8 Tips to Fix SharePlay Not Working in FaceTime on a Mac
SharePlay is one of the standout features of macOS Monterey—Mac users can now listen or watch content with other Apple users on FaceTime. You can also easily share your screen during a video call with SharePlay.
As much as we love this feature, it’s not flawless, and you can occasionally run into problems. Often, the problem is related to a specific app, but macOS can also glitch and cause features like SharePlay to break.
Hence, here we will be discussing some valuable troubleshooting tips that may come in handy if SharePlay is not working on your Mac.
1. Update Your Mac
If you’ve never tried SharePlay before and are unable to use the feature, you should first check your Mac’s software version. Sure, your Mac may be running macOS Monterey, but SharePlay didn’t come out until the macOS 12.1 update that Apple rolled out in December 2021.
So, make sure your Mac is running the latest software by going to System Preferences > Software Update in macOS. If an update is available, click on Update Now to install it on your machine. And when your Mac reboots, start a FaceTime call with the contact you want and see if you’re able to access SharePlay.
2. Check if SharePlay is Enabled on Your Mac
If you’re still reading this, it means you’re unable to use SharePlay even though you’re running the latest macOS version. So, practically, the next thing you need to do is to check whether SharePlay is enabled on your Mac or not. The feature is on by default, but it’s worth checking if you’ve accidentally changed your FaceTime settings before.
To do this, launch FaceTime and go to FaceTime > Preferences from the menu bar. Under the preference panel, select the SharePlay tab and make sure the feature is selected. If you see a bunch of SharePlay-compatible apps at the bottom, make sure you check the box next to them as well.
3. Check whether the app supports SharePlay
SharePlay is quite new and hence, app support is quite limited at the moment. Therefore, you need to check whether the app you want to use SharePlay with is compatible in the first place. And if you’re having trouble finding SharePlay-compatible apps, know that Apple’s services—Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple Fitness+—are all fully supported.
However, you cannot say the same for third-party apps. For example, Disney+ supports SharePlay, while Netflix misses out, the world’s most popular streaming platform.
4. Update SharePlay-compatible apps
If you’re sure the app you’re trying to use supports SharePlay, you’ll need to make sure it’s updated. You may be running a version of the app that came out before SharePlay support was added by its developer.
To do this, launch the App Store on your Mac and click on Updates on the left pane. See if there’s a newer version of the app you want to use SharePlay with. And if you find something, click on Update to install it on your Mac.
5. Check if a SharePlay-compatible app requires a subscription
At this point, you’re confident that you have everything you need to use SharePlay on your Mac. Well, the problem is that some apps limit SharePlay functionality behind paid subscriptions. For example, while Spotify offers ad-supported streaming for free, you’ll need a premium subscription to start a SharePlay session during a FaceTime call.
Apps like Disney+ and ESPN+ are other good examples, which require you to pay for the service first before you can take advantage of SharePlay on your Mac.
However, the main problem here is that having a subscription isn’t enough to share content with your friends. All participants in a FaceTime call must also have subscriptions to the same services. And if it’s a movie or a game, they should own it too. That’s correct; You cannot use SharePlay as a solution to stream premium content to your friends who do not pay for the service.
6. Force Quit App
Despite being fully compatible in every way, apps can occasionally malfunction, and you may have trouble starting a SharePlay session with a service you regularly use. In such instances, it is always worth closing and relaunching the app to fix the weird glitch.
To force quit a Mac app, right-click or Control-click the app icon while holding down the Option key and choose Force Quit from the context menu. Now, open the app again and try to start a new SharePlay session in your FaceTime call. You can also delete and reinstall the app to see if that fixes the problem.