Apple has announced within the release notes for its sixth developer beta of iOS 15 that SharePlay, the new FaceTime feature that allows users to listen to songs, watch movies, share their screens, and view apps together during FaceTime calls, won’t be available with the initial release of iOS 15 in the fall.
“SharePlay has been disabled for use in iOS and iPadOS 15 developer beta 6 and will be disabled for use in its initial release this fall,” Apple said in the update’s release notes. “SharePlay will be enabled for use again in future developer beta releases and will launch to the public in software updates later this fall.”
SharePlay was one of the flagship features of iOS 15. “SharePlay works across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and with shared playback controls, anyone in a SharePlay session can play, pause, or jump ahead,” says Apple. “SharePlay even extends to Apple TV, so users can watch shows or movies on a big screen while connecting over FaceTime, and SharePlay will keep everyone’s playback in sync.”
Image: Apple
Apple says to continue to allow developers to integrate SharePlay into their apps, a new SharePlay Development Profile has been provided which will enable successful creation and reception of GroupSessions via the Group Activities API.
iOS 15 was announced at the beginning of June, bringing several major enhancements, including FaceTime upgrades, a new Focus feature, enhanced on-device intelligence, iMessage, Maps, Weather, and Wallet, updates, and more.