Apple includes SharePlay in iOS 15.1 beta, feature to release later this fall

Along with the iPhone 13 series, Apple also launched the latest iteration of their smartphone operating system called iOS. The iOS 15 went live on September 24, 2021, and as a surprise to Apple users, not all features announced for the version made it to the release. For instance, the Find My feature for Airpods Pro and Airpods Pro Max was not launched with iOS 15. However, another major feature that was not launched with iOS 15 was SharePlay. 

Apple released the iOS 15 without SharePlay and announced that the feature will be launched later this year. According to a report by MacRumors, Apple did not launch SharePlay as the feature had some bugs that needed time to fix. That being said, Apple has recently launched iOS 15.1 beta and SharePlay is a part of it. Not just iOS 15.1 beta, but SharePlay is a part of iPadOS 15.1 beta and tvOS 15,1 beta as well.

Apple says that SharePlay will be released later this fall

While it might take some time for the feature to be successfully tested in the beta update and make it to a stable build, Apple has mentioned in a post on August 17, 2021, that the feature will come later this fall. Additionally, Apple has also launched a couple of new features in the iOS 15,1 beta including COVID-19 vaccination records in Apple wallet, lossless audio for HomePod and HomePod Mini. 

What is SharePlay - Apple's virtual experience sharing feature? 

SharePlay is a new feature that was supposed to come along with iOS 15. It allows users to have a shared experience using the Group Activities API. Essentially, while on a FaceTime call, anyone can jump to other applications such as Apple Music, Apple TV, or any other content streaming platform, and when they hit play, the music or video plays for everyone on FaceTime session in sync. All the members on the session have access to multimedia controls such as volume and playback options as well as iMessage to communicate. Using the feature, iPhone owners can also stream their favourite OTT shows or content while in a FaceTime call.