13 Best Solutions For FaceTime Not Working On iPhone (2022)
A popular iOS-only videotelephony application, FaceTime is a built-in application in all Apple products – iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and iPod Touch. It’s similar to Google Duo on Android and lets you communicate through video or audio calls with your people.
It’s proprietary software developed by Apple Inc. and was first released in 2010. Initially, it used to support only one-to-one calls, but after some time, it also started supporting group calls. Thus, you can now call multiple people at a time if physical interaction isn’t possible.
Despite being regularly updated to keep bugs and other issues at bay, you might face certain issues while using the app. Among all, FaceTime not working on iPhone occupies the top spot. And to know the reason why is FaceTime not working on the iPhone, the following details will be helpful.
But before everything, here’s a glimpse to use FaceTime on your iPhone. This might even solve the problem if you were using the app wrongly till now!
How to use FaceTime on an iPhone?
To use the FaceTime app on your iPhone, the following steps needed to be followed.
- Make sure you’re logged into your FaceTime app. If not, do that first
- Launch the app on your iPhone
- Tap on the New FaceTime option to start a new video or audio call
- If you’ve got the phone number of the other person in your phonebook, you can just enter the name in the input field to start the call. Alternatively, you can type the phone number or email address of that person
- For a group call, keep adding the names, emails, or numbers of all the desired participants
- To start a simple audio call, tap on the audio call
icon or select the FaceTime video call 
icon to begin a video call.
Just wait for the other person to answer your call and you’re good to go.
These are all the basic steps that need to start FaceTime on iPhone or other iOS products. But, in case, you are confused about how to mute yourself or turn off the camera, below are the steps that can help you out.
- First of all, start or receive a FaceTime.
- Tap on the microphone or camera icon on the floating toolbar on the call to turn on/off the audio or video during a FaceTime call.
Device requirements for FaceTime
The foremost thing you need for FaceTime is a good internet connection, preferably the Wi-Fi. Besides, you can use this app on several devices as listed initially. However, there are certain specific requirements to make the app work. These are:
- iOS Version: The iOS version must be iOS 4 or newer. The older versions don’t support FaceTime Audio or FaceTime Video.
- Macintosh (Mac): The Mac must have the latest OS X 10.66 version or any version released after that.
- iPod or iPad: If using iPod Touch, it’d be 4th generation or latest. For iPad, FaceTime is compatible with iPad 2 and newer.
You can also use FaceTime on two different devices, for example, between iPhone and Mac. In this case, both devices don’t need to be of the same versions.
So, that’s everything you need to make a FaceTime audio or video call to your loved ones. But what if the app doesn’t work? There can be plenty of reasons behind that. The next section has all the possible reasons along with its potential fixes.
13 Potential Fixes For FaceTime Not Working on iPhone
Following are the potential fixes for FaceTime not working on iPhone (or any iOS-enabled device.)
- Make sure FaceTime is enabled
- Check if FaceTime is down for all iOS users
- Restart your iPhone (or another device you’re using FaceTime on)
- Check the internet connection
- Inspect if FaceTime works in your country with your cell carrier
- Update your software
- Make sure you’re using the right contact details
- Sign out and sign in again to FaceTime
- Automatically set the date and time
- Test the camera and microphone of your device
- Check If Your Device Is Compatible with Group FaceTime
- Disable FaceTime Content Restrictions
- Disable the Firewall by opening certain ports
Let’s discuss each of these solutions in detail below.
1. Make sure FaceTime is enabled
For FaceTime to work on your device, you need to enable FaceTime. This can be easily done in the Settings of your device. You just need your official Apple ID to start using FaceTime.
2. Check if FaceTime itself is down for all iOS users
Sometimes, the Apple services are down for all iOS users. In such a case, no app will work on any of your Apple devices. Thus, there is nothing you can do at that moment to make the app work.
You can check this on the Apple System Status page anytime. This page or website tells you the current status of the various apps on Apple devices, including FaceTime. Check if Available is present next to FaceTime.
3. Restart your iPhone (or another device you’re using FaceTime on)
The first and the easiest thing you can try is to restart your iPhone or devices that you are using. Restarting the device works in most cases and is easier to do. To restart your iPhone, follow these steps.
- Long-press and hold the Volume Down button and the Side button simultaneously. You can also use the Volume Up button, however, it may accidentally take a screenshot which is its default action as well. This process is the same for the iPads
- Release the Volume Down and Side buttons simultaneously when the slide to power off option appears on the screen
- As the last step, move the slider from left to right to shut down your iPhone
- To restart your device, hold the Side button till the Apple logo appears on the screen and release it soon after
Your phone will restart. Try making a FaceTime call and see if the issue persists. If yes, try the next solution.
4. Check the internet connection
Unlike other normal calls that can be made even without the internet, FaceTime audio and video calls require the internet (in fact, the best internet) to work. That’s why a high-speed Wi-Fi connection is recommended for using FaceTime over cellular data.
If you’re unable to make a FaceTime, please check your internet connection. Besides this, you can also switch to the mobile data on your iPhone if the Wi-Fi network isn’t working. For this, turn on the FaceTime in Mobile Data option present in your device settings.
Check if the FaceTime not working on the iPhone problem solves or not. If not, try the next solution.
5. Inspect if FaceTime works in your country with your cell carrier
The next thing to check when FaceTime is not working on your iPhoneis whether the app is supported in your country or not. Like many other apps, FaceTime is also restricted to some countries. Therefore, you have to make sure that FaceTime works in your country along with checking if it is available with your cell carrier.
This can be checked on Apple’s carrier support page and search if your country and cell carrier are listed there. If yes, then there is no problem. But if not, then you need to use a VPN on your iPhone or switch to a compatible carrier.
6. Update your software
Using an older version of the iPhone or other devices might also be the reason why FaceTime is not working on your iPhone. Therefore, check for the updates and install if any.
Here are the quick steps to update your device to the latest iOS.
- Open the Settings
- Tap on General
- Select Software Update
- Check if any software update is available. If there is any update of the app available, tap on the Update option.
Tip: Enable automatic updates from the settings to get the available updates automatically installed.
Your device will now be updated to the latest iOS version and most probably solve the FaceTime not working on iPhone problem. If not, here’s another solid fix.
7. Make sure you’re using the right contact details
Another common situation when FaceTime doesn’t work on your device is when you or the other person is using the wrong contact details to make or answer the call. Therefore, make sure the contact details are correct before using the app.
To check your contact details, follow these steps.
- Launch the Settings
- Find the FaceTime option and tap on it
- Under the You can be reached by FaceTime at section, check your contact details and correct them if they are wrong
Ask the other person to do the same and solve the problem. If you’re using FaceTime on your Mac, open the app, go to Preferences, and check your details.
8. Sign out and sign in again to FaceTime
Sometimes, due to some glitches or technical issues, the FaceTime app might not work. For this, you can always try the signing out and signing in again option. This might solve the problem.
To sign out and sign in again to FaceTime, here are the quick steps.
- Launch the Settings of your iPhone
- Go to the FaceTime option
- Under the Caller ID option, you’ll find your Apple ID
- Tap on it and select Sign Out from the menu that appears
- To sign in, tap on the Use your Apple ID for FaceTime option
That’s how you sign out and sign in to FaceTime on iPhone and iPad. For Mac users, here are the steps.
- Launch the FaceTime app
- Go to Preferences
- On the top of the window, select the Sign Out option and click on Yes if prompted
- To sign in, use your Apple ID details
9. Automatically set the date and time
Just like other smartphones, Apple lets you set automatic date and time on your iPhone (and other devices) and that’s another solution for every FaceTime-related problem. To turn on the option, follow these steps.
- Launch the Settings of your iPhone
- Go to General
- Tap on the Date & Time option
- Under Date & Time, toggle the Set Automatically option ON by tapping on it
If you’re running FaceTime on Mac, follow these steps.
- Click on the System Preferences icon in the dock
- Go to the Date & Time option
- Navigate to the Set date and time automatically option, and tick the checkbox
Now, check if the FaceTime not working on the iPhone problem goes away or not. If not, the next solution should work.
10. Test the camera and microphone of your device
Sometimes, there can be problems with your camera or microphone due to which the person at the other end of the FaceTime call can’t hear or see you. The same issue can be at your side if you’re unable to hear or see the other caller. In your case, test your camera and microphone by shooting a quick video of yours and checking for any faults.
Ask the other caller to do the same. In case, there is an issue with either of them, you can visit the Official Apple Support website or check online how to resolve these issues.
11. Check If Your Device Is Compatible with Group FaceTime
If your one-on-one call works perfectly fine on FaceTime but not group calls, check if your device is suitable for group FaceTime calls or not.
This is because your device might be too old to support this feature. Therefore, the only thing you can do is to check if you’re running iOS 12.1.4 or later and using iPhone 6 or later models. In absence of any of it, group FaceTime won’t work.
12. Disable FaceTime Content Restrictions
To control your screen time, Apple lets you set up screen time for yourself on your iPhone. While it limits your screen time and prevents kids from accessing certain apps, this Screen Time restrictions feature also leads to FaceTime-related problems if you’ve enabled it for the same. In such a case, FaceTime will be missed out on your device completely.
To disable Screen Time restrictions, follow these steps.
- Launch the Settings of your iPhone
- Navigate to Screen Time
- Tap on the Content & Privacy Restrictions option
- Go to the Allowed Apps section and check if FaceTime is listed there. If yes, remove FaceTime from the list by tapping on the toggle next to it
Repeat the above steps for your iPad as well. For Mac users, here are the steps.
- Go to System Preferences
- Navigate to Screen Time
- On the sidebar, select Content & Privacy
- Go to the Apps tab and remove FaceTime from the list
- If the Camera is also present in the list, remove that as well
13. Disable the Firewall by opening certain ports
Third-party firewalls used by networks block access to FaceTime and result in the FaceTime not working on iPhones problem. You can undo this by disabling the Firewall by opening certain ports. Visit Apple’s Firewall support page to know which ports to open to let traffic pass through the firewall through these ports.
Conclusion
So, here you go. There should not be any confusion between the process and fixes that can solve the FaceTime not working on iPhone problem. It’s a very common issue and easy to solve as well without professional help in most cases. But after doing everything if you still cannot figure out the issue, then, you must contact Apple Support and discuss the issue.
Apart from FaceTime, there are other video telephony apps available on the market that might do just the work. So, you can try them as well if FaceTime is not working.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why does a person show up as unavailable on FaceTime?
There are several reasons why a person shows up as unavailable on FaceTime. Some of them are:
– When the recipient has not downloaded the app of his device
– When the recipient has turned the internet off of his device. Or if the device is set on Do Not Disturb mode
– If the recipient has disabled the permission on the device
– If the recipient is on another call and fails to answer your call more than thrice
In which countries is FaceTime unavailable?
Following are the countries where FaceTime is unavailable.
– Jordan
– Saudi Arabia
– Qatar
– United Arab Emirates
What are the best alternatives to FaceTime?
There are many alternatives to FaceTime. But the following are the best ones out of them.
– Facebook Messenger
– Glip by RingCentral
– Viber
– WhatsApp
– Google Duo
They can be used in several operating systems including Android and iOS.
Why does my iPhone keeps saying call failed on FaceTime?
If your iPhone keeps saying call failed on FaceTime, you may be using a poor internet connection.
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