To use Group FaceTime video calls, you need iOS 12.1.4 or later, or iPadOS on one of these devices: iPhone 6s or later, iPad Pro or later, iPad Air 2 or later, iPad mini 4 or later, iPad (5th generation) or later, or iPod touch (7th generation). Earlier models of iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch that support iOS 12.1.4 can join Group FaceTime calls as audio participants.
Jan 21, 2018 FaceTime is a great application for those people that always want to stay in touch with their friends and family via video chat, but the fact that the app is limited only to the iOS platforms is definitely a bad thing unfortunately, since the Android users for example can’t take advantage of the wonderful features that the app has to offer. On your Mac, open the FaceTime app and sign in with your Apple ID if you’re prompted to do so. Then search for contacts or manually enter new phone numbers or email addresses and simply click.
FaceTime isn't available in all countries or regions.
Start a Group FaceTime call from the FaceTime app
- Go to Settings > FaceTime, and make sure that FaceTime is on.
- Open FaceTime and tap the Add button in the top-right corner.
- Enter the name of your contacts, phone numbers, or emails.
- To start your FaceTime call, tap Audio or Video.
You can add up to 32 people to a Group FaceTime call.
Start a Group FaceTime call from the Messages app
In a group conversation in Messages, you can start Group FaceTime right from the group conversation. Follow these steps:
- Open Messages and start a group conversation. Or go to an existing group conversation.
- Tap the contacts at the top of the group conversation.
- Tap FaceTime , then start your call.
You can add up to 32 people to a Group FaceTime call.
Join a Group FaceTime call
There are a few ways to join a Group FaceTime call that someone else started:
- Tap the notification from the Notification Center or the Lock screen, then tap .
- To join a Group FaceTime call from Messages, tap the notification at the top of your screen or tap Join from the group conversation in Messages. After you tap Join, you're automatically connected.
- To join a call from the FaceTime app, just go to the active call in FaceTime, then tap .
From a notification
From a group message
Add a person to a Group FaceTime call
- From the call, tap the Add button .
- Tap Add Person.
- Enter the contact's name, phone number, or email.
- Tap Add Person to FaceTime.
When you add someone to your call, you can tap Ring next to their name so their device alerts them of the incoming call.
When someone is added to a Group FaceTime call, they can't be removed from the call. The person who was added to the call needs to end the Group FaceTime call.
Add camera effects to your Group FaceTime calls
If you have an iPhone X or later, or an iPad Pro 11-inch (1st and 2nd generation) or iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later), you can use Animoji and Memoji in your Group FaceTime calls. On devices without Face ID, you can use other camera effects, like filters, text, and shapes in your Group FaceTime calls.
To use an Animoji or Memoji:
- During a FaceTime call, tap .
- Tap , then pick your Animoji or Memoji.
To use other camera effects:
- During a FaceTime call, tap the Effects button .
- Tap Filters , Text , or Shapes , Memoji stickers, *, and Emoji stickers *.
You need an iPhone X or later, or an iPad Pro 11-inch (1st and 2nd generation) or iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) to use Animoji and Memoji. Not all filters and effects are supported on all devices. You need iOS 13 or iPadOS to use Memoji stickers and Emoji stickers.
Change FaceTime audio and video settings
You can change the audio and video settings in the FaceTime app at any time during a call. To change your settings, tap the screen, then swipe up to see more options or tap one of these options:
Tap Camera off to turn the camera off. Tap it again to turn it back on*.
Tap Flip to switch to the rear camera. Tap it again to switch back to the front-facing camera.
Tap Mute to turn off the sound. Tap Mute again to turn the sound back on.
Tap Speaker to switch between mute and the speaker.
If you don't see the Camera button , check to see if your device is compatible.
The tile of the person speaking gets larger automatically during a Group FaceTime call. To disable this, go to Settings > FaceTime. Under Automatic Prominence, turn off Speaking.
* To use Group FaceTime video calls, you need iOS 12.1.4 or later, or iPadOS on one of these devices: iPhone 6s or later, iPad Pro or later, iPad Air 2 or later, iPad mini 4 or later, iPad (5th generation) or later, or iPod touch (7th generation). Earlier models of iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch that support iOS 12.1.4 can join Group FaceTime calls as audio participants.
Do more with FaceTime
- If you have an iPhone X or later, you can use FaceTime with your custom Animoji and Memoji.
- Learn more about FaceTime on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- Learn more about FaceTime on your Mac.
Get help
If you see a triangle with an exclamation mark , it might mean the connection is slow or other users are streaming audio or video on the same network. You and your recipients need a strong cellular or Wi-Fi connection to use Group FaceTime. Over Wi-Fi, FaceTime requires a broadband connection.
Instant messaging is a great way to send a note to your family and friends, but if you’re looking for a more intimate means of communication using your Mac or other Apple devices, then nothing beats Apple’s premier messaging application, FaceTime. With FaceTime on Mac, you can hold a face-to-face conversation with your friends and loved ones even though they’re halfway around the world. All you need is your Mac and a reliable internet connection. If you’ve never used the app before, here’s everything you need to know to learn how to use FaceTime for the first time on your Mac.
What is FaceTime?
Before we go into the details of how to use FaceTime, let’s discuss a bit about this amazing application released by Apple. First of all, like many Apple-exclusive programs, FaceTime is designed to take full advantage of an Apple system, such as the Mac, iPad, and iPhone. As such, FaceTime is only available on these products.
FaceTime is Apple’s proprietary videotelephony application. In June of 2010, Apple released FaceTime in conjunction with the release of its iPhone 4. A couple of months after the release of FaceTime for the iPhone, Apple came up with a version for the iPod Touch. In October of the same year, Apple released the Mac OS X version of FaceTime, giving Mac users the ability to communicate with iPhone devices using this application. All Mac devices with Mac OS X Lion and onwards would have FaceTime included for free.
The success of FaceTime in the iPhone 4 and Mac led to the release of its version for the iPad 2 the following year. At that time, FaceTime was made available for Apple’s major products: the Mac, iPhone, iPod Touch, and the iPad.
As you might have noticed, Apple released specific versions of FaceTime for different products; it was not a one-size-fits-all approach. This was so that the application will be able to take full advantage of a particular Apple product’s technology, unlike other instant messaging applications that could run on different platforms but are not necessarily able to take advantage of the full technology of each platform.
To touch on a little bit technical aspect of FaceTime, this application was also designed to meet several videotelephony standards, such as the H.264 and AAC-ELD video and audio codecs, as well as IETF technologies for firewalls and encrypted media streams for VoIP. However, despite being able to meet those standards, the application was not designed for cross-platform use. As with everything Apple, FaceTime could only be used in-house.
Why Use FaceTime?
With so many different video-calling applications, such as Skype, Facebook Messenger, and Google Duo, why should you use FaceTime on Mac? Most applications of the same kind are also free and they’re definitely convenient to use. So, what are the main advantages of using FaceTime over other similar applications? Here are a few:
- FaceTime was designed for Apple products, which means that the applications fully integrates with the technology on that particular product. As a result, video and audio quality is noticeably better compared to other applications that can be used on multiple platforms.
- FaceTime also fully integrates with the contact list of the device, such as the contact list on your iPhone. This makes it easier to communicate with your contacts via multiple methods, such as a regular phone call, messaging, and video call.
- The FaceTime on MacBook app does not need to be running to receive a call. Unlike other video applications that need to be running in the background in order to receive a call, the FaceTime client does not need to be operational as the application is already integrated with the device. With fewer applications running in the background, the device saves on battery power.
So, if you’re using a Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, it certainly makes sense to use FaceTime to make video calls to your friends and contacts. Fortunately, doing so is actually much easier than it would seem, as we’ll discuss next.
How to Setup FaceTime on Your Mac
If you have a Mac with OS X Lion or onwards, then you’ll already have FaceTime pre-loaded on your device. There’s no need to search the App Store to download the app. However, you’ll need to initialize the application if you’re using it for the first time. Here’s what you should do:
- Open FaceTime.
- A prompt will ask for your Apple email address. Enter your address.
- A prompt will ask for your password. Enter your password.
- Click on Sign In. In some cases, the application may ask for further authentication. Simply enter your verification code to continue the sign in process.
- FaceTime will display a list of email addresses. Contacts on this list will be able to call you.
At this point, you have completed the setup. You are now ready to make and receive calls.
How to Make Video Calls Using Facetime
- Open FaceTime and view your contact list.
- Choose the type of call you wish to make: video or audio.
- You can call a contact using the contact’s email, number, or simply the contact name. Click on the contact to make a call. If you have a rather large contact list, type in the contact’s name in the search bar to retrieve the details faster.
- If you opted to initiate an audio call, simply click on the phone icon to start the call. If you chose a video call, you’ll need to click on the camera icon.
How to Add a Contact’s Email Address on Facetime
If you’ve come across a new contact and you would like to initiate a call in the future, you can add that contact’s email address directly to FaceTime. Here’s how to add a contact’s email address.
- Open FaceTime and select Preferences.
- Click on Add Email.
- Simply type in the new contact’s email address.
How to Change the Ringtone
Since you now have a number of devices that other people can call you on, you’ll need to make sure that you’re using a distinguishable ringtone for each device, so you’d know from which device you should receive the call. Here’s how to setup the FaceTime ringtone on your Mac.
- Open FaceTime on your Mac.
- Open Preferences.
- Choose Ringtone.
- Chose the type of ringtone you wish to use. There will be quite a number of choices. so make sure you choose one that’s different from your other Apple devices.
How to Change the Default App for Calls on Your Mac
If you’ve been using your Mac for a while now, you might have already downloaded several communication applications, such as Skype or Facebook Messenger. It is possible to setup FaceTime as your default application.
- Open FaceTime.
- Open Preferences.
- Choose Default for Calls on the drop-down menu.
- Choose the default application you wish to use. If you don’t want to set FaceTime as your default, you can select another application.
How to Receive Facetime Calls on Your Mac
If you communicate frequently, it’s best to leave the FaceTime application on and make sure that you’re signed in so you can receive calls anytime. To receive calls:
- When a call comes in, you’ll receive a notification on your screen. Review the notification to find out who is calling. If you already have the details in your contact list, all the other details will appear in the notification.
- Click on the Accept button if you want to receive the call.
- Click on the Red phone icon when you want to end the call.
How to Temporarily Stop Receiving Facetime Calls on Your Mac
It’s likely that you’ll not want to receive calls when you’re using your Mac, especially if you’re using it for work. If you do not want to receive calls, it’s easy to setup FaceTime to refuse calls temporarily.
- Open FaceTime.
- Open Preferences.
- Click on the sign out button.
Once you’ve signed out, other people will not be able to call you. Make sure that you sign back in when you’re able to receive calls.
How to Change the View on Your FaceTime Calls
Your Mac’s screen is much larger than the screen on your iPhone or iPad. As such, you’ll have much more leeway when it comes to choosing your views. Here’s how to change your views on your FaceTime calls.
- When you receive a call, click on the green circle on the top left-hand side of the screen. The image of the call will automatically get larger to the point of filling the screen.
- When you no longer wish to have a full-screen view, simply click on escape to return to the normal view.
- If the picture-in-picture window is blocking some information on the screen you wish to see, drag the window to another part of the screen.
- If you’re accessing other windows on your Mac but you want to make sure that the video call window is always on top, simply click on the video, then click on always on top.
How to Take a Photo of the FaceTime Call
There are times when you want to capture a moment when you’re on a FaceTime call. When this happens, click the white circle on the call. This means that you took a photo of that particular instant. However, you need to be aware that the other person on the call will be notified the moment that you took a photo. You might want to inform that person in advance that you’ll be taking a photo, just to avoid any misunderstandings.
Using FaceTime App to Call Your Other Devices
Facetime App Mac Database Tutorial
There might be situations wherein you would want to call your other devices, such as your iPhone or iPad using the same Apple ID. Fortunately, it is possible to call your other devices, even if you’re calling your own Apple ID. As long as you’ve added your iPhone on the contact list of your Mac, then it will be possible to make the call.
How to Make Sure that FaceTime Works All the Time
Once you’ve gotten used to using FaceTime on Mac to communicate with your friends, family, and all of your other contacts, it will come to a point that you’ll be relying heavily on FaceTime, especially since making calls over the internet is much cheaper than regular cellular-based calls. As such, you’ll want to make sure that your Mac is in perfect working order at all times. By using Tweakbit MacRepair to scan for errors and get rid of them with a simple click of a button, you’ll be able to ensure that your Mac is in tip-top shape at all times, so that you’ll be able to use FaceTime to send and receive calls whenever you need to.
Facetime App For Computer
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