Apple Enters Facebook’s Space with iOS 15 Social Features

Starting this winter, the decade-long feud between Apple and Facebook enters a new chapter. Facebook saw this coming long ago. It has viewed Apple as a competitor for years—and now, that prediction is coming true. This part of the story has Apple entering in Facebook’s territory in ways it never has before. On Monday, Apple revealed several new social features that will come to iPhones and iPads with the launch of iOS 15 this fall.

FaceTime Coming to Android and Windows

Soon, iPhone users will be able to hold FaceTime video calls with Android and Windows users for the first time. They will also be able to use a new feature called SharePlay. This feature lets you hold a FaceTime call and watch a streaming movie, listen to music, or share your screen with your contacts. iMessage is also getting a boost. New features make it easier to share web links, photos, Apple Music tracks, and Apple News articles with your contacts.

In short, Apple is laying the groundwork for a suite of social features designed to let you do a lot of what you would normally do on Instagram and Facebook, only with more emphasis on privacy. Think of it as a watered-down social network without all the bloat and annoying stuff you find in other apps.

It’s the kind of stuff that will drive Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg absolutely crazy.

Zuckerberg has already said he considers Apple a major competitor, largely because of apps like FaceTime and iMessage that come preinstalled on the more than 1 billion Apple gadgets in use around the world.

Facebook Fired Back at Apple with Late-Year PR and Ad Blitz

Late last year, Facebook launched an anti-Apple PR and ad campaign. It targeted a new iOS privacy feature. The update limits how companies like Facebook use personal data for targeted ads. (Facebook makes most of its money from ads, and needs that targeting data for its ads to be effective.)

It’s no coincidence Zuckerberg took a swipe at the 30% fee Apple collects from many app makers on the iPhone just hours before Apple’s big event on Monday.

Apple’s new social features in iOS 15 are coming early. Zuckerberg announced Facebook’s pivot to privacy over two years ago. He hasn’t completed it yet. He believes the future holds two types of social sharing. One is private messaging on WhatsApp and Messenger. The other is public posts on Instagram and Facebook.

Conclusion

Apple’s announcements on Monday proved you don’t need Facebook for a lot of the stuff you already do on Facebook. Why log into Facebook or Instagram and give up personal data when you can just as easily share photos, messages, and videos right there in iOS 15?

If Zuckerberg was right and there will be a large swath of communication that takes place on a “privacy-focused” version of the internet. Apple has largely beaten Facebook to that future.

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