A bite of the Apple

> SHAREPLAY ARRIVES

One of the coolest features of iOS 15 has arrived as advertised, and Apple is trumpeting growing support for it in third–party apps. SharePlay is available in iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, and tvOS 15.1, and coming to Mac this Fall.

With SharePlay support in Apple TV+, Apple Music, and Apple Fitness+, as well as many popular apps such as NBA, TikTok, Twitch, Paramount+, and SHOWTIME — users can watch movies and TV shows, listen to music, or work out with friends together on a FaceTime call. SharePlay extends to Apple TV so users can watch on the big screen while using FaceTime on iPhone or iPad. With screen sharing support, users can also browse the web together, look at photos, or show friends something in a favorite app.

SharePlay enables users to watch streamed content together with shared playback controls but content streamed from the relevant app on each user’s own device, ensuring quality audio and video. Users will soon be able to watch together using more apps such as Disney+, ESPN, HBO Max, Hulu, Pluto TV, and Starz. Shared audio is coming soon to apps including SoundCloud and TuneIn.

Explain Everything allows users to chat via FaceTime while collaborating on a whiteboard, and Night Sky gives users a way to identify stars and planets together. Heads Up! fans can now play together from different locations. Cameo users can enjoy their friends’ reactions to a celebrity message when they see it for the first time. And Popshop Live enables users to view shows and shop together.