Use FaceTime with your iPhone or iPad

You can use FaceTime over Wi-Fi¹ or over cellular on supported iOS or iPadOS devices.² FaceTime isn't available or might not appear on devices purchased in United Arab Emirates. Group FaceTime and FaceTime Audio are not available in China mainland on iPhone and iPad with cellular.

• Turn on FaceTime
• Make a FaceTime call
• Answer a FaceTime call with call waiting
• Hand off a FaceTime call to another device
• Create a link to a FaceTime call
• Share your screen
• Use SharePlay to watch and listen together
• Spatial Audio in FaceTime
• Filter background sounds
• Blur the background with Portrait mode
• Turn on Live Captions in a FaceTime call

Open the FaceTime app and sign in with your Apple ID. You can also do this from Settings > FaceTime. 

If you're using an iPhone, FaceTime automatically registers your phone number.

If you're using an iPhone or iPad, you can register your email address:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap FaceTime, then tap Use your Apple ID for FaceTime.
3. Sign in with your Apple ID.

To make a FaceTime call, you need the person's phone number or registered email address. There are a few ways to make a FaceTime call:

• In the FaceTime app, tap New FaceTime and type the person's phone number or email address. Tap the number or address, then tap the Audio button  or   FaceTime.
• If you have the person's phone number or email address saved in your Contacts,³ you can start typing their name and tap the name when it appears. Then tap the Audio button  or  FaceTime.
• You can also start a FaceTime video call from your iPhone during a phone call. Tap the FaceTime icon in the Phone app to switch to FaceTime.

Learn how to create and use a Memoji during your FaceTime video calls

When another call comes in—either a phone call or another FaceTime audio call—you can choose one of these options:

• End & Accept: End the current call and accept the incoming call.
• Hold & Accept: Accept the incoming call and put the current call on hold. 
• Decline: Decline the incoming call.

All devices must be using iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, or later

You can move FaceTime calls seamlessly from your iPhone to your Mac or iPad, and vice versa. When you hand off a call, your connected Bluetooth headset transitions to the new device simultaneously.

Learn how to hand off a FaceTime call to another device

With iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and later, you can create a link to a FaceTime call and send the link to others using Messages or Mail. They can use the link to join or initiate a call.

1. Open the FaceTime app and tap Create Link.
2. Tap Add Name, type a name for the meeting, then tap OK. This lets others know which call they're joining.
3. Select the person you want to send the link to, or send the link from Messages, Mail, or any other supported apps in the Share menu.

You can invite anyone to join a FaceTime call, even people who don't have an Apple device. They can join you in one-on-one and Group FaceTime calls from their browser. You can't create a FaceTime link with Windows or a non-Apple device, but you can join a FaceTime call if someone shares a link with you.

Learn more about using FaceTime on the web

Creating a link to a FaceTime call isn't supported on iPhone models purchased in China mainland. FaceTime links aren't supported in China mainland.

You can share your screen with others in a FaceTime call to look at photos, browse the web, or help each other out.

Learn how to share your screen in a FaceTime call

With SharePlay, you can watch video together, listen to music together, or work out together in a FaceTime call by sharing content through supported apps.

Spatial Audio in FaceTime makes it sound like your friends and family are in the room with you. Their voices are spread out and sound like they're coming from the direction in which each person is positioned on the screen, helping conversations flow more naturally.

Spatial Audio is supported on these devices: iPhone XR, iPhone XS models and later, iPad (8th generation) and later, all iPad Pro 11-inch models, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) and later, iPad Air (3rd generation) and later, and iPad mini (5th generation) and later.

When you want your voice to be heard clearly in a FaceTime call and other sounds to be blocked out, you can turn on Voice Isolation. Voice Isolation prioritizes your voice in a FaceTime call and blocks out the ambient noise.

1. During a FaceTime call, open Control Center, then tap Mic Mode.
2. Select Voice Isolation.

When you want your voice and all the sounds around you to be heard in a FaceTime call, you can turn on Wide Spectrum to leave ambient noises unfiltered.

1. During a FaceTime call, open Control Center, then tap Mic Mode.
2. Select Wide Spectrum.

Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum are supported on these devices: iPhone XR, iPhone XS models and later, iPad (8th generation) and later, all iPad Pro 11-inch models, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) and later, iPad Air (3rd generation) and later, and iPad mini (5th generation) and later.

With iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and later, you can turn on Portrait mode to automatically blur the background and put the visual focus on you, the same way Portrait mode does in the Camera app.

1. When you're on a FaceTime call, tap your picture-in-picture tile.
2. Tap the Portrait mode button  in the top left of your personal video tile.

To turn Portrait mode off, tap the Portrait mode button  again.

Portrait mode in FaceTime is supported on iPhone XS Max or later, iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad mini (5th generation), and iPad Pro (3rd generation) and later.

Note: Live Captions is currently in beta in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16.

While you're on a video call in the FaceTime app, you can turn on Live Captions (beta) to see the conversation transcribed on the screen. With speaker attribution, it's easier to follow along with the conversation.

Learn how to turn on Live Captions in a FaceTime call

• Learn more about FaceTime activation alerts.
• Learn what to do if you can't make or receive a FaceTime call.

1. You can use FaceTime on any of these devices on Wi-Fi: iPhone 4 or later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad 2 or later, iPad mini (all models), and iPod touch 4th generation or later (only iPod touch 5th generation or later support FaceTime audio calling).

2. With a cellular data plan, you can also use FaceTime without Wi-Fi on any of these devices: iPhone 4s or later, iPad Pro (all models), and iPad (3rd generation or later).

3. When you tap a person's contact information, FaceTime tries to connect using any FaceTime-enabled numbers or addresses that you have stored for that person. To avoid placing calls to unintended recipients, make sure that your contacts are accurate and don't contain old or unused information.