One of the new features that iOS 15 promised to deliver is the ability to screen share your iPhone and iPad during FaceTime sessions so you can enjoy movies, music and other media with your friends and family. Although this new feature, called SharePlay, did not ship with the first version of iOS 15, it was included in iOS 15.1 and can now be enjoyed, to a limited extent.
Currently, you can share content from Apple TV and Apple Music – assuming you're both subscribers – and a few other apps. I had no problem sharing a YouTube video, for example; other supported apps include HBO Max, Hulu, and Disney Plus (but not Netflix). We can assume that the list of shareable applications will continue to grow.
It's pretty easy to use the new SharePlay feature, once you've installed iOS 15.1.
You can now show your home screen to your FaceTime friend, play a YouTube video, or listen to the same Apple Music track. If you want to switch to the other person's screen, all they have to do is click on their SharePlay icon.
Another way to share an app is to simply go to that app during a FaceTime session and start it. If SharePlay is possible, you will get a pop-up menu asking if you want to use SharePlay or if you want to play the video or music just for you.
And at any time, you can return to your FaceTime app, tap the SharePlay icon, and select End SharePlay.
The new SharePlay feature in iOS 15.1 is likely to be very popular. It will allow friends and family to chat together while watching videos or listening to music; let business partners discuss a spreadsheet on the go; or make it easy to share and comment on your latest group photos. And as Apple adds more apps that can use SharePlay, it should get better.
