Have you ever ever tried to assist your dad and mom navigate their telephones? I’m certain you have got. Dad and mom love to show to their youngsters to function their private Geek Squad, particularly should you’re a author for a know-how publication (sorry, Mother and Dad). Enter: SharePlay.
Making an attempt to assist somebody determine one thing on their iPhone is a check of endurance, for certain. However making an attempt to assist that individual after they aren’t in entrance of you is a check of how a lot rage you possibly can internalize till you hold up. Apple has lately tried to make this simpler by permitting somebody to display screen share their iPhone throughout a FaceTime name.
This lately labored decently properly for me. I had purchased my Mother an Echo Dot and was capable of assist her get it arrange utilizing the Display screen Share function in FaceTime. Nevertheless, whereas it labored, it will have gone an entire lot quicker if I had simply been capable of management her iPhone and arrange the machine for her.
I’m all for folks studying issues for themselves, particularly when you should use one thing like display screen sharing to nearly stand over their shoulders to information them. Nevertheless, typically, you simply must seize the cellphone or keyboard and get it completed for them. Fortunately, Apple lastly thinks so, too.
At WWDC 2024, the corporate introduced a much-needed replace for display screen sharing by SharePlay that may now both allow you to draw on another person’s display screen or — and that is the vital one — management it remotely.
SharePlay will get even higher this yr with highly effective updates to display screen sharing. Customers can faucet and draw on their display screen to level out what must be completed. And for extra direct help, customers can ask for permission to remotely management a tool.
That is the function I’ve been ready for. A couple of years in the past, I skilled this when speaking with Apple Assist. The Apple worker was capable of remotely management my iPhone and assist me repair the problem I used to be having. Once I skilled this, I knew I wanted this function for myself for when my dad and mom wanted assist with their iPhones.
We stay states away from one another, so with the ability to remotely management my Mother or Dad’s iPhone to assist them repair a problem or present them find out how to get one thing completed goes to be enormously useful and never solely make this expertise simpler however will in all probability enhance our relationship as properly.
Sorry, Mother and Dad, for the entire occasions I received annoyed and gave up making an attempt that will help you with one thing in your iPhone. Fortunately, SharePlay on iOS 18 will make me a greater son.