According to The Verge, several customers have found themselves in humiliating circumstances after updating their Apple devices to the latest versions of their respective operating systems. This embarrassment was primarily triggered by the new FaceTime features.
With iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma, users can use their hands to perform motions such as thumbs up, thumbs down, or hearts to display 3D emojis on the screen during a video conference. Other gestures can cause balloons, confetti, or even explosions to appear behind the user. Of course, these effects are intended to be entertaining, but they may not be appropriate in some more serious settings.
In a Mastodon post, Matt Haughey mentioned that his friend saw fireworks during his therapy session when he did a thumbs-up with both hands while recalling one of his traumas. SimplePractice, a telemedicine platform, has warned its customers about FaceTime’s new 3D reactions, which work with third-party apps as well.
“It’s so bad that online therapy sessions now start with a warning dialogue,” Haughey went on to say. Although such reactions can be disabled, they are enabled by default, thus some users are unaware of them. Personally, I was on a FaceTime chat recently when it mistook my hands resting on my face for a thumbs up, causing the app to display a massive 3D emoji on the screen.