How to Use New FaceTime Features in macOS Monterey

macOS Monterey is loaded with new features, including some much-anticipated upgrades to FaceTime. One of the most exciting new FaceTime enhancements is SharePlay, which lets you watch movies, listen to music, and share your screen with friends in real time. We'll show you how to use SharePlay in FaceTime, plus other new features like creating FaceTime call links, Portrait mode, Grid modes, and more!

Method 1

Method 1 of 7:

Watch Movies and TV Together with SharePlay

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Start or join a FaceTime video call. With the release of macOS Monterey, you can now watch movies, TV, and videos with friends in real time. As long as everyone has access to the content through a subscription to that service, you can watch together and share the controls.
- As of December 2021, SharePlay works with these apps: Apple TV, MUBI, Paramount+, SHOWTIME, NBA Live, and Twitch.^{[1]XResearch source}
- Additional apps, including BET+, Disney+, ESPN, HBO Max, Hulu, MasterClass, Pantaya, Pluto TV, and Starz are coming to SharePlay soon.
- You can also use SharePlay to listen to Apple Music, work out with Apple Fitness, view real estate on Red Fin, and more. For a list of all apps that support SharePlay on macOS Monterey and iOS 15, check out https://apps.apple.com/story/id1583059388.
Remember, everyone on the call will need to have their own subscriptions to watch protected content together—even if it's just a free trial. If someone doesn't have access, they'll be asked to sign up once you start sharing.
The first time you launch a SharePlay-supporting app while you're on FaceTime, you'll be asked if you want to use SharePlay to share the content, or just watch it by yourself.^{[2]XResearch source}
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Start watching. While you're watching a show, movie, or video together with SharePlay, everyone on the call can stop, pause, play, rewind, or fast-forward in real time.
- When you're finished watching, you can just close the app to stop sharing. Or, if you want to end the call, click the SharePlay icon (the green outline of a person surrounded by two curved lines) in the menu bar and click the X to hang up.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 7:

Use SharePlay to Listen to Music

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Start or join a FaceTime video call. Another awesome feature of SharePlay is the ability to listen to music and podcasts with friends. As of December 2021, you can listen with SharePlay on FaceTime using Apple Music, as well as a few select other apps like Moon FM (podcasts), Digital Concert Hall, and BetterSleep.^{[3]XResearch source}
- SharePlay will soon work with other listening apps, including SoundCloud and TuneIn, both of which are free apps that don't require a subscription for many features.
- Everyone on the call will need a subscription to Apple Music if listening through that service. Unfortunately, Apple's new Music Voice Plan isn't compatible with SharePlay.^{[4]XResearch source}
If everyone on the call subscribes to Apple Music, you'll all hear the music start at the same time. You can also share playback controls, contribute to the shared queue, and view lyrics.
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Confirm that you want to use SharePlay. The first time you launch a SharePlay-supporting app while you're on FaceTime, you'll be asked if you want to use SharePlay to share the music or listen alone. Once you choose to share, everyone will see the Apple Music player.
- If your friends don't subscribe to Apple Music, they'll be prompted to sign up. A free trial is all they'll need to start listening right now.
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Control the music playback. Everyone on the call can stop or pause the music, skip to the next song, or change the track altogether using the standard controls.
- Anyone can view the Playing Next queue in Apple Music by clicking the three horizontal lines at the top-right corner. You can then drag songs to different orders, toggle Autoplay on or off, and drag songs from your library into the queue.
- When you're done listening with friends, just close the Apple Music app to stop sharing it. Or, if you want to end the call, click the SharePlay icon (the green outline of a person surrounded by two curved lines) in the menu bar and click the X to end the call.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 7:

Share Your Screen

Another great feature of SharePlay is the ability to share individual apps or your Mac's entire screen while you're on a FaceTime video call.
If you want to share from a single app, such as a photo album in the Photos app or a website in Safari, launch that app.
You'll see it in the menu bar.^{[5]XResearch source}
It's the gray square with an outline of a person.
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Choose a sharing mode. Once you choose what to share, the shared content will be visible to everyone in the video call.
- To share just the app you have open, select Window, hover your mouse cursor over that app, and then select Share This Window.
- To share the whole screen, select Screen, move the mouse cursor to any part of the screen, and then click Share This Screen.
If you want to stop sharing content from your Mac's screen without ending the call, click the green-and-white video camera icon in the menu bar and select Stop Sharing.
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Method 4

Method 4 of 7:

Invite Anyone to a FaceTime Call with a Link

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Open FaceTime on your Mac. You can now invite anyone to join you on a FaceTime call—even friends and family who use Windows or Android. Start by clicking the green-and-white FaceTime icon on your Launchpad.
- If you want to FaceTime with someone who uses Windows or Android, they’ll need to be using either Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
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Click Create Link. It's the gray button at the top-left corner of FaceTime. A window will expand that contains a link to join your call.^{[6]XResearch source}
- You can also now create a FaceTime call link from a new event in the Calendar app. Just create an event, click the video camera icon, and then select FaceTime.^{[7]XResearch source}
You can now share the link via email by selecting the Mail app, through text message by selecting Messages, or using any other app on the sharing list. You can also click Copy Link to paste the link into a message directly.
When you're ready, just click the video camera icon on the new call link in FaceTime. When the person you want to speak to clicks or taps the link, they'll be asked to enter their name and select Continue, which brings them into the call.
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Method 5

Method 5 of 7:

See Participants in Grid View

When you're on a call with 4 or more people, you can now see everyone on the screen at the same time with Grid View.^{[8]XResearch source}
This brings up some controls.
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Click Grid at the top of the window. Now you'll see everyone's video stream in equal-sized tiles.
- When someone is speaking, their tile will be highlighted.
- Depending on your Mac, people who aren't speaking may appear blurred in the background. This is just to bring more attention to the person who is speaking.
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Method 6

Method 6 of 7:

Blur Your Background with Portrait Mode

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Click the Control Center icon while you're on a FaceTime call
. FaceTime's new Portrait mode artistically blurs your background, bringing your face front-and-center. To activate it, click the Control Center icon in the menu bar.
- Portrait mode is only available on Macs that have Apple silicon processors.^{[9]XResearch source}
- You can find out if your Mac has Apple silicon by clicking the Apple menu and selecting About This Mac. If you see "Chip Apple M1," you're good to go.
You'll see this tile at the top-left corner of Control Center.
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Select Portrait. It's below "FaceTime." You'll now see a slight blurring of your background, along with a clearer image of your face.
- You can disable Portrait mode by returning to Control Center and clicking Portrait again.
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Method 7

Method 7 of 7:

Improve Microphone Quality with Mic Modes

FaceTime on your Mac now includes two different sound modes—Voice Isolation, and Wide Spectrum. You can access Mic Modes in the Control Center, which is in the menu bar.
This displays the two new modes.
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Select a Mic Mode. You can toggle between these two modes at any point during a call.
- Voice Isolation blocks out background noise while prioritizing your voice.^{[10]XResearch source}
- Wide Spectrum equally prioritizes your voice and the sounds around you.
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