Sharing your contact information and more with people will get easier with new AirDrop functionality in iOS 17. A new feature called NameDrop makes it about as simple as knocking iPhones together.
“Today, you either hand your phone to them, or one of you dictates your information while the other types it. Now there’s a better way,” said Apple SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi during Monday’s WWDC23 keynote. “Now you can just bring your phones close together.”
YouTube will soon get support for SharePlay, as well as videos with higher bitrates. And queuing up videos and jumping between devices will get easier, too.
The enhancements are part of Google efforts to get more subscribers for YouTube Premium.
Hulu today joined the list of third-party video streaming services that offer SharePlay support on iPhone and iPad.
Its latest app update gives viewers the ability to enjoy movies and TV shows with their friends over FaceTime while everyone stays in sync. It also adds the ability to easily switch between channels for Live TV users.
Searching for a new house with someone who’s not right next to you just got a lot easier. The Zillow app on iPhone or iPad now supports SharePlay, so multiple people can look at the same home listings simultaneously on different devices.
Use it with loved ones or your real estate agent.
Disney+ just got a new update that adds SharePlay support on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. The feature allows up to 32 people to get together and watch the same TV shows and movies simultaneously over FaceTime.
SharePlay is available across content from all Disney brands, including Marvel, National Geographic, Star Wars, and more. But you’ll need a device running iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, or tvOS 15.1 to take advantage of it.
macOS 12.1, the first major update to Monterey, went out Monday. The major new feature is SharePlay, but there are some other enhancements. But it does not include the much-anticipated Universal Control.
It comes on the same day as the release of iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2 and watchOS 8.3.
Developers got access to the macOS 12.1 release candidate on Tuesday. This means beta testing of the new Monterey version is almost over, and Mac users will soon be able to start playing with SharePlay. But there’s still no sign of the much anticipated Universal Control feature.
Apple also seeded release candidates for iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2 and watchOS 8.3 to developers.
Apple seeded macOS 12.1 beta 4 to developers on Wednesday. It has a build number that ends in “a,” which suggests the public release is only a week or two away. This version of Monterey will bring SharePlay to the Mac. It might also be the debut of the much anticipated Universal Control.
It is not accompanied by fresh betas of iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2 or watchOS 8.3.
The newest Twitch update for iPhone and iPad adds SharePlay support on iOS and iPadOS 15.1. The feature allows users to watch synchronized streams together over FaceTime, but all participants must have Twitch installed.
Twitch is one of the first third-party platforms to adopt SharePlay, which made its debut in October after it missed the initial iOS 15 rollout.
Developers just got their hands on macOS 12.1, the initial major update to Monterey. It’s Apple’s first opportunity to test features missing from macOS 12, like SharePlay and Universal Control.
But the beta is so new it’s not yet clear whether these features are in it yet.
