On June 7, 2021, Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) announced new features for FaceTime, which included android users getting access to the Apple app, but there’s a tiny trap awaiting you. If you think Apple’s generosity with FaceTime is like a walk in a garden, then you’re highly mistaken. It’s not going to be so easy-peasy. After all, it’s Apple we’re talking about!
You can know about WWDC’s announcement here:
Let’s dive into the new features of FaceTime. The first one is Spatial Audio, which makes calls more comfortable and natural by creating a sound field that helps the conversation flow as if you’re face-to-face. In simple words, every speaker’s voice will be spread out and will seem like it’s coming from the direction in which they’re positioned.
The second feature is for the microphone, i.e, Voice Isolation, and Wide Spectrum. Basically, machine learning distinguishes the unwanted sounds in voice isolation and prioritizes your voice making it crystal clear. But if you want the vice versa, then there’s the wide spectrum option for you. The third feature focuses on making the group video call into Grid View, making sure that everyone’s on the same tiles format. With this, you can easily identify who’s speaking and view everyone’s reaction easily.
Fourth is the introduction of Portrait Mode, which blurs the background and puts focus on you naturally. The fifth feature is giving one tough competition to Zoom by enabling FaceTime Links. With this, you can schedule calls by generating a link, and you can share it anywhere. Now, here’s the big reveal for Android users. Not only Apple devices but Android and Windows users can also join through their browser by clicking on the link. Apple made sure to keep it end-to-end encrypted, thus, Android users can only have a taste of FaceTime and not the whole meat. What a great plan to tempt Android users, isn’t it?
Share Play is the sixth and last feature, with which you can share your experiences with your buddies together in terms of listening to music, watching movies or series, and sharing screens. With an API built for easy adoption, developers can bring their own apps into FaceTime. Some of them are Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, NBA, Twitch, Tiktok, Master Class, Paramount+, ESPN+, and Pluto TV.
So among these six features, only one feature works halfway for Android users. This is such a genius move by Apple, and will definitely attract more consumers towards their side. If you have something exclusive, you got it to flaunt it, and that’s exactly what Apple’s doing. Kudos to them for this excellent strategy and also to Android users who can carry some benefit from it! FaceTime is totally going to buzz the digital market this time.
