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Disney+ Gains SharePlay Support for Watching With Friends on FaceTime Calls

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Disney today announced that it has updated its Disney+ app with support for SharePlay across the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, as reported by TechCrunch.

disney-plus-shareplay.jpeg

SharePlay allows users running iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, tvOS 15.1, or later to watch Disney+ series and movies in sync with friends and family while on a FaceTime call together. Disney said SharePlay is available globally for the entire Disney+ catalog of content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and more.

Once everyone has joined the FaceTime call, any user can start SharePlay by opening the Disney+ app and tapping play on the content that you want to watch. SharePlay sessions offer shared playback controls like play, pause, fast forward, and rewind.

SharePlay sessions can include up to 32 people and offer each participant in the FaceTime call the ability to choose audio and subtitles in their preferred language, Disney said in a press release announcing the update. Disney also said its native GroupWatch co-viewing feature will continue to be available globally to subscribers.

SharePlay support requires the latest version of the Disney+ app that is rolling out now on the App Store for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. SharePlay is also available on the Mac starting with macOS 12.1, but Disney+ does not offer a Mac app.

Other apps that support SharePlay include Apple TV+, Apple Music, TikTok, Twitch, Paramount+, SHOWTIME, the NBA app, and more. Last month, Apple said SharePlay support was also coming to BET+, ESPN, HBO Max, Hulu, MasterClass, Pantaya, Pluto TV, and Starz.



Article Link: Disney+ Gains SharePlay Support for Watching With Friends on FaceTime Calls
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/12/15/disney-plus-shareplay/
Last edited:
Kylo83 said:
I really can’t see anyone using SharePlay
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I can. Some people enjoy having others ruin a show for them by talking during the dialogue or making snarky comments during the show. And then there are the (_!_) who like to ruin shows for people that way. They'll love using SharePlay.
I would never use SharePlay. Unless I'm watch MST2K, I don't want commentaries while I'm watching my show. A jury of my peers would acquit me for justified homicide.?
 
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Mad Mac Maniac said:
Has anyone actually used this in the wild? Great in concept, but the real-world practicality isn't there... until the next pandemic
Click to expand...

Seems like it would be good for movies everyone has seen, and it is mostly background noise. Eg, Christmas Vacation.
 
Even before Covid, it seems we’re moving towards socializing with people remotely. Less and less in person shared experiences. Call me a Debbie Downer, but I find it so depressing.
 
I am surprised this SharePlay is a thing. I do like watching TV with family in the TV-room; there is a shared experience to that. Yet, I will be surprised if this feeling translates over SharePlay.
Also, when we're hanging out in the TV room, we're shouted or laid back in our recliners, and that's just part of the feel and the look that no one registers. But when on FaceTime or Zoom and with a head-shot of us showing live, we usually care what we look like, how our smiles and reactions come across. I don't want to care about that for a two hour movie that someone is watching miles away the same time I am watching it. So, ...it is worth a try, but...
 
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It all just seems like such a waste of battery and battery life... It must really drain batteries hard no? ... I like the minimalist aesthetic in most of Apple's products.. but am a bit dissapointed they don't translate this software-wise.. so many extra pointless/meaningless to most features just because they NEED to add them every big iteration of an OS otherwise they'll get criticized. (which they still do... so it's kinda moot..)
 
Watching with friends on FaceTime - for people who have no life. It's a huge waste of battery. Plus the phone will run hot and you have to stay connected with your friend to do so. They come up with the dumbest things.
 
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Maybe I don’t have a life …. But I’ll use it, I have a lot a friends in different countries. We can watch football games together and get wasted (again).
 
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Major streaming app gets this much useful feature. Many would be using this!
 
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

SharePlay is just not needed. No-one was asking for this. It's a terrible idea that probably less than 1% of users will ever use. Why would anyone want to watch content together on a mobile device? Why would anyone need or want to see the face of someone else while watching content? What about buffering issues and what if playback doesn't work for one person? What about battery life of your device? And so on and so forth...

I wish Apple would use their R&D time and budget on fixing issues or coming up with something more useful.

This is absolutely not needed, pandemic or no pandemic.
 
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