Apple in the iOS 13.5 beta introduced a new Group FaceTime feature that's designed to disable the option that automatically enlarges the tile of the person who is speaking.
Group FaceTime, by default, has a dynamic view with a tile for each person. The person who is speaking at the current time has a larger tile, while tiles for people who are not talking fade into the background, a layout that's not always ideal.
In the FaceTime section of the Settings app, there's now an "Automatic Prominence" section with a "Speaking" toggle. Turning off the "Speaking" toggle makes it so the tile for the person who's talking in FaceTime won't get larger, allowing tiles for all people to remain the same size. Enlarging a person's tile can be done by tapping it, as noted by The Verge.
A grid with static image sizes for all participants is perhaps preferable for meetings and events where multiple people are talking at once or right after one another, and it mimics layout options available in Zoom and other video chatting apps.
The iOS 13.5 beta also makes it easier to unlock an iPhone with a passcode when wearing a mask by bringing up the passcode interface more quickly and it lays the foundation for the introduction of the exposure notification API that Apple plans to release for health apps in May.
During this trying time, I‘m using Zoom daily. I will likely use Microsoft Team in near future. FaceTime, well not at all and I’m all in on Apple ecosystem. FaceTime is increasingly becoming irrelevant and so is iMessage. Alternatives not only exist but are forcing people within the wall garden to use them.
THANK GOD! This is the number one reason it doesn’t get used by my family and friends. Constant moving tiles of a group of people having a laugh is migraine inducing. This has been a long time coming!
I agree the toggle should be in the FaceTime app. Also, there should still be some visual indication of who’s talking, like how other apps highlight the outline of the person’s box.
Okay great. Now we just need wide shots instead of square. If it is just facetime with one person it works, but family to family cuts off the side people.
Wednesday March 29, 2023 1:54 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will use a new ultra-low energy microprocessor allowing certain features like the new capacitive solid-state buttons to remain functional even when the handset is powered off or the battery has run out, according to a source that shared details on the MacRumors forums.
CAD-based render of new solid-state buttons on iPhone 15 Pro models The source of this rumor is ...
Wednesday March 29, 2023 9:58 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today announced that its 34th annual Worldwide Developers Conference will take place from Monday, June 5 to Friday, June 9. Like WWDC 2020, 2021, and 2022, WWDC 2023 will be an online event for the most part, and it will be open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple will provide online sessions and labs, which will allow...
Wednesday March 29, 2023 7:28 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models are rumored to feature a customizable Action button like the Apple Watch Ultra, according to a MacRumors forum member who leaked accurate details about the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models last year.
The source claimed the Action button will replace the Ring/Silent switch that has been included on every iPhone model since 2007. They did not...
Apple today released iOS 16.4, the fourth major update to the iOS 16 operating system that initially came out last September. iOS 16.4 comes two months after the launch of iOS 16.3, an update that added Security Keys for Apple ID.
iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes...
Apple today published a support document explaining why it decided to release a standalone Apple Music Classical app for classical music.
In short, Apple says the app was designed to support classical music's complex metadata:Classical music is different. It has longer and more detailed titles, multiple artists for each work, and hundreds of recordings of well-known pieces. The Apple Music...
Tuesday March 28, 2023 10:15 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a day after the launch of iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4.
Registered developers can opt in to the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to Software Update, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option and toggling on the iOS 16 Developer Beta. Note that an...
Tuesday March 28, 2023 1:50 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple has made the option to upgrade to new Home architecture available again with the release of iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, and macOS Ventura 13.3, after it temporarily pulled the update in December.
After updating Apple devices to the latest software, users can once again opt to upgrade any homes set up in the Home app to the new Home architecture, which Apple says brings faster, more reliable ...
Apple on March 27 released iOS 16.4, delivering 21 new emoji characters, support for Safari web push notifications, the return of the page-turning animation in the Books app, updates for the Podcasts app, and more.
Top Rated Comments
This has been a long time coming!