Apple Unveils New FaceTime Features Like Spatial Audio, SharePlay, Voice Isolation, and More - MacRumors
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Apple Unveils New FaceTime Features Like Spatial Audio, SharePlay, Voice Isolation, and More

Apple at WWDC has announced several new upcoming FaceTime features for Apple devices, like spatial audio, voice isolation, wide spectrum, ‌FaceTime‌ Links, SharePlay, and more.

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Adding spatial audio will make it feel like you're sitting in the same room as the person you're speaking to, and in group calls, friends will sound spread out in the room.

Voice isolation is a machine learning feature that blocks out ambient noise and prioritizes your voice so that it comes through crystal clear.

‌FaceTime‌ links allow users to plan ahead and send links to a call via iMessage, email, WhatsApp, Calendar, and more. The links also work with Android right from the browser.

SharePlay is a new set of features designed for shared experiences. For example, it will be possible to listen to music together, watch movies, and share your screen.

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Top Rated Comments

Kramerjn Avatar
66 months ago

Blured background, face time links = just catching up with other meeting apps..

shareplay seems like a gimmick

voice isolation is also nothing new.

spatial audio looks nice, but not major
For me, the biggest announcement is being able to share your phone screen in iMessage JUST so I can much more easily help family with issues they have.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
crawfish963 Avatar
66 months ago
All would have been great in 2020. Now, not so exciting.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
66 months ago
I commend  for finally updating FaceTime from all but the most basic features, and condemn them for waiting till Zoom's proof of concept once the world shut-down.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DeepIn2U Avatar
66 months ago

I commend  for finally updating FaceTime from all but the most basic features, and condemn them for waiting till Zoom's proof of concept once the world shut-down.
Zoom didn't initial encrypt videos which was HUGE issue for consumers and especially to corporate license. Trust me Zoom didn't get their proof of concept right the first few times around until July/August 2020.

Apple is at least encrypting end to end from the start.

Zoom also has the advance of a magnitude of global corporate clients/accounts who's internal Polycom/Tandberg video conference systems were behind firewalls and dis-allowed external connections even by SIP protocol. Moreover Cisco's Jabber is a joke and has YET to be updated ... so Zoom took advantage at a rapid rate.

Apple should've enabled these features mid 2020 to have a wider global impact. This makes me wonder how slow internally ideas and concepts get approved for testing and production announcement/roll-out OR whos determining what's important and far more useful to the end user.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mac Fly (film) Avatar
66 months ago
What I wanted:

FaceTime and iMessage on Android. Calculator app and Dictionary app with verbal pronunciations on all Apple operating systems. A translation app as good as Google’s would be nice. Most of the features announced I have no interest in, and frankly I think they’ve added too much complexity to many things rather than providing easy of use and more practical features.

The new Mail and Safari privacy features are welcome though. And the Safari redesigned tabs on Mac and tab syncing look nice, even if I’ll never use many of the other new features or sidebar.

From a practical standpoint I’ll get improved privacy and the ability to copy text from photos. Oh yeah, I’m on SE1 so actually I won’t get any of this stuff. Ah well, shoot me for liking small phones.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fromsixtozero Avatar
66 months ago
Blured background, face time links = just catching up with other meeting apps..

shareplay seems like a gimmick

voice isolation is also nothing new.

spatial audio looks nice, but not major
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)