What you need to know
- Apple just announced new FaceTime invite links so users can join a chat from anywhere.
- The links are available for Android and web users to access a FaceTime video call.
- The new feature will arrive with iOS 15 and was announced during WWDC 2021.
Apple has shown off several new features arriving in FaceTime. One notable feature includes new invite links that allow users to join a video call from almost anywhere. This opens up FaceTime video calls to users on the best Android phones and the web.
FaceTime was previously only available for users on iPhones and Macs and will now open up to billions of users on Android and Windows thanks to iOS 15. iPhone users with iOS 15 will can create a link to a FaceTime chat and share it through the normal share sheet, meaning the link can be sent to others via apps or email.
It's gleaned from the announcement that FaceTime won't be available via a dedicated Android app but rather via the device web browser. It remains to be seen how well this will work, but Apple is clearly saving the best FaceTime support for its own devices.
Teleconferencing has been on the rise over the past year as the COVID-19 pandemic affected much of the world, and companies and employees continue working from home. Bringing FaceTime to more devices is likely to be heavily leveraged, especially within families with mixed platform usage.
The feature will most likely launch this Fall when iOS 15 rolls out for current iPhones.
Other features are also arriving on FaceTime, such as a new grid/tile layout similar to what was recently introduced on Google Meet, as well as call scheduling. FaceTime SharePlay will now allow users to share media within the call, like photos and even movies.
The feature was shown off briefly during Apple's WWDC keynote, which is still happening live. You can check out iMore.com for full coverage of the event.
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