How to Share your Screen on FaceTime using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac

When you make a Facetime call, you can let the person you are talking to see what is on your screen. You can share a photo, a webpage, or anything else with another app. Here's how to share screen on FaceTime for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. To share a screen, your device needs to run iOS 15.1 or later or MacOS Monterey 12.1 or later.

What is SharePlay in FaceTime?

If you don't know what this feature is, here's a short explanation. SharePlay is a feature of FaceTime that lets people share their experiences and activities with each other.

Share Your SharePlay Integration Experiences

During a FaceTime call, you can both watch movies or TV shows or listen to music. Apple Music and Apple TV are, of course, big parts of this, but that's not the end of the list. At the moment, SharePlay works with a small number of other apps. SharePlay lets apps that support the feature play the same thing on all connected devices at the same time.

So, even if you started playing the movie (for example) during the call, others can pause, play, or skip it, as well as use all other app features. And the video will play perfectly in sync on each device, making it an experience like no other.

Users of apps like TikTok, NBA, Paramount+, MUBI, Showtime, Moon FM, Digital Concert Hall, etc. can use SharePlay to watch and listen at the same time.

You can also use SharePlay in apps like Flow, Kahoot!, Redfin Real Estate, Apollo for Reddit, and Fitness to look at a subreddit or a home together. Joining a FaceTime session lets you use SharePlay to draw, edit photos and videos, play quizzes, and do a lot more in real time.

Even though there aren't many apps available right now, there will probably be more as more developers start to use the API. Disney+ and Hulu are already in the works.

Note: Some of these apps can only be used with SharePlay if everyone has a membership. If you play music from Apple Music, for example, the other people on the call must also have a subscription to Apple Music in order to listen.

Share Your Display During a FaceTime Call

You can share your whole screen on FaceTime, in addition to the SharePlay connection that is built right into the apps. So, if you want to share the content of other apps that don't have SharePlay built in, you can just share your screen. Even though the other people on the call won't be able to change the content, this feature is useful in many other situations as well.

You can share websites, look at pictures, help friends with tech problems, look through shopping catalogs, and so on. You can do anything with iPhone apps.

You don't have to worry about your privacy, which is the best part. No one on the call can see your alerts when you share your screen. This is to protect sensitive information.

How Does SharePlay App Integration Differ from Screen Sharing?

Sharing content from apps with SharePlay integration is different from sharing what's on your screen.

When SharePlay is integrated, everyone on the call has the same amount of control over the broadcast. It is mostly about working together. Sharing your screen, on the other hand, is standard screen sharing. Other people on the call can't change what you're showing.

Another difference is that other people who want to join the call do not need a subscription. They don't even have to have the app downloaded on their phone.

It can also be used by a group to watch YouTube videos. But it doesn't work with Netflix or Disney+ because sharing your screen is the same as recording your screen. Still, you can test it in other apps that don't support SharePlay integration yet to watch content together. Not all apps block the playback of content through screen sharing.

Other SharePlay Features

SharePlay also has a feature called "Smart Volume" that lowers the volume of whatever is playing when someone on the call starts talking. It seems to work best with AirPods, but it can also be used with other speakers and devices.

Access to iMessage: The controls for FaceTime now include a way to get to iMessage. So, all you have to do is turn off your camera and microphone and use iMessage to talk. During a marathon binge session, all you have to do is tap the screen to focus on what's on it or take a bathroom break.

How to share screen on Facetime for iPhone and iPad

Before you share your screen on Facetime iOS 15

Before you can SharePlay something during the call, you must make sure that everyone on the call has iOS 15.1 installed. If there are people on the call who aren't using iOS 15.1, they won't be able to see or hear anything about SharePlay.

Users also have to sign up for the app. If someone has iOS 15.1, but not a membership, they can use SharePlay to watch you play content. They will also be able to see what is being played, but they won't be able to hear or see it.

Here's how to do it:

1. Start the FaceTime app and make a FaceTime call with someone else.

2. Once you're connected, click the icon in the toolbar that looks like a rectangle with a person in front of it. This is the Screen Sharing button.

3. In the window that comes up, choose "Share My Screen."

4. In FaceTime for iPhone, tap the button that says Share My Screen, then tap Share My Screen again.

5. When screen sharing starts, FaceTime shrinks to a small window, so you can still use apps on your iPhone or iPad as usual. The person on the other end of the line will be able to see what you are doing on your screen (but they will not see the inset video window).

To cancel Facetime screen sharing:

1. Press the video thumbnail and tap the button again to bring up the FaceTime toolbar.

2. Tap the button that says "Share screen" in FaceTime to stop sharing the screen.

3. When you're done with the FaceTime call, tap the "End" button.

Notes:

You and the other person must both have iOS 15.1 or later on your iPhone, iPadOS 15.1 or later on your iPad, or macOS 12.1 or later on your Mac (on Mac). You also need an Apple ID to use FaceTime.

You can't share content from apps that cost money or require you to join. (Apple says you should use SharePlay instead.)

How to Share Screen on FaceTime for Mac

1. Open FaceTime and make a call to share the screen of your Mac. Once you're connected, click the FaceTime icon in the menu bar at the top of the screen and then click the button that looks like a rectangle with a person in it.

2. As the menu grows, you will be able to share a specific window or the whole screen. Click on the one you want to use.

3. If you choose Window, FaceTime will ask you which window to share. If you choose Screen, the person on the other end of the call will be able to see your Mac's whole desktop.

Related: How to screenshot on Mac.

To stop sharing your screen:

1. Click the FaceTime icon in your menu bar, which is now called the Screen Sharing icon, and choose Stop Sharing Screen.

2. You can share your screen again at any time. When you're ready to end the call, open the FaceTime menu again and click on the red X icon.

So, that's how to share your screen on FaceTime for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. If you can't get Facetime to let you share your screen, just leave a comment below and we'll help you figure it out.