The much-awaited FaceTime feature is finally here!
FaceTime is for sure a handy app for us, right? The ability to talk to someone no matter where they are have benefited us all. What’s great is that Apple kept on improving this app, giving it more features that we will truly enjoy.
When iOS 15.1 went out, maybe some of you already noticed some enhancements with FaceTime. One feature that brought Apple users to the excitement is the addition of SharePlay.
What is SharePlay?
SharePlay is a FaceTime feature that simply lets you share your screen with the people who are inside your FaceTime call. This is not your ordinary share screen because you can actually share a movie or music and watch it with someone in real-time!
Yes, you read that right! It’s like watching in a movie house together, and the fun part is that you can see all your faces and their reactions while all of you are watching that same movie.
Gone are the days of sending the media links to your friends, and you can’t guarantee whether they can watch it or not. This is truly a breakthrough from Apple and will compete with video communications apps such as Zoom.
Checklist before using SharePlay
Excited to learn about this feature? Before diving in, make sure that you have this checklist first:
First, you and the participants must have the latest iOS 15 versions of iOS, iPadOS, or tvOS. You don’t want someone updating their device when you start your SharePlay.
Secondly, the app you will share must also be installed on their iPhones or iPad. Examples are Apple’s apps (Apple TV, Apple Music), TikTok, Spotify, or Twitch. You can go to this link to check the compatible apps that work with Apple SharePlay.
The third one is crucial. The persons that will use the same app should have an active subscription with it. For example, suppose you will be sharing a movie or series from Apple TV. In that case, the participants should also have a paid or a working trial subscription with Apple TV.
Lastly, everyone should have a good and stable internet connection. If you covered all the requirements above, follow these steps to start SharePlay:
1. Open your FaceTime app and start a call.
2. Swipe up the bottom edge of your facetime screen to return to your home screen.
3. Open the app of your choice.
For this example, we are going to use the Apple TV app.
4. Choose and play the movie or episode that you want to SharePlay.
5. Once the video plays, you will see this prompt indicating that the video also started playing with the FaceTime participants.
6. Everyone should have the same movie on their screen. If it’s not, they should tap the “Join SharePlay” to see the video.
7. If you want to end the video, tap the close icon first, then choose if you want it to end it for everyone or end it for yourself.
That’s it! Time to microwave some popcorn because it is definitely movie time for everyone!
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