Apple’s popular and flagship products such as iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers have the company’s proprietary video chat application, FaceTime, pre-installed in them. However, if you are an Android user wanting to use FaceTime to connect with your friends using Apple devices, there is a way to do so. This guide will provide comprehensive steps and guidance on how to achieve this.
Until now, Apple has not launched a version of the FaceTime app specifically designed for Android phones. Despite the company’s yet to cater to the Android market with a dedicated FaceTime app, there is still a workaround solution that allows Android users to use the video chat feature on their devices. Notably, this method is not just restricted to Android devices but also applies to Windows devices as well, broadening the scope of FaceTime’s usability.
The inception of this workaround became possible with the release of Apple’s iOS 15 operating system. Along with the unveiling of iOS 15, Apple introduced a remarkable feature called FaceTime links. This innovative feature grants the ability for users on non-Apple devices, like Android phones and Windows devices, to join a FaceTime call. This is made possible by using these unique FaceTime links that can be shared by the host of the call.
In summary, although Apple hasn’t yet released a FaceTime application for Android Phones, they have created a route for Android and Windows users to participate in FaceTime calls through the introduction of FaceTime links. These links were launched as part of the iOS 15 rollout, signifying Apple’s steps towards making its exclusive features more accessible to a wider range of technology users.
How do I use FaceTime with an Android Phone?
In order to make a FaceTime call with an Android device, you will need to connect to someone with an iPhone.
They will need to send you a link via email or via messages or more, there are a number of ways that they can share the link with you.
Once you have received the link, click it and you will then be taken to the FaceTime call, the person on the iPhone will then have to accept you to the call. Once this is done it will work like a normal FaceTime call with your Android device.
When you have joined the call you will have the normal controls that you would have if you were using an iPhone. You can mute your microphone, switch the camera from front to back and vice versa and also turn off the video. You can also choose to leave the call whenever you want.
How does an iPhone user invite an Android Phone to a FaceTime call?
As we mentioned above for an Android device to join FaceTime, you will need to be invited by an iPhone user.
They can do this by opening the FaceTime app on their iPhones and then selecting Create Link. The link for a new FaceTime call is now created and your friend can now send you the link.
The link can be sent to you in a number of ways, this includes email, text messages, WhatsApp, and many more ways.
For each new FaceTime call that someone with an Android device wants to have with an iPhone user, they will need to be sent a link.
All of the FaceTime calls are done in the web browser, so these calls can also be done on any device with a camera, this includes tablets, Windows PCs, and many more devices.
Unfortunately, Apple has not released a specific app for Android at the moment for FaceTime, we are hoping that this is something they may do sometime in the future. You can find out more details about how to use FaceTime on non-Apple devices over at Apple’s website.
We hope that you find this guide useful and this it will help you use FaceTime with your smartphone so that you can video chat with your friends who have iPhones. This guide was written based on the current version of Apple’s iOS software at the time of writing which is iOS 16.5.1. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.
Image Credit: Apple
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