![]() all of which work seamlessly across regions. Over the last couple of days our team have enjoyed sharing songs via Apple Music and, meditation via Apple Fitness+ along with new updates for Night Sky, Vinyls and Relax Melodies. SharePlay compatibility is slowly rolling out across the App Store with early universal experiences already available. Users not subscribed will be prompted, whilst purchased feature films will prompt users to rent the content should the option be available - likely prompting customers to double dip on content they already have access to².Īs for Apple Music, Apple Fitness+, Apple TV+ and Apple channels, they all have generous trials but I would welcome a prompt to subscribe via notification or allow a one-time introductory SharePlay session to hook users in. All participants in a call must have an active subscription to the service hosting the shared content or must have previously purchased the iTunes TV Show or Movie being shared - though sadly you can’t mix subscription access with access to a title purchased through iTunes. Of course there are some caveats to sharing experiences through FaceTime. In the TV app, during video playback each participant can set their personal soundtrack and subtitle preferences within the video player without negatively effecting the experience of others - a hidden accessibility feature if I ever saw one - and should someone prematurely leave a session before the TV show or movie concluded, the title would be waiting for them in their Up Next queue ready for them to resume at their own leisure.Įach time you want to SharePlay on Apple TV you must double confirm on your device, meaning no accidental big-screen takeovers. For example, in Apple Music participants have the ability to add items to the Music app’s queue and edit playlists whilst volume levels would automatically lower so not to compete with the ongoing conversation. Once chosen, participants within the call are prompted to join by confirming the synchronous playback of the chosen activity on their screens and from that point onwards each participant has the ability to control playback, change the activity, leave the session or end the session for everyone.ĭuring my testing I was particularly impressed by the adeptness of SharePlay with regard to specific activities. When you enter a SharePlay compatible service or app whilst active in a FaceTime call, a lightweight toast-style notification will appear at the top of your screen prompting you to choose content to use SharePlay or informing you that content will play automatically. Starting a shared experience is fairly intuitive. ![]() Now non-native speakers and those with accessibility needs can connect through TV and movies in real time by using FaceTime on their personal devices connected to headphones to select soundtrack preferences whilst sharing the experience with family and friends on the big screen - bandwidth limitations aside. Many will feel that SharePlay is a feature that arrived a year too late, given its introduction during a global pandemic, but if you look closer it’s a feature that has the potential to leave a long-lasting impact beyond the next possible lockdown. Users with loved ones many miles away that rely on FaceTime to stay connected have wished for this kind of feature for years, and now that moment has arrived.įurthermore, SharePlay also has a strong focus on inclusion, removing barriers often associated with language and disability. ![]() SharePlay on iOS: Devon bracing himself for my 'Acapulco' sing-along.
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