SharePlay allows iPhone and iPad users to share streaming video, music, and more via FaceTime
In addition, users can also browse the web together, look at photos, or point out something from a particular app to their friends. SharePlay becomes available with the release of iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, and tvOS 15.1, and will eventually be available for the Mac before the end of this year.
Imagine sharing a FaceTime call and chatting with all of your friends while everyone is listening to a new album via Apple Music. SharePlay support will soon be coming to streaming music apps like SoundCloud and TuneIn.
With Fitness+, a group workout can be had. And SharePlay keeps content in sync using FaceTime over everyone’s device. Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, says, “SharePlay brings a whole new way to connect, share experiences, and have fun together on FaceTime. SharePlay leverages Apple’s integration of hardware and software to deliver a magical experience across iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, and works with many Apple services as well as some of the most popular apps in the App Store.”
Each participant in a SharePlay session will use a version of the relevant app downloaded onto their own device. Some of the apps that SharePlay works with include the NBA app. This will allow you to watch the big game with your pals together through FaceTime so that Miami Heat fans can cheer every bucket from Jimmy Butler and each three-pointer made by Tyler Herro.
These are the apps that currently support SharePlay
Various apps are gaining support for SharePlay including Explain Everything. With the latter app, SharePlay sessions can include a whiteboard allowing users to engage in collaboration while using a whiteboard. Night Sky gives SharePlay participants a way to identify stars, planets, constellations, and satellites together as a group. Even TikTok can be used with SharePlay so that your friends can respond together while viewing some of the app’s short-form videos.
The apps that currently deliver a shared viewing experience on FaceTime using SharePlay include:
- Apple TV+
- MUBI
- Paramount+
- SHOWTIME
- NBA
- BET+
- Disney+
- ESPN
- HBO Max
- Hulu
- MasterClass
- Pantaya
- Pluto TV
- Starz
The apps that currently provide a shared listening experience via FaceTime using SharePlay are:
- Apple Music
- SoundCloud (Update coming)
- Tunein (Update coming)
The apps that allow users to get healthy together with SharePlay include:
- Apple Fitness+
- SmartGym
- BetterSleep
Three apps that deliver a learning experience and support SharePlay are:
- Kahoot!
- Explain Everything
- Night Sky
And finally, there are nine apps Apple promotes that are fun for groups to use on SharePlay:
- TikTok
- Heads Up!
- Cameo
- Popshop
- Apollo for Reddit
- Bikemap
- Flow by Moleskine
- Studio
- Redfin
We mentioned some of these names in this article and surely more will be added.