How to Use the Shared With You Function in iOS 16

Apple constantly finds ways to help us connect with loved ones, and the Shared With You feature seeks to make quality-of-life improvements to iOS and macOS users. Sharing content is a hallmark feature of smartphones and social media in general, and as the two become more integrated, consumers can begin to enjoy more streamlined features. If you frequently share content on your iOS or macOS devices, you may be interested to learn more about Apple’s new-ish Shared With You function.

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What Is the Shared With You Function?

The Shared With You function is a social feature implemented by Apple that highlights and recommends content that people have sent you. If you frequently iMessage people, you can find that any links or media content they send you via the messaging app pops up on certain apps. For example, if someone sends you a Safari link, you can find it in your Safari start page. If you scroll down, you’ll find a Shared With You section that highlights any links you’ve received via iMessage. This social feature also applies to other Apple applications, such as:

• Apple TV: Tap on the Watch Now tab on the bottom left screen of your device. You’ll see shared content, such as video, shows, and movies. Click on them to begin watching instantly!
• Apple Music: Tap on the Listen Now tab. Scroll down to find the Shared With You function and you can begin to play music that’s been shared with you.
• Photos: Tap the For You tab in your Photos app. You’ll see any photos and videos shared with you from the iMessage app. Multiple photos and videos sent at the same time will show as a collage that you can swipe through.
• News: Tap the Today tab and scroll to the Shared With You section. You can read any news articles that have been shared with you on iMessage.
• Podcasts: Tap on the Listen Now tab and find the Shared With You section. Listen to any podcasts your friends and family may have found interesting.

How to Use the Shared With You Function in iOS 16

It’s super simple to set up the Shared With You function on any of your devices. If you have iOS 15, iPadOS 15, or macOS Monterey, it’s automatically turned on. Here’s how you can turn it on, depending on your device.

On iOS

Here’s how to toggle the feature on your iOS device:

1. Open your Settings app.
2. Navigate to Messages.
3. Scroll down until you see Shared With You.
4. Toggle it on or off.

On iPadOS

On your iPadOS, follow these steps:

1. Open your Settings app.
2. Scroll down to Messages.
3. Navigate to the Shared With You section.
4. Toggle it on or off as you wish.

On macOS

The steps to use the Shared With You function are a little different on macOS. Follow these steps:

1. Open your Messages application.
2. Open the Preferences tab.
3. Click Shared With You.
4. Toggle it on or off as necessary.

Pinning Content in iMessages

If there’s particularly interesting information you’ll like to keep tabs on, you can choose to pin it in iMessage. This highlights the message so you can go back to it later on easily. Here’s how to pin content:

1. Go to your Messages conversation.
2. Touch and hold a piece of shared content.
3. Tap the Pin button.

You can then repeat those steps to unpin it once you’re done. If you wish to find pinned content, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Messages conversation.
2. Tap on the person’s name at the top of the screen.
3. Scroll down until you see the Pins section.

Removing Shared With You Content

Shared With You content stays as recommended content on each respective app until you decide to clear it. If you prefer to keep your applications clutter-free, you can follow these easy steps to remove content:

1. Go to the Shared With You section of an app.
2. Touch and hold the content you want to remove.
3. Tap Remove.