It’s finally Christmas – the most wonderful time of the year to spend time with your loved ones. However, with many canceled flights recently during the very cold weather, it could even be difficult to be home for Christmas. Worry not, there are still ways to stay connected with your loved ones no matter how far you are.
Group FaceTime
Initially, you could only use FaceTime one-to-one, but since iOS 12, you can add as many as 32 participants in a single FaceTime group chat. You can start a Group FaceTime call from either the FaceTime app or the Messages app. It’s just as simple as starting a normal FaceTime call. You can also join a Group FaceTime call when someone sends you a notification or a group message.
Share FaceTime links with Android and Windows users.
For a while, FaceTime had worked with only Apple devices until 2021 with iOS 15. Now, similar to Zoom, you can send FaceTime links to non-Apple users, including Windows and Android. This makes FaceTime open to even more people than ever before. Furthermore, FaceTime is now integrated into the web, making it easy for those users to join a FaceTime call.
SharePlay
Whether you found an inspirational song to listen to or want to watch your favorite Christmas movies, chances are you want to share them. Thanks to SharePlay, sharing your favorite content has never been easier. When you’re on a FaceTime call, you can launch any video streaming app that supports it and start sharing that video. Chances are that many major streaming apps support this feature such as Netflix, Disney Plus, and HBO Max.
Family Sharing
Have too many members in a family? Chances are that each one would be paying for a common service. Why not save even more money with Family Sharing? Family Sharing allows you to use many of Apple’s services without breaking the bank for individual plans. This is especially helpful if you want to work out together with Apple Fitness+ or watch the latest content from Apple TV+.
Apple Music Sing
Finally, whenever you have the whole family for Christmas, one of the best ways to spread the holiday cheer is to sing Christmas songs all day. Thanks to the latest update in iOS 16, Apple Music now offers Apple Music Sing, which brings a more interactive sing-along experience with karaoke style and duet lyrics in addition to the real-time lyrics on screen. If you have the latest Apple TV, you can enjoy this feature on the big screen so that you keep the whole house rocking.
We hope these features will help you at least stay connected and cherish those moments with your loved ones. We want to wish you a merry Christmas, and a happy New Year!
