During the pandemic, the enormous rise of internet calling apps was so enormous that even a closed corporation like Apple decided to make changes to make the greatest use of the situation. During its most recent WWDC presentation, Apple revealed that users of Android and Windows will be able to utilize FaceTime via the web.
This is a critical decision. Previously, FaceTime was exclusively available to iOS and Mac users, thereby closing this communication feature in the Apple ecosystem. This restricted Apple users to only being able to utilize the software with other Apple users.
Now, with almost everyone using some calling app these days, such as Zoom, Apple’s closed app policy has caused its users to download other programs to talk to those who don’t have an iPhone or Mac, potentially causing the company to lose out. FaceTime is the most popular.
Apple has not specified when the update will be implemented, but users of Windows and Android devices will be able to use FaceTime through the web. By the time of the announcement and the event at which Apple decided to speak, it is likely that the new feature will be made alongside the iOS 15 update later this year.
The ability to use FaceTime from the web is a critical new feature for the app, but it isn’t the only one unveiled at WWDC. Along with iOS 15, Apple stated that the online calling app will add a grid view option, a voice isolation feature that should improve audio quality, support for spatial sound, and the option of portrait mode. In real time, blurring what’s behind the person on the phone.
It’s evident that Apple modified its thinking behind FaceTime, attempting to shift the app’s focus from personal calls to more diverse calls and, who knows, competing with others of the same style, such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
Source: The Verge