Paul Morris on October 30, 2021, 10:48 pm

macOS 12.1 Beta Released With SharePlay Feature Included

With Apple’s latest macOS beta release, the Cupertino-based company has added a feature that had previously been missing from Monterey; SharePlay. With this release, macOS Monterey falls closely in line with iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS, all of which are already offering SharePlay access.

Apple used a similar tactic when SharePlay was introduced into the aforementioned platforms.

The new feature was introduced with iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, and tvOS 15.1 but was missing from the initial launch of macOS Monterey earlier this week. It wasn’t forgotten about altogether, however. Apple actually acknowledged its absence at the time and confirmed that it would make an appearance in a future macOS Monterey update.

It seems that macOS 12.1 is that future update. Although, Apple has been known to remove features and functionality that have been found in beta releases ahead of a public release of that firmware. That is unlikely to happen in this instance, however.

With SharePlay, users can do more with first part Apple apps and experiences as well as FaceTime. The feature allows FaceTime users across all of Apple’s platforms to share experiences together by watching movies and TV shows, share and listening to music together, and even share their own screen with other people on the FaceTime call. It works with apps like Apple TV, Fitness+, and Apple Music.

Third-party developers also have access to SharePlay and are able to build apps and digital experiences using the relevant frameworks in the various Apple SDKs for their platform of choice. Now, with this release, those third-party developers can start expanding their SharePlay experiences to cater for Mac owners running macOS 12.1 and above. We can’t wait to see all the apps on the App Store that take Apple’s advice and turn their singular experience into a “shared experience” across Apple’s platforms.