macOS Sequoia Has New FaceTime Backgrounds Showcasing Apple Park

[MacRumors]

Apple in the second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.1 has added a set of new backgrounds for FaceTime calls that showcase features of Apple Park.

There are nine backgrounds in all, featuring iconic locations around the company's circular headquarters in Cupertino, California, which should be familiar to anyone who has watched a recent Apple event.

For example, one shows Apple Park's rainbow arch, based on the company's rainbow apple logo and erected as a tribute to its late co-founder Steve Jobs, who helped conceptualize the spaceship-like design of the main building on the campus prior to his death.

In macOS Sequoia, there are other new built-in backgrounds that can be used for FaceTime and other video calls to blur out and hide what's behind you. These include different color gradients and the ability to use photos from your photo library.

Elsewhere, FaceTime has also gained the ability to preview what you're going to share in a video call when using screen sharing. Video calling apps will now give you a small preview of what will be shared before you okay the sharing process, which is useful to double check that you're not sharing information you don't want everyone to see.

• Will My Mac Run macOS Sequoia?

macOS Sequoia 15.1 is currently in its second developer beta phase and is expected to arrive for all users with supporting Macs later this year, following the release of macOS Sequoia 15. Apple has split Apple Intelligence into a separate set of betas because these features will not be available in the initial launch version of ‌macOS Sequoia‌.

Article Link: macOS Sequoia Has New FaceTime Backgrounds Showcasing Apple Park

 

[iCyprus]

Okay, this is ALL I ever wanted for my video calls.

Good call APPle.

 

[Ralph_91]

Is there any way to download these beauties?

 

[PsykX]

I already had them in the beta released last week of 15.0. Pretty nice touch I think

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

Me on every single facetime call from here on in

 

[harmonthe3rd]

I definitely will be using the background features. I think many people tend to forget that Apple used to charge for the MacOs. Tim gets so much backlash on the cost of other items. Prices for Apple products have stayed rather consistent for more than a decade.

 

[orbital~debris]

Apple is great. But this, at first glance, seems weird – why pretend you're at Apple?
Wouldn't high quality backgrounds of different regions of Earth be more useful (maybe take inspiration from visionOS environments)?

 

[Virtuality]

I would love to find these on the file system to use in other video apps. Anyone has a clue?

 

[gleepskip]

Apple is great. But this, at first glance, seems weird – why pretend you're at Apple?
Wouldn't high quality backgrounds of different regions of Earth be more useful (maybe take inspiration from visionOS environments)?

It's cringey.

 

[mazz0]

Apple is great. But this, at first glance, seems weird – why pretend you're at Apple?
Wouldn't high quality backgrounds of different regions of Earth be more useful (maybe take inspiration from visionOS environments)?

Exactly my thinking. If I see someone in a meeting with one of these my first thought is going to be "that's a bit too Apple fanboy-y even for me".

Edit: Although that really only applies to the really obviously, overtly Apple Park ones. Looking at them again, many of them are just nice outdoor areas, nothing really says Apple in them, only another Apple fanboy will even know where they are. So actually, yeah, they're nice!

 

[choreographics]

Apple is great. But this, at first glance, seems weird – why pretend you're at Apple?
Wouldn't high quality backgrounds of different regions of Earth be more useful (maybe take inspiration from visionOS environments)?

I would assume that most users are unaware that the backgrounds are from Apple Park. At least 3,4 and 8 could be anywhere. And you can download random backgrounds from other sources and use whatever you want (3rd tab). So, why not consider pleasing the fans and maintaining consistency with the brand as a suggestion (besides colors and other photos as shown above)? I like them a lot.

 

[Godspeed8230]

Exactly my thinking. If I see someone in a meeting with one of these my first thought is going to be "that's a bit too Apple fanboy-y even for me".

Edit: Although that really only applies to the really obviously, overtly Apple Park ones. Looking at them again, most of them are just nice outdoor areas, nothing really says Apple in them, only another Apple fanboy will even know where they are. So actually, yeah, they're nice!

On the other hand, not a lot of people will know that these are in fact from Menlo Park. So this will only between Apple Fanboy and Apple Fanboy then

 

[ps3zocker]

Are these also in the visionOS beta?

 

[RandomTox]

Good for Apple. This is where our money go. I now understand why it cost me €200 to fix the mysterious black camera problem on my iPhone.

 

[omenatarhuri]

Huh, this seems a bit borderline narcissistic, at least awkwardly self-loving.

 

[winxmac]

Don't some tech YouTube creators already use these as video backgrounds?

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

I would love to find these on the file system to use in other video apps. Anyone has a clue?

That big rainbow above my head on every single work call. Yes!

 

[fwmireault]

I would love to find these on the file system to use in other video apps. Anyone has a clue?

The title is misleading; the background layer is applied directly to the camera feed output, accessible from the same menu bar as reactions, Center Stage, etc. This means it’s not limited to FaceTime—you can use this background with any app that requires camera recording

 

[mystery hill]

They did this so they can work from home while appearing to be at the spaceship building.

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[bradman83]

This is somewhat off topic but the interface for the background picker has a very visionOS vibe to it. I know Apple likes to use dark and translucent panels for transient interface elements/popups, but I'm curious if this is any sort of preview to the rumors that iOS/iPadOS and macOS might be getting a design makeover to make it more similar to the "smoked glass" look of visionOS.

As someone who dislikes the stark white and stark black of the default light and dark modes I would welcome an in-between.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Apple is great. But this, at first glance, seems weird – why pretend you're at Apple?
Wouldn't high quality backgrounds of different regions of Earth be more useful (maybe take inspiration from visionOS environments)?

Someone from Apple did this so they could continue to work from home while seeming like they came in to the office.

“Yeah, I’m out by the rainbow. You don’t see me? Weird.”

 

[Darren.h]

when will a non beta macOS 15 be released? we are at beta 6 lets go here.

release it and let the software recession start.

150,000 tech layoffs this year and the year is not even finished yet.

 

[KoolAid-Drink]

I wonder if Photo Booth will get those backgrounds... or if this spells an eventual discontinuation of the Photo Booth application, with a Camera.app replacement, chock-full of visionOS backgrounds. Photo Booth hasn't been updated in a long time.

I know Windows 10/11 has a Camera application, so I wouldn't be surprised if Apple goes the same path. Perhaps in macOS 16.

 

[addamas]

I guess 0.0001% will use it once 😂

 

[McScooby]

I wonder if Photo Booth will get those backgrounds... or if this spells an eventual discontinuation of the Photo Booth application, with a Camera.app replacement, chock-full of visionOS backgrounds. Photo Booth hasn't been updated in a long time.

I know Windows 10/11 has a Camera application, so I wouldn't be surprised if Apple goes the same path. Perhaps in macOS 16.

Yeah, once again old is new, innovation my...