SharePlay is one of the key features expected to arrive in iOS 15 (iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey, and tvOS 15). It was announced at this year’s virtual edition of the WWDC alongside other features coming to FaceTime including Spatial audio support, Portrait mode, new microphone modes and FaceTime links to schedule and send web invite links to Android and Windows users.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!What is SharePlay?
SharePlay allows users watch movies and TV shows, listen to music and podcasts, and share their screen while on a video call together. They can also cast content from the FaceTime call on a bigger screen with Apple TV and share the content of their screen. The feature works with several preloaded Apple apps and services including Apple Music, Apple TV, and Podcasts.
Read More: Apple AirDrop Feature: How Does It Work?
The company has also partnered with Disney (Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu), MasterClass, TikTok, Twitch, ViacomCBS (Paramount Plus, Pluto TV) and WarnerMedia (HBO Max) to support SharePlay on FaceTime. Popular apps like Netflix, Spotify and Netflix are currently not supported, however, there is an API for interested developers to integrate it into their apps.
How To Use SharePlay?
On iPhone and iPad
- Start a new one-on-one or group FaceTime call. Once in progress, exit the call (goes into a picture-in-picture window).
- Open SharePlay-compatible apps such as Apple Music (music), Apple TV (movies and TV shows) and Podcasts (podcasts).
- After that, click on the SharePlay icon to select the type of media content to share. Each participant can play, pause, or skip media (Shared Playback control) and add tracks to a playlist.
- To end a SharePlay stream, any of the participant can end the call for themselves or the whole group.
Mac
The process of using SharePlay on compatible Macs is the same as that of the iPhone and iPad. The user needs to launch the FaceTime app, make a call, and share content over SharePlay. The difference is that access to the call’s controls can be located at the top menu bar icon.
Apple TV
The SharePlay experience on Apple TV is a bit different because you cannot initiate a FaceTime call, however, there is an option to cast media from a nearby Apple device. Only the media portion will be transferred to the big screen while the call will remain on the iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
- Follow the same steps as the iPad, iPhone, or Mac to make a FaceTime call. Then, press and hold the TV button on the Apple TV remote and select the SharePlay icon from the options.
*Requires iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey, tvOS 15 or later.
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