IOS 15.1 was released yesterday, which means you can finally start playing with Apple's long-awaited SharePlay feature. After seeing bugs in the iOS 15 beta. The experience was smooth. While SharePlay currently supports only a small number of apps, it will soon be added to Disney +, while the NBA and TikTok apps will be updated today to support it. In addition to being impressed by how much more stable everything has become since the test.
Set up and start a SharePlay session
First, make sure you and your friends have upgraded your devices to iOS 15.1 or iPadOS 15.1. As we observed in our tests, you need to initiate a FaceTime call before you can use SharePlay.Once you start a call, open a supported app and you'll see an alert at the top of the screen asking if you want to stream your content. When you start a session, your callers will see a pop-up box at the top of the screen to join you.
In most cases, everyone you share your game with will need to install relevant apps (TikTok, HBO Max, Showtime, Paramount, Apple TV, etc.).In some cases, they also need to have a subscription or at least one account.
When you're watching a show together, anyone on the phone can pause, skip or rewind, which brings everyone to the same point on the stream. When you're looking at something, FaceTime will run in the picture to picture mode at the top of the screen, and anyone talking will appear in that box.
Share your screen
However, if you want to share your screen instead of watching a show, you'll need to tap the screen during a FaceTime call, open the command panel, and press the button on the right, which looks like a person standing in front of a rectangle.
When you share your screen, your friends can pinch and zoom in on what you're showing them. But during screen sharing, your alerts (or other pop-up notifications) won't appear on their screens in case there's sensitive information you don't want others to see. The pill at the top left of the screen also turns purple to remind you that you are sharing the screen.
FaceTime's picture shows a caller's face embedded in a picture on their screen. Inception!
Other features
The controller also lets you access the iMessage window for everyone on the call. You can continue to watch games on the NBA app and send text messages with your family, without a camera or microphone. This is especially useful when the game goes on for a long time and you need to go to the bathroom.
Apple also introduced a feature called "smart Volume," which automatically lowers the streaming audio as you speak so everyone can hear you. This works best on AirPods, but it also works with your device's speakers.
Depending on the developer of each application, other tools can be embedded to make them more useful. In Apple Music, for example, you can view lyrics while a song is playing in real-time, and clicking on specific lyrics will take you and your caller to that point in the track. When you're all on TikTok, everyone can also like the video they want. The popular game Heads Up will also be available on SharePlay so you can guess the words on your face and your friends will act them out for you.
SharePlay works on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, and most playback features are the same in Apple's ecosystem. Apple Watch owners can also use the feature for group workouts or meditations with up to 32 callers on Fitness+. So far, SharePlay has only supported a handful of apps, but as more developers integrate it, iOS users will soon find more ways to socialize and digitally party with loved ones.
