Keep in touch with friends and family
iPad makes it easy to reach the people important to you—you can catch up with text messages or video calls, start a shared photo library, and even watch movies or listen to music together.
![A Messages screen showing a group conversation.](https://help.apple.com/assets/6758C0F05C38883A170CE6F4/6758C0F55C38883A170CE700/en_US/2fb947f12c35617e3508a2562bf6d5aa.png)
Start a group conversation
You can send messages to a group of people you want to talk to at the same time, like members of your family.
In the Messages app , tap
, type the names of the people you want to send a message to, then send the first message.
Participants in a group conversation can also collaborate on documents, share photos and videos, and even watch a movie or listen to music together.
![A Group FaceTime call with four participants. The caller’s image appears in a small rectangle at the bottom right.](https://help.apple.com/assets/6758C0F05C38883A170CE6F4/6758C0F55C38883A170CE700/en_US/72325313f25668474fe3065d04c381fe.png)
Make a video call
Use FaceTime to make video calls with your friends and family.
In the FaceTime app , tap New FaceTime near the top of the screen, type the name of the person you want to call, then tap
.
You can add more people to a FaceTime call—friends and family can join in at any time. Tap the screen to show the controls, tap at the top of the controls, then tap Add People.
![A FaceTime screen showing that the person being called is unavailable. The Call Again and Record Video buttons are at the bottom.](https://help.apple.com/assets/6758C0F05C38883A170CE6F4/6758C0F55C38883A170CE700/en_US/a69aaf4956e89041f65f074425665bfd.png)
Leave a video message
When you can’t reach someone in the FaceTime app, you can record a video message to capture exactly what you want to say.
Tap Record Video, wait for the countdown (from 5 to 1), record your message, then tap to send it.
When you receive a recorded message, tap Video to play the message.
![A FaceTime call showing video content and controls from SharePlay.](https://help.apple.com/assets/6758C0F05C38883A170CE6F4/6758C0F55C38883A170CE700/en_US/7e201ebf62c6fa872634ef55eac47b7a.png)
Watch, play, and work together
With SharePlay in the FaceTime app , you can watch videos, play games, and use apps during FaceTime calls.
To start SharePlay, open a supported app while on a FaceTime call, then tap Play to share with everyone.
![A screen showing a shared iCloud photo library with photos of pet dogs.](https://help.apple.com/assets/6758C0F05C38883A170CE6F4/6758C0F55C38883A170CE700/en_US/bd94fb7257dbf371884cc6525c1baf9f.png)
Start a shared photo library
You can use iCloud Shared Photo Library in the Photos app to share photos and videos with up to five other friends or family members. Everyone can add, edit, and caption photos and enjoy the shared photos in their memories, featured photos, and Photos widget.
To use iCloud Shared Photo Library, all members need to have iCloud Photos turned on; go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos, then turn on Sync this iPad. Then tap Shared Library to get started.
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