Unfortunately, Apple doesn't provide third-party developers with an API for this feature, so it can't be implemented in other instant messaging (IM) apps. That's right, this feature is an iMessage exclusive, so if you don't primarily use the Messages app, it's kind of pointless. This feature will be the end of the 'I forgot to check it out' excuses - at least for iMessage users. We tend to forget to check them out in the evening, and if we do actually remember to check them out, digging for and finding them is a pain. Almost all of us sometimes receive music or TV recommendations, or maybe just interesting articles and cat videos, during our busy work hours. Shared with You is a new way to make sure you don't forget checking out links sent to you. If you're unsure how to use SharePlay, we've written a guide to help you get started. Apple describes it as follows:ĭynamically responsive volume controls automatically adjust audio so you can hear your friends even during a loud scene or climactic chorus. SharePlay has multi-device support so you can FaceTime through your Mac while watching content on Apple TV or listening to music on HomePod. It's worth mentioning that all FaceTime participants need to have their own subscriptions to the respective services to participate. So while only select Apple apps are supported for now, you could see some of your favorite streaming services adding support down the road. SharePlay has an API that third-party developers can implement and take advantage of. It also supports Apple Music, so you can all listen to and control the same queue remotely. SharePlay allows you to teleport into other people's living rooms and watch content from the TV app together, through FaceTime. Choosing whether the background is a blur or a custom image/video doesn't require significant coding efforts.

The tougher work was building an algorithm that detects the person and separates them from their backgrounds. It wouldn't require the Cupertino tech giant a lot of extra resources to implement this feature. Most schools and workplaces don't use FaceTime for formal communications, so this makes the feature useless to me in a professional context.Īnother thing I dislike about it is the lack of custom backgrounds. It's a bummer because theoretically Apple could allow this option - it just chooses not to. So you can't use it in third-party apps, unless developers choose to support it. What I dislike about this feature is you can't force it to work in unsupported apps.

This feature has an API that third-party developers can implement in their apps to take advantage of. This feature optionally blurs your background during video calls so you're in the spotlight.

Portrait mode in FaceTime is inspired by the Portrait camera effects that have been present on certain iPhones since the iPhone 7 Plus.

Big sur osx