How to Make a FaceTime Call
Using FaceTime on your iOS device is easy. Just launch the FaceTime app (it’s green like the one for your normal phone) and choose a contact to call. You can also select a recipient from Contacts and then select FaceTime, or tap the camera or phone icon to start a video or audio call. There are several reasons FaceTime might not be working when you try it, but the first thing you should check if it doesn’t work is that it’s actually enabled in Settings. Go to Settings > FaceTime and make sure the feature is turned on.
How Does Facetime Work?
Apple’s FaceTime app works on Wi-Fi, so one major benefit it has over your regular Phone app is that it can make free internet-based calls anywhere you have a Wi-Fi connection. You can use FaceTime from home, a hotel, restaurants, or any Wi-Fi hotspot without the need for quality mobile service. Plus, since Wi-Fi is supported, it works on not only iPhone but also iPod touch, iPad, and Mac. However, FaceTime also runs on cellular networks, so you can use it away from home, too, via your device’s mobile data plan.
Basics: FaceTime Video Calls
One side of FaceTime is the video calling feature. Introduced with the iPhone 4 in 2010, FaceTime Video uses the device’s front-facing camera to show the caller to the receiver, and vice versa. FaceTime calls can be made between any two FaceTime-compatible devices, such as from iPhone 8 to iPhone X, from Mac to iPhone, or from iPad to iPod touch — the devices don’t need to be the same model or type. For many years, FaceTime only supported direct, person-to-person video calls, but as of iOS 12.1, you can make group calls with FaceTime.
Basics: FaceTime Audio Calls
While FaceTime Video has been around since 2010, it wasn’t until 2013 with iOS 7 that Apple released FaceTime Audio. Very similar to the video feature, this one is simply audio-only, so only your voice is transmitted in the call. FaceTime Audio is particularly useful for people who don’t have unlimited calling plans because it uses data instead of minutes, meaning that as long as you have the data to support it, you can make “free” FaceTime calls to any other user of an Apple device. However, FaceTime audio calls do use data, so if you have a limited data plan, you might opt out of using FaceTime Audio too often.
FaceTime System Requirements
iOS Version: iOS 4 or newer Mac Software: Mac OS X 10.6.6 or newer with the FaceTime app (it’s included free with most installations) Device: iPhone 4 and newer, 4th generation iPod touch and newer, iPad 2 and newer, Mac with camera
FaceTime Compatibility
FaceTime runs on both Wi-Fi and cellular networks. When originally released, it only worked over Wi-Fi because phone companies were concerned that video calls would consume too much bandwidth, resulting in slow network performance and high data usage bills. With the introduction of iOS 6 in 2012, that restriction lifted, and people could make calls over Wi-Fi or cellular networks. At its introduction in June 2010, FaceTime only worked on iOS 4 running on the iPhone 4. Support for the iPod touch was added in the fall of 2010, Mac in February 2010, and iPad in March 2011 (starting with iPad 2).
How to Use SharePlay
If you’re running iOS/iPadOS 15 or macOS Monterey (12.1) or later, you can do even more with FaceTime via SharePlay. This feature lets you do even more during calls, including:
Listening to tracks from Apple Music.Watching movies and shows through a compatible streaming app.Sharing your screen.
Media you’re watching together with SharePlay will sync up, and you’ll get shared controls that anyone can use to pause, skip, rewind, or fast-forward. Everyone on the call can also add songs to an Apple Music playlist. Compatible video streaming apps include Apple TV, Paramount+, HBO Max, and Hulu. In iOS/iPadOS 15.4 and later, you can start SharePlay sessions directly from these apps without starting a FaceTime call first.
