FaceTime - page 2

FaceTime’s fantastic new features [Cult of Mac Magazine 409]

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Find out how to use FaceTime's hot new features.
Find out how to use FaceTime's hot new features.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

FaceTime is about to get even better. In iOS 15, which is available now as a free public beta, Apple’s proprietary messaging service gets great new audio and video features. Plus, you can use it to communicate with Android and Windows folks as well.

Find out what these new FaceTime features do, and how to use them, in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Also don’t miss this week:

Read all about it in our iOS mag, or get the links below.

Twitch Watch Parties now work on iOS devices

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You can now join a Twich Watch Party on your iPhone.
You can now join a Twich Watch Party on your iPhone.
Photo: Twitch

People who use the video-streaming app Twitch can now join the platform’s “Watch Parties” on iOS and Android devices, according to a tweet sent out Friday.

Focused since its launch on bringing people together to watch and comment on video gameplay, Twitch also does drama and comedy. Its Watch Parties let Twitch users stream Amazon Prime content.

9 great but easily overlooked features in iOS 15, iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey

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9 great features you might have overlooked in iOS 15, iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey
There are so many big changes in Apple’s upcoming iPhone, Mac and iPad operating system updates that it might be easy to miss some smaller ones.
Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple made an enormous number of changes in its 2021 operating system updates. Many of these drew plenty of attention — like the FaceTime upgrade — but some useful improvements might have been overlooked in all the hoopla.

Here are nine new features in iOS 15, iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey you might have overlooked.

9 things that blew us away at WWDC 2021

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Apple CEO Tim Cook wraps the WWDC21 keynote on June 7, 2021.
Apple CEO Tim Cook wraps the WWDC21 keynote on June 7, 2021.
Photo: Apple

Some new features really stood out when Apple revealed the next versions of all its operating systems during Monday’s Worldwide Developers Conference keynote. Users of iPhone, Mac and iPad, and Apple Watch, too, can look forward to welcome improvements this fall.

We picked out the best of these to make sure they don’t get overlooked.

iOS 15 brings welcome enhancements to FaceTime, notifications, more

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iOS 15 brings welcome enhancements to FaceTime, Notifications, more
Apple took the wraps off iOS 15 on the opening day of its WWDC conference.
Screenshot: Apple

iOS 15 just made the jump from rumor to reality. Apple is bringing major new features to FaceTime, Messages, notifications, and more. Many of the applications that come bundled with iPhone are getting updates, like Apple Maps and Weather.

However, some features people had been hoping for didn’t make the cut, like interactive widgets.

Apple could combine HomePod speaker, Apple TV and smart camera for ultimate smart home device

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HomePod in China
Apple's got an intriguing concept for a next-gen smart home device.
Photo: Apple

Apple is working on a new smart home product that would combine Apple TV, a HomePod speaker and a camera for FaceTime or Zoom-style video conferencing, Bloomberg reported Monday.

The company “has been a laggard in the smart-home space, but [this] versatile new device in early development could change that,” according to the story, which describes the in-development product as “Apple’s most ambitious smart-home hardware offering to date.”

Enhance your video calls with special lenses, lighting and more

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Pictar Home-Office Kit
Make your videos look better with a bundle of 18mm wide angle lens, 3-in-1 tripod, LED light, and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Nowadays much of our human contact happens through a screen. From Zoom meetings to vlogs, podcasts and livestreams, the cameras on our phones and computers are the world’s window into our lives. The lenses, lighting and other gear in this kit can help improve the view.

What do you add to the smartwatch that has everything? An Apple Watch Series 6 wish list.

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Will Apple Watch Series 6 get a svelte new look?
Will Apple Watch Series 6 get a svelte new look?
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch is almost due for its annual hardware update, which comes like clockwork every September. First came the addition of GPS, then cellular, a thinner case with a bigger screen, a compass, and even an ECG heart monitor.

With each new model, Cupertino’s wearable creeps closer to perfection, which presents a bit of a problem. What do you add to the smartwatch that has everything?

Here’s my top 10 wish list of features I’m hoping Apple has up its sleeve.

Laugh along as Apple takes on ‘the whole working-from-home thing’ in new video

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Working from home can be a challenge, but not for the Underdogs.
Laugh along with Apple in ‘The whole working-from-home thing’ video.
Photo: Apple

Working from home is the new normal, and an Apple video released Monday shows a team using Mac, iPad and iPhone to collaborate on a rushed project.

But this is less an instructional “how to” video and more something we can all commiserate with as the team struggles with kids, cats and crazy coworkers to make a looming deadline.

Enjoy it now:

The best hidden features in iOS and iPadOS 14

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Best hidden features in iOS 14
There's a lot more to discover in iOS 14.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2020Apple showcased some major changes and improvements for iOS 14 during its big WWDC 2020 keynote on Monday — and it was just the tip of the iceberg. There’s so much more that we didn’t get to see.

We’re now discovering what some of those things are, thanks to the first beta release, which is already available to registered developers. Here are our picks for the best hidden features in iOS 14.

Facebook Messenger Rooms can handle calls with up to 50 people in US

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facebook.messenger.rooms
Facebook Messenger Rooms allows users to host video calls of up to 50 people free of charge.
Photo: Facebook

Facebook took on Zoom and FaceTime Thursday by enabling its new video-calling service, Messenger Rooms, to make free calls between as many as 50 people.

The feature was announced last month, and is available now is the US and Canada. It’ll be rolled out globally next week, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Group FaceTime gets a lot less chaotic in latest iOS beta

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group-facetime-grid.1
Sick of those taking on Group FaceTime growing in size? iOS 13.5 beta let's you disable it.
Photo: Apple

A Group FaceTime feature some people find irritating can be disabled in the upcoming iOS version. Currently, the tile showing the face of the person speaking gets larger, pushing everyone else aside. The iOS 13.5 beta introduced Wednesday gives users the option to turn this off.

Apple pays $18 million to settle lawsuit saying it broke FaceTime on older devices

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FaceTime
Lawsuit argued Apple broke FaceTime on older devices.
Photo: Apple

Apple agreed to pay $18 million to claimants in a California class-action lawsuit that argued Cupertino broke FaceTime on older iPhone devices to save money.

The court filing, made Monday, means that members of the class action each will receive a whopping $3 for their troubles. However, that amount could increase if some members fail to cash their checks. The remainder of the money will cover lawyer fees and other costs.

Mozilla rates the video-calling apps; praises FaceTime for ‘holy grail’ of encryption

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A Group FaceTime call on the Mac.
FaceTime isn't perfect, but it's pretty great for encryption.
Photo: Apple

Video-calling apps are booming right now, but which ones can you trust when it comes to security? A Mozilla report published Tuesday assesses all the major platforms, noting which apps do and do not pass the privacy-conscious foundation’s minimum security standards.

The big takeaway? Most of the top video conferencing apps, FaceTime included, are actually impressively secure. But there are a few outliers.

Sorry, FaceTime, no Zoom boom for you

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Group FaceTime is a great way to stay in touch with your family and friends during coronavirus quarantine.
Group FaceTime use apparently exists mainly in Apple publicity pictures.
Photo: Apple

Americans love Apple’s video chatting app FaceTime, according to the results of a survey released Wednesday. But they don’t use it for group chats. As a result, use of FaceTime hasn’t increased at all while millions of people around the world self quarantine.

Instead, rival Zoom has enormously increased in popularity in recent weeks.

Florida court throws out suit claiming Apple purposely broke FaceTime for some users

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FaceTime
Did Apple break FaceTime to push users to upgrade? This court doesn't think so.
Photo: Apple

A federal court has thrown out a Florida-based lawsuit claiming that Apple intentionally broke FaceTime for people with older Apple devices.

The lawsuit is very similar to a class action suit filed in California. Apple settled that lawsuit, related to the iPhone 4 and 4s, in February. Like that case, the Florida case concerned iPhones running iOS 6 and earlier. A Florida court wasn’t won over, however. It tossed out the suit Tuesday, claiming that it is “untimely and must be dismissed.”

5 ways to look great on a video call

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Lighting? Check. Clothes? Maybe. Teeth? Absolutely! Flattering angle? Nope. Use these videoconferencing tips to look your best on calls.
Lighting? Check. Clothes? Maybe. Teeth? Absolutely! Flattering angle? Nope.
Photo: Austin Distel/Unsplash

Whether you’re working from home, hanging out with friends on group FaceTime, or attending events remotely, you’re probably using video calling a lot more than you ever have before. While you probably make the effort to present yourself well in real-life meatspace, on Skype, Zoom or FaceTime, I bet you look terrible.

Fear not. Today we’ll see five ways to make sure you look great on a video call.

iPads help hospitals conserve protective gear

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COVID-19
Electron microscope image of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Photo: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Hospitals across the country are turning to iPads to aid in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Healthcare workers are fiercely advocating for more telemedicine tools like Apple’s tablet, according to a report from Wired that dives into how hospitals from the East Coast to the West Coast are putting iPad on the front-lines of the battle.

Apple squashes FaceTime audio bug with watchOS 6.2.1

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FaceTime audio is coming to Apple Watch.
You FaceTime call to friends with old devices should go through now.
Photo: Apple

Apple launched a much-needed update to watchOS Wednesday, eliminating bugs and enhancing performance for the FaceTime feature on Apple Watch.

Apple Watch users running watchOS 6.2 were unable to participate in FaceTime audio calls with iPhones running iOS 9.3.6 or Macs running El Capitan 10.11.6 and earlier.

CBS turns to FaceTime and Zoom to shoot new episode of All Rise

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All-rise
The cast of All Rise will be practicing social distancing while filming.
Photo: CBS

CBS has found a novel way to continue filming its TV show All Rise during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The courthouse legal drama will film a virtual episode using FaceTime, WebEx and Zoom from the actors’ homes making it the first primetime show to be filmed while still practicing social distancing.