Apple introduced many excellent features and massive updates to FaceTime. But of all, SharePlay got some of us most really excited With this new feature, FaceTime competes head-to-head against video conferencing apps and watch party apps, gaining tremendous popularity due to the WFH situation.
What is Apple SharePlay in iOS 15?
SharePlay enables you to share your iPhone, iPad, or Mac screen during a FaceTime call to watch movies or shows and even listen to the same songs in sync with your friends.
Everyone gets control of what’s playing, so a person on the call can play, pause or skip forward according to their convenience.
While there’s nothing new about FaceTime SharePlay that other services don’t already offer, the essence of this feature lies in its deep integration within the Apple ecosystem.
Thus, you can share and enjoy various types of content in real-time with your friends more conveniently.
How to use Screen Share in FaceTime in iOS 15
- Open the FaceTime app on your iPhone.
- Now, start a video call with any contact.
- Next, tap the Share My Screen button at the top right of the new FaceTime control panel.
How to listen to music together on FaceTime with SharePlay
Similar to Spotify Group Sessions, you can now listen to music together with your friends on FaceTime. Here’s how.
- Open FaceTime and voice-call any of your contacts.
- Now, open Apple Music.
- Select a song and press Play.
This will start playing the same song on both devices. Moreover, you can invite more of your friends and listen to the song together in sync, and everyone on the call will have control over the playback.
How to start a watch party using FaceTime SharePlay
For watching movies or shows together with your friends on FaceTime, you’ll need to have the supported app, and you also need to be subscribed to the streaming service being used during the call.
- First, open the FaceTime app.
- Now, call or share the invite link with your friends.
- Open any supported app, and play whatever you want to watch together.
The movie or TV show will start playing in sync on everyone’s device. You will also be able to chat with each other. In addition, every user on the call will have playback controls.
Can I use FaceTime SharePlay with Android and Windows?
As of now, SharePlay is exclusive to Apple devices. Sharing screen, music, or streaming content with Android or Windows devices over FaceTime is not possible.
