Want to stream vacation movies with friends this week? Try SharePlay in iOS 15.1

[ad_1]

The new FaceTime feature lets you experience streaming TV, movies and music within a video chat.

Apple / Screenshot by Sarah Tew / CNET This story is part of WWDC 2021. All the latest news from Apple’s annual developer conference.

As we get closer to the holiday season, you’ll likely start craving winter comforts like hot chocolate, furry blankets, and Christmas movies made for TV. But if you’re looking for a way to share the holiday spirit with friends, you might want to check out Apple’s screen sharing feature. Apple’s update to iOS 15 brought many exciting new features to iPhone users: Focus mode, real-time weather alerts, facial recognition to securely store your driver’s license and other IDs in your Apple Wallet.

But one of the most exciting new tricks is a FaceTime feature called SharePlay. It allows iPhone, iPad and Mac users to share screens and streams with each other for virtual surveillance parties. SharePlay was not available in the initial version of iOS 15, but is included in iOS 15.1, which is now available.

Read more: CNET reviews on iPhone 13 and 13 Mini and iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max

SharePlay is one of FaceTime’s biggest updates, which makes Apple a big contender with Zoom and Teleparty (formerly known as Netflix Party). You can use SharePlay to share your screen with friends to watch movies, listen to songs, and more, all while on the FaceTime call. There are a few caveats: both parties must have iOS 15.1 installed, and both parties must also be subscribed to any streaming services you share. But overall, SharePlay looks poised to transform video calling and movie watching.

Here’s how to set it up.

Now Playing: Watch this: We found these great features in the iOS 15 beta

17:38

How to use SharePlay to share your screen in FaceTime

Like Zoom, FaceTime will allow you to share your screen with others during the call when SharePlay is available, so you can share more of your music and videos. Apple’s suggested use cases include planning a trip together, browsing Zillow with future roommates, showing a video game, or helping a friend with a glitch by telling them which settings to change. This feature will also work on Apple devices, which means you can share your Mac screen or your iPhone or iPad screen while on a call.

How to stream shows and movies with FaceTime

Organizing a party in FaceTime is simple and intuitive with SharePlay. When you stream movies or TV shows with a friend, the content will sync across all devices and allow both parties to access the controls. And you’ll continue to see and hear each other in picture-in-picture as you watch. Streaming services that have already partnered with Apple for SharePlay include Hulu, HBO Max, TikTok, and ESPN Plus.

Apple has partnered with numerous streaming services to launch SharePlay.

Apple

To use SharePlay, both parties must use FaceTime on an Apple device that supports iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, or MacOS Monterey 12.1. Another cool feature of SharePlay is that you can cast to your Apple TV while keeping the FaceTime call on your iPhone. That way you won’t be stuck squinting at a small screen with your friend’s face blocking the show.

Shared streaming videos can be streamed from an iPhone to an Apple TV when using SharePlay in FaceTime.

Apple

Here’s how to set up SharePlay in FaceTime:

1. Start a FaceTime call.

2. Open a streaming app while connected to the call and choose a show or movie.

3. Press Play and both parties will be able to watch the same stream at once.

How to listen to music with SharePlay

Using SharePlay to listen to a new album with a friend works similar to having a party on the clock. When sharing music, both parties will also have access to controls to pause, play or skip songs in SharePlay. And you can even contribute to shared playlists by adding songs to a queue within Apple Music.

Either party can add songs to a shared queue in FaceTime.

Apple

Here’s how to share music with SharePlay:

1. Start a FaceTime call.

2. Open Apple Music and choose a song.

3. Press Play and the song will start playing on both devices at the same time.

Sharing music in a FaceTime call.

Disadvantage of Apple One: the SharePlay subscription problem

Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube are some of the apps that won’t sync with SharePlay. Apple also notes that a subscription will be required for both parties to share streaming services (such as HBO Max or Disney Plus) via SharePlay. In our time with iOS 15, we’ve put this to the test and verified that not only do both parties need a subscription to the shared app (if applicable), but they also need to download the app itself on both devices.

Learn more: The best new features of iOS 15

So, if your friend wants to SharePlay a TikTok video and you don’t have the TikTop app installed, you won’t be able to see the video on FaceTime. And before you get too excited, you won’t even be able to get around this by sharing your video stream via screen sharing instead of via the app itself.

SharePlay isn’t the only thing Apple has announced recently. Discover new Apple Maps features, such as turn-by-turn directions that make it much easier to know where you’re going. Apple also announced the new Apple Watch Series 7 with curved edges and faster charging, the AirPods 3 and a couple of new MacBook Pros. And here’s what to know about the iPhone 13 lineup if you’re considering buying the new phone.

Now Playing: Watch this: Apple launches new FaceTime features for iOS 15

2:31

Stay up to date with the latest news, reviews and tips on iPhone, iPad, Mac, services and software.

Fix, September 21: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that SharePlay was included with the release of iOS 15. It was available in the beta version of the software.

[ad_2]