macOS Sequoia Has New FaceTime Backgrounds Showcasing Apple Park

Apple in the second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.1 has added a set of new backgrounds for FaceTime calls that showcase features of Apple Park.

macos sequoia facetime backgrounds
There are nine backgrounds in all, featuring iconic locations around the company's circular headquarters in Cupertino, California, which should be familiar to anyone who has watched a recent Apple event.

For example, one shows ‌Apple Park‌'s rainbow arch, based on the company's rainbow apple logo and erected as a tribute to its late co-founder Steve Jobs, who helped conceptualize the spaceship-like design of the main building on the campus prior to his death.

In ‌macOS Sequoia‌, there are other new built-in backgrounds that can be used for ‌FaceTime‌ and other video calls to blur out and hide what's behind you. These include different color gradients and the ability to use photos from your photo library.

Elsewhere, ‌FaceTime‌ has also gained the ability to preview what you're going to share in a video call when using screen sharing. Video calling apps will now give you a small preview of what will be shared before you okay the sharing process, which is useful to double check that you're not sharing information you don't want everyone to see.

‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.1 is currently in its second developer beta phase and is expected to arrive for all users with supporting Macs later this year, following the release of ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15. Apple has split Apple Intelligence into a separate set of betas because these features will not be available in the initial launch version of ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌.

Related Roundup: macOS Sequoia
Related Forum: macOS Sequoia

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Top Rated Comments

Mrkevinfinnerty Avatar
26 weeks ago
Me on every single facetime call from here on in


Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
orbital~debris Avatar
26 weeks ago
Apple is great. But this, at first glance, seems weird – why pretend you're at Apple?
Wouldn't high quality backgrounds of different regions of Earth be more useful (maybe take inspiration from visionOS environments)?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gleepskip Avatar
26 weeks ago

Apple is great. But this, at first glance, seems weird – why pretend you're at Apple?
Wouldn't high quality backgrounds of different regions of Earth be more useful (maybe take inspiration from visionOS environments)?
It's cringey.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iCyprus Avatar
26 weeks ago
Okay, this is ALL I ever wanted for my video calls.

Good call APPle.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mystery hill Avatar
26 weeks ago
They did this so they can work from home while appearing to be at the spaceship building.

https://www.macrumors.com/2021/07/19/apple-employees-fighting-return-to-work/
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
harmonthe3rd Avatar
26 weeks ago
I definitely will be using the background features. I think many people tend to forget that Apple used to charge for the MacOs. Tim gets so much backlash on the cost of other items. Prices for Apple products have stayed rather consistent for more than a decade.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)