Disney+, an American streaming app, has recently announced support for Apple’s SharePlay, the iOS 15 feature. This new Disney+ app update will offer a co-viewing experience to subscribers over FaceTime video calls on iPad, iPhone, Mac, or Apple TV devices.
SharePlay was first announced during Apple’s WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) in June. The feature was rolled out with the iOS 15.1 update, providing co-viewing experiences across a range of apps, including TikTok, NBA, Showtime, and Paramount+, as well as the tech company’s own apps like Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple Fitness.
Disney has revealed that the SharePlay feature will be compatible across the entire Disney+ catalog from National Geographic, Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, and Disney globally. This includes new titles like Marvel Studios’ “Hawkeye”, and the upcoming Disney+ premieres such as “Encanto”, which will arrive on Christmas Eve (24th December).
Once updated, subscribers will be able to host and attend the SharePlay sessions with multiple viewing options of up to 32 people. Disney stated that each participant will be able to select the audio and subtitles in the language of their choice on Disney+. In addition to offering support for co-watching, users can also screen-share over SharePlay.
To access the SharePlay feature on Disney+, devices of the participants must have support for at least tvOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, and iOS 15.1, and must be a Disney+ subscriber. Despite embracing a new feature, its own co-viewing feature namely GroupWatch will also be available to all subscribers across compatible devices in the same country.
According to Disney Streaming’s EVP of Product and Design, Jerrell Jimerson, the company is excited to launch a new feature on Disney+ for Apple users ahead of the highly anticipated premieres. Users will be able to gain access to multiple shows and movies and a growing content catalog of originals and new titles over SharePlay.
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