The latest update of the Disney+ app, available now, includes support for SharePlay. When announcing SharePlay at WWDC, Apple already hinted that Disney+ would work with it. Disney announces it in the new update. SharePlay lets you connect with others via FaceTime and watch Disney+ together, each on their own device.
Disney+ supports SharePlay in the latest update
< p>It is important to note that SharePlay will only work if you have the latest version of the Disney+ app. That means at least version 2.3.5. We've already been able to download the update, so check the App Store to see if it's available for you. Anyone you want to use this feature with must have the latest version of Disney+ installed. Everyone must also have a subscription to Disney+. So you can't let others piggyback on your account for free.
All you need to do is start a FaceTime call and go to the Disney+ app. A message will automatically appear on the screen to start SharePlay, after which the other conversation partners are invited. It works with one-to-one conversations, but also with a group of up to 32 participants.
Everyone can choose their own language for spoken language and subtitles via SharePlay. So those will no longer be slightly annoying moments when you like to watch without subtitles, and the other with (or vice versa of course 😉). As with GroupWatch, SharePlay support is not available to users with a child profile. This is done to prevent anyone else from sharing content that Disney has not marked as kid-friendly.
Disney GroupWatch will continue to exist
Disney+ already had a GroupWatch function. The idea of this is the same as SharePlay, but it's more limited technically. SharePlay works effortlessly on iPhones, iPads, Macs and even on the Apple TV. So it doesn't matter which screen you like to use. GroupWatch does not work on all devices and on the Mac, for example, you need the browser version of Disney+.
Since SharePlay does not work on Windows and Android, GroupWatch is still available. Both GroupWatch and SharePlay allow all viewers to pause, fast forward, or rewind a movie or series. For SharePlay it is important that you have a new software version on your devices. You must have at least iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, or tvOS 15.1. At the time of writing, the latest version for these devices is version 15.2.
A notable lack of support for SharePlay is Netflix. It is still unclear whether the streaming service is working on SharePlay support.