative (Maybe)
DashNeeds action (has not responded yet)

Joining a Meeting​

If the calendar invitation includes a video conferencing link (such as a Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams link), a Join Meeting button appears in the banner. Click it to open the meeting link in a new browser tab.

Event Details​

Description​

If the organizer included a description or agenda for the event, it appears below the main details. Long descriptions are truncated to three lines to keep the banner compact.

Additional Information​

The banner also shows:

  • Organizer label --- Clearly identifies who sent the invitation
  • Attendee count --- Shows how many people are invited (for example, "5 attendees")
  • Calendar date badge --- A small calendar icon in the top-right corner displays the day number for quick reference

Tips and Best Practices​

tip

Respond promptly. Clicking Yes, No, or Maybe takes just one click and immediately notifies the organizer. This helps meeting planners finalize attendance quickly.

tip

Check the attendee list. Hover over the attendee avatars before responding to see who else is invited and how they have responded. This can help you decide whether to accept.

tip

Use the Join Meeting button. When the meeting time arrives, you can find the email thread and click Join Meeting directly from the invitation banner rather than searching for the link elsewhere.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Do I need to install anything to see calendar invitations?​

No. Calendar invitation banners appear automatically for any email that contains a standard calendar event attachment. No additional setup or installation is needed.

Does responding to an invitation create an event in my calendar?​

The RSVP response is sent to the organizer via email. If you use an external calendar application, the event will appear there based on how your calendar handles incoming invitations.

Can I respond to invitations from any email provider?​

Yes. Calendar invitations follow the standard format used by Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, and other major calendar applications. As long as the invitation follows the standard, the banner will appear.

What if the organizer updates the event?​

When the organizer sends an updated invitation (changed time, location, or details), a new banner appears in the email thread with the updated information. You can respond to the updated invitation just like the original.

Can I respond from a shared inbox?​

Yes. When the invitation is sent to a shared inbox email address, any team member with access to the inbox can respond to the invitation.