If you’re like most people, you probably use FaceTime to talk to your family and friends. But what if you want to share your screen with someone else? There are a few ways to do this, but the best way is probably through Screen Sharing. This is a feature in FaceTime that lets you share your screen with another person by using their iPhone. To start Screen Sharing, open FaceTime and sign in. Then, on the left side of the main screen, click on the three lines that look like a triangle. This will take you to a page where you can choose who will be sharing your screen. You can either choose someone who is already in FaceTime or you can create a new Screen Sharing account. Once you’ve chosen someone, they will need to have an iPhone that has Screen Sharing turned on. If they don’t have an iPhone, they can still use their computer to watch your screen. Once both people have an iPhone that has Screen Sharing turned on, they can start sharing their screens by clicking on one of the blue icons at the bottom of their screens. The icons will change depending on what is being shared: if it’s just text or images, then it will just show up as a blue line; if it’s video or audio, then it will show up as a green line with an arrow pointing down. When both people have their iPhones turned on and are sharing screens using Screen Sharing, they should keep an eye out for each other so that they don’t miss anything important!
If you’d like to share what you’re looking at on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac’s screen with a friend who is far away, it’s as easy as making a FaceTime call now thanks to the built-in Share Screen feature. Here’s how to use it.
What You Need to Know
To share your screen with FaceTime, both you and the person you’ll be sharing with need iOS 15.1 or later (on iPhone), iPadOS 15.1 (on iPad), or macOS 12.1 or later (on Mac). You also need an Apple ID to use FaceTime.
Be aware that you can’t share content from apps that require a subscription or a purchase to view. (Apple recommends using SharePlay for that instead.)
Sharing your screen in FaceTime is great for when you need help troubleshooting or would like to present information to other people remotely. While sharing your screen, notifications will be hidden. But be careful about screen sharing if you have sensitive information on your screen, because the party on the other end might see it.
How to Share Screen on FaceTime for iPhone and iPad
To share your screen on iPhone or iPad, first run the FaceTime app and make a call to someone else who also has FaceTime set up. Once you’re connected, tap the “Screen Sharing” button in the toolbar that looks like a rectangle with a person in front of it. In the pop-up that appears, tap “Share My Screen.”
When screen sharing starts, FaceTime shrinks to a small window on your screen, and you can use your iPhone or iPad as usual to launch apps. The person on the other side of the call will see what you’re doing on your screen (but they will not see the inset video window).
To stop screen sharing, bring up the FaceTime toolbar again by tapping the video thumbnail and select the screen sharing button again.
When you’re done with the FaceTime call, tap “End.”
How to Share Screen on FaceTime for Mac
To share your screen on a Mac, open the FaceTime app and make a call. Once you’re connected, click the FaceTime icon in the menu bar at the top of the screen and select the screen sharing button, which looks like a rectangle with a person in front of it.
The menu will expand and you’ll have the choice to share a particular window or the entire screen. Click the option you’d like to use.
If you choose “Window,” FaceTime will prompt you to click the Window you’d like to share. If you choose “Screen,” the person on the other side of the call will see your entire Mac’s desktop.
To stop sharing your screen, click the FaceTime icon in your menu bar again (which now looks like the Screen Sharing icon) and select “Stop Sharing Screen.”
You can resume screen sharing at any time. When you’re done with the call, open the FaceTime menu again and click the red “X” button to disconnect. Happy sharing!
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