Whether you want to enjoy a fun-filled watch party with all your friends or go for a seamless music-listening spree with your dear ones, SharePlay is for you. First introduced in iOS 15, it’s designed to enhance your co-watching/listening experience. Courtesy of a recent update, SharePlay has become even better. For a change, you can now use SharePlay in Messages in iOS 17 on your iPhone and iPad to relish a watch party with more convenience.
SharePlay’s integration with Messages means you will no longer need to be part of a FaceTime call to take part in a watch party.
Step 1. First off, launch your favorite app which content you want to watch or listen to with your friends. In this quick guide, I’m going to show you how to listen to Spotify music with friends. As the steps are almost the same in most apps, you may not face any issues.
Step 2. Go to your favorite song and then tap on the triple-dot icon.
Step 3. Next, tap on the Share button in the menu.
Step 4. Tap on More to proceed.
Step 5. Tap on SharePlay in the share sheet.
Step 6. Now, enter the recipient’s name or contact info at the top and hit Messages.
Step 7. Now, Apple will direct you to the conversation with all the recipients. As the link is attached to your current message, you will have the option to type in the additional text depending on your need.
Step 8. In the end, tap on the Send button.
And that’s about it! You have successfully shared the media with your friends. Now, they can join the watch party with the shared link. It’s worth pointing out that you can make the most of the calling bar at the top of the screen to manage the current SharePlay session.
SharePlay is designed to deliver a seamless watching/listening experience. If you are wondering what makes the real difference, let me tell you that it’s the shared controls that play a vital role.
- Shared playback controls: SharePlay provides each participant access to the standard playback controls of the media. For instance, anyone can play, pause, seek, and more.
- Simultaneous Synced Playback: SharePlay enables the audio/video to play on all ends simultaneously which allows all participants to watch or listen to the same moments.
- Smart Volume: Thanks to Smart Volume”, SharePlay automatically adjusts your media audio to ward off interruptions during voice chat. Unfortunately, not all third-party apps may support the Smart Volume.
Wrap up…
So, these are the quick ways to set up and use SharePlay in Messages feature. Having given a try to this feature, I can say that it works like a charm. If anything, the only improvement that I would like to see sooner than later is the support for more apps. Unless that happens, SharePlay will never be able to realize its full potential. What’s your take on it?
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