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What is Apple SharePlay and how does it work in FaceTime?
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(Pocket-lint) – During WWDC 2021, Apple announced a massive update to FaceTime in an effort to make it more competitive with Zoom and other video calling services that have exploded over the past year. As part of this update, it introduced a new feature, called SharePlay, which essentially turns FaceTime into a monitoring service. Here’s what you need to know.
What is Apple SharePlay?
When you are on a FaceTime call, SharePlay lets you add music to your call for a shared listening experience, watch movies and TV shows with your friends in sync while having real-time conversations and share your screen. At launch, it will work with plenty of third-party apps, including TikTok, so you can bring all kinds of content into your FaceTime calls.
When will SharePlay be available?
SharePlay will be added to the new FaceTime app, which will officially roll out with iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey software updates later this year. However, Apple has announced that SharePlay will be delayed and not be available in the new FaceTime or iOS 15 app at launch.
The company specifically told developers that SharePlay will be disabled in the upcoming diOS 15, iPadOS15, tvOS 15, and macOS Monterey beta releases and will therefore be absent from the official diOS 15 release when it rolls out widely in the fall. SharePlay is expected to be “in future developer beta releases and will be released to the public in software updates later this fall.” We will keep you posted.
What can you do with SharePlay?
There are three main things you can do with SharePlay: Listen Together, Watch Together, and Share Your Screen.
Listen together
Let’s say you are in a FaceTime video call with a friend who is talking about a song or album you like. With SharePlay, you can immediately and easily start playing the music you are discussing. All you have to do is open the Apple Music app, search for the song or album, tap play, and choose listen together. Music will start in sync for everyone on the call.
The best part is that anyone on the call can add songs to a queue and then share play commands like pause or skip.
Watch together
When you’re on a FaceTime call, you can use SharePlay to start a night watch, or what Apple calls a “shared content” experience. Just open the TV app or streaming app and hit play. You and your friends can then watch in sync.
Since SharePlay works system-wide on Apple devices, you can exit the streaming app and then open another app to, for example, order take out, and a picture and picture view will let you continue to see your videos. friends and the video that you are. enjoy. Apple said the controls are “always just a touch away.” You can even go to Messages to chat while watching.
If you prefer to watch on a larger screen, you can expand the video to your Apple TV and watch it there while sharing the moment with your friends through FaceTime on your iPhone. Despite using multiple devices, everyone will be in sync.
Share your screen
When demonstrating SharePlay, Apple used the example of someone browsing Zillow’s lists and wanting to do it live with their future roommates. Screen sharing is an easy and efficient way to do it – and it works on all Apple devices.
What apps and services support SharePlay?
Besides Apple Music and the Apple TV app, SharePlay works with other popular streaming apps and services because Apple has created a SharePlay API for developers. Apple has previously said it works with some partners including Disney +, Hulu, HBO Max, the NBA app, Twitch, TikTok, MasterClass, Zillow, Paramount +, ESPN + and others.
How to start a FaceTime surveillance party
Since SharePlay is not officially available to consumers, nor the iOS 15, iPadOS 15, or macOS Monterey updates, the process for using the feature to start a FaceTime watching party is subject to change.
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Currently, this is how the process works in diOS 15 beta versions.
Create and share a FaceTime link
- Launch the new FaceTime app on your iPhone or iPad.
- You will see two options:
- Create a link
- New FaceTime.
- Tap Create Link.
- Once the link is displayed, press the “i” button.
- It’s next to the “FaceTime Link” in the upcoming section.
- Choose the “Share link” option from the menu.
- Choose a method to share the FaceTime call link.
- You can share by SMS, WhatsApp, Email, Messenger, etc.
- You can also just copy the link and switch to an app and share it that way.
You can learn more about how to join a FaceTime call via a link via Pocket-lint’s in-depth guide. The Apple user who created the FaceTime link will need to press a “verify” button on their device to allow others to join the call.
Open a streaming app
Once you and your friends have joined the Watch Party, launch a supported video streaming app like the TV, Disney +, Hulu, or Paramount + app, choose a movie or show to watch together, and that’s it! Everyone will then watch in sync.
Want to know more?
The new FaceTime app includes a ton of other FaceTime updates and improvements, including support for space audio, a voice isolation mode to block out background noise, a grid view to see all participants, and FaceTime links, which for the first time can allow Android and PC users to join your FaceTime calls.
Learn all about the new FaceTime here.
Written by Maggie Tillman. Originally published on .