FaceTime enables you to chat, video, and audio call with friends and family via the internet. However, if you are not well familiar with Apple devices, you may wonder whether FaceTime will work on WIFI.
So, will FaceTime work on WI-FI? Like other web-based calls, FaceTime can work on WIFI. This app will default to WI-FI as long as you have an active internet connection. However, this does not exempt its use of cellular data if you have it on. For this reason, you should turn off your cellular data to ensure you use your WI-FI for FaceTime calls. This will ensure a seamless connection, reducing your data use.
FaceTime comes installed on your iOS device, and you can use it on your iPad, iPhone, Mac, or iPod touch. Like other messaging applications, FaceTime is super convenient and easy to use. The best thing is that you do not even need a phone number to use it. Instead, you can use your Apple email address.
If your WIFI is on, FaceTime will work perfectly over it. This makes it a free-to-use app, just like WhatsApp and Messenger. However, if your cellular data is on, FaceTime can supplement its use.
Thus, the only way to ensure you use FaceTime on WIFI only is to turn off your cellular data. This is especially useful if you are on a limited data plan, as you will prevent FaceTime from automatically using your cellular data.
To stop your phone from using your cellular data for FaceTime calls, navigate to the settings app on your device and tap Cellular. Next, scroll through your apps until you find FaceTime and turn off the toggle beside it.
From here, every call you make will automatically use a WIFI connection. If you are not in the house and want to switch between WIFI and cellular data, you will repeat the above steps, turning on the cellular toggle this time.
How Much WIFI Does FaceTime Use?
You can call other users on FaceTime as long as you have WIFI, saving your cellular data. This does not mean that the calls are free, as you will use data over the internet. However, data usage comes at a negligible cost via WIFI since the internet plan is friendlier. Even then, this data usage will vary depending on your device and connection.
FaceTime will use 4 to 7Mbs per minute on an iPhone. This data is lower than what social media and games will take. However, if you plan to make a long FaceTime call, connecting to WIFI is ideal since, with longer calls, there is a higher cellular data usage. Also, depending on the strength of your connection, this data use will vary. For instance, if your connection is weak, the call quality will be lower, and so will data usage.
However, if you are connected via WIFI, you need not worry about the data costs. Restaurants and coffee shops nowadays give their customers access to free WIFI. If you cannot afford cellular data, this is an ideal way to save up, especially if you video call regularly.
Initially, you could only FaceTime with WIFI but since the iPhone 4 was invented, all preceding devices can FaceTime with cellular data. All you need is to confirm that your phone carrier has a good network across your country. A 3G, 4G, or 5G signal will be ideal in most cases requiring no WIFI backup.
If your area does not have WIFI coverage, the other option will be to invest in a good cellular data plan to avoid worrying about the limitations, especially if you FaceTime regularly. Mobile plans with more data are costly but are worth the cost, as they do not have extreme limitations. Such a plan will also save you if you frequently travel to areas where there is no WIFI connection.
While you expect your calls to be smooth as long as you have stable internet, this may not always be the case due to certain limitations. First, FaceTime support is not available in all regions and countries, and some carriers will not allow you to see this.
In such cases, you will not connect to a user in a country without support. Secondly, your FaceTime may also fail to function on your device due to an internet connection, in which case, you should call your Internet Service provider to confirm your router’s capabilities.
If you are on cellular data, ensure your neighborhood has good signal coverage. You should also enable FaceTime on your antimalware, firewall, and antivirus software, and check if the above issue persists.
While adjusting your internet settings, you should equally confirm that your camera and FaceTime apps have specified permissions and attend to these settings accordingly. Double-checking your email and phone number on FaceTime is also necessary, not forgetting the date and time settings. For your date and time settings, you can set them automatically to ensure it updates every time you restart or update your device.
Do I Need Bluetooth on for FaceTime?
Bluetooth connection offers convenience to users, as they do not have to hold on to the device they are using as long as it is within range for a sustained connection. This explains why Apple users love to connect their calls via Bluetooth instead of using built-in speakers and microphones.
Generally, you need Bluetooth on for FaceTime if you want convenience during FaceTime calls. If you connect to a Bluetooth set or wired headphones, your audio will go through these devices no matter the options. Thus, you can use a Bluetooth speaker to pick and listen to calls as long as you connect your Apple device to it.
When you are on a FaceTime call, your audio will route through the built-in speakers on your phone the same way your voice will route through the built-in microphone. Your iPhone features a call audio routing. This feature enables you to route your calls to a Bluetooth headset. This action allows you to go hands-free on your calls, and you can continue doing other activities.
Before routing your FaceTime calls, you should ensure your Bluetooth works properly on your phone. You will see the Bluetooth icon on your phone’s status bar when you enable it. Failure to see this means it is disabled or no device is paired with yours. To enable Bluetooth, navigate to the Settings, tap Bluetooth and on the next screen, turn Bluetooth on. Next, pair your iPhone with your Bluetooth headsets.
To pair your iPhone or iPad with your Bluetooth headsets, follow the instructions in the manual to put it in discovery mode. This could mean holding the power or Bluetooth button for up to five seconds until the lights blink, indicating a successful pairing.
On your Apple device, navigate to the settings, Bluetooth, and turn on Bluetooth. While here, select your headphones and follow any additional on-screen instructions and proceed to make or accept your FaceTime call.
If using Mac, follow the above instructions to turn on Bluetooth on your headsets and put it in discovery mode. Like in iPhones and iPads, you will press and hold down the power button for about five seconds.
On your Mac, navigate to the menu and tap on System Preferences. Next, select your headphones as the device you want to pair with and follow any additional information on your screen before making or accepting a FaceTime call.
With Bluetooth linking your iPhone to your headsets, you can route calls by navigating to the Settings tab, selecting Accessibility, then Touch. Next, tap on the Call Audio Routing to route your calls to your Bluetooth Headset and Set the Call Audio to Bluetooth. Selecting the Speaker option under call Audio Routing will route your calls to the speakerphone instead of your Bluetooth headsets.
While you expect Bluetooth to work fine after setting it as above, this may not always be the case, necessitating some troubleshooting to find out the real issue. If you have issues with your Bluetooth connection, you can test with another Bluetooth Speaker to see whether the same problem occurs.
The speaker you use should handle audio profiles, preferably the A2DP. You can refer to your manual or reach out to a manufacturer for this specification. If the problem persists, restart your Mac, iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. Next, reconnect your Bluetooth and if this is still impossible, reach out to a manufacturer or support for further assistance.
Does FaceTime Audio Use Data?
FaceTime offers a convenient way of communication, saving your minutes, especially if you do not have an unlimited calling plan. You can FaceTime on audio or video, depending on your internet plan. Read on to understand whether FaceTime audio uses data and how much.
FaceTime audio uses data just like the video call. However, the rate at which you will consume data in audio is lower. On average, five minutes of audio FaceTime will use 3MB of data. You can make FaceTime audio calls over cellular data or WIFI.
As stated earlier, the data you use for audio calls on FaceTime will be lower than that of video calls and will vary depending on your cellular network, device, and connection strength. It is also worth noting that FaceTime over 3G will use less data and will have a lower quality than over 4G or 5G. This is because of the differences in internet speed. A poor connection will consume lower data and give a poor quality connection than a good internet connection.
To check your data usage on FaceTime, navigate to the FaceTime app and press the information button or “I” icon adjacent to your call. This action will pop the call details on the screen. In addition to the call duration, you will also see how much data your call has used. These details will be in brackets, next to the call time.
However, you will be the one to identify whether this call was through WIFI or cellular data since FaceTime will not specify this. To isolate cellular from WIFI data, you can navigate to the Cellular page on your iOS and select FaceTime from the list to see how much data it has used. Another way to check your data use is by heading over to your recent tab on your app and looking for the FaceTime Audio indicator, which will display your data usage.
Knowing how much of your cellular data you use to connect to the internet is vital since FaceTime can be very expensive via cellular data, especially with video calls. Therefore, switching to the audio is ideal to avoid going past your data limit.
Also, you can check your overall data usage and compare it with FaceTime’s data usage to determine the percentage of data that FaceTime has consumed over a period. To check the overall data usage, navigate to the Settings app and open Cellular. In this section, you will see the total data you have used in the current period for all your apps. To see how much you have used on FaceTime, scroll to FaceTime and view the details below it.
Apple devices do not reset data usage statistics. This means that the data usage details you will see will reflect usage since you bought your phone. Therefore, if you want to start tracking your data usage as of this point, you can reset it. To reset, navigate to the settings app and open Cellular. Scroll to the bottom and tap on Reset Statistics.
Summary
Like other domestic calls, FaceTime will work well on WIFI as long as you have an active internet connection. However, if you do not have WIFI, it will default to your cellular data. WIFI is more convenient and affordable than cellular data, hence advisable, especially if you FaceTime regularly. Like the video, FaceTime audio also uses data but its consumption is lower, hence preferable, especially if you use cellular data.
FaceTime data use will vary depending on the strength of your connection, with weaker connections using low data and giving poor quality calls. Also, if you want to conveniently FaceTime as you do other things, you can do this via Bluetooth.
All you will do is turn on Bluetooth on your Apple device and set your call routing to Bluetooth. Finally, whether you use FaceTime via Bluetooth or WIFI connection, ensure that these connections give you a high-quality call for the best experience.
