15 ways to fix FaceTime not working error

The article below has gathered all the best ways to fix FaceTime not working on your iPhone, iPad or Mac.

1. Check the camera and microphone on the device

If people can't see or hear you on FaceTime, there may be a problem with the camera or microphone on your device.

On your iPhone, the simplest way to test this is to open the Camera app and record a short video of yourself using the front camera. On a Mac, use the Photo Booth app for this.

Play back the video to find out if there are any problems with the audio or video you recorded. First, you need to fix your iPhone's camera problem if any.

2. Turn on the camera and microphone in FaceTime

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If people can't see or hear you on FaceTime, it might be because you accidentally turned off your camera or microphone for that call.

During a FaceTime call, show more controls by tapping the screen on iPhone/iPad or hovering over the FaceTime window on Mac. Click the Video and Microphone icons to turn the camera or microphone on and off during a call.

Similarly, if you can't see or hear the other person on FaceTime but they can see you, it's best to ask them to confirm whether they have video and mic turned on.

3. Check the Internet connection on the device

Unlike regular phone calls, FaceTime requires an Internet connection to work. If FaceTime doesn't connect, load the website on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to check your Internet connection.

FaceTime works best over WiFi but you can also use it with your cellular data on your iPhone or iPad. To use FaceTime without WiFi, go to Settings > Cellular (or Mobile Service ) and find FaceTime from the list. Toggle the FaceTime slider to allow it to use cellular data.

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4. Restart your iPhone, iPad or Mac

Restarting your device is one of the best troubleshooting tips for any app. When you restart your iPhone or reboot your Mac, you'll often find that software glitches have been resolved in the process. This is because the operating system is refreshed due to the device being powered off and on again.

It sounds simple, but don't skip this helpful step when FaceTime isn't working.

5. Find out if FaceTime is down for everyone

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Apple services sometimes experience technical problems, which means FaceTime won't connect or be available to anyone. When this happens, there's nothing you can do but wait for Apple to implement a solution.

See the current status of all Apple services on Apple's System Status page. If the status indicator next to FaceTime isn't green, it means the service is down and you'll have to wait.

6. Check if FaceTime works in your country

Unfortunately, FaceTime is not available worldwide. It's also not available with every network provider.

See Apple's carrier support page to find out if your carrier supports FaceTime in your country. If FaceTime isn't available where you live, you can bypass these restrictions by using a free VPN app for iPhone.

7. Make sure you use the correct contact information

On iPhone, you can check your own FaceTime contact details by going to Settings > FaceTime > You Can Be Reached By FaceTime At . Ask the person you're calling to do the same to ensure you have the right details for them.

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To check your details on your Mac, open the FaceTime app. From the menu bar, go to FaceTime > Settings . Your contact details will appear in the General tab .

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8. Confirm that the device works with Group FaceTime

You might not be able to get Group FaceTime chats to work if your device is too old. This can happen even if 1-1 FaceTime calls work fine.

To chat Group FaceTime, you need one of the following devices:

1. iPhone 6s and above
2. iPod touch (7th generation)
3. iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, iPad (5th generation) and later
4. Any Mac running macOS Mojave 10.14.3 or later

9. Limit the number of people in a Group FaceTime chat

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FaceTime lets you start a group chat with up to 32 people at once. But having so many people makes it difficult to know who is causing FaceTime problems. Try starting a live chat, then add people one by one to find out when the problem started.

If FaceTime won't connect to anyone at all, there's definitely a problem with your device or Internet connection. However, if FaceTime is not working for a particular person, the problem may lie on their end.

10. Update the software on the device

FaceTime may crash if you're not running the latest software on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Update your device to the latest operating system release to fix this issue. Also, make sure the person you're trying to call also updates their device.

On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > Software Update . On a Mac, go to System Settings > General > Software Update to check for newer versions.

11. Automatically set date and time

Apple recommends that you automatically set the date and time if FaceTime isn't working on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Most of us do this, but you should make sure it's enabled in your device's settings.

On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > Date & Time and make sure Set Automatically is turned on.

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On your Mac, go to System Settings > General > Date & Time . Turn on Set time and date automatically at the top. You may first need to click the lock and enter your Mac admin password to unlock the changes.

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12. Temporarily disable FaceTime in Settings

You can turn FaceTime off and on from the FaceTime settings menu on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. You may need to sign back in to your Apple ID account when you turn it back on.

On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > FaceTime and turn off FaceTime. Wait a moment then turn it back on.

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On your Mac, open the FaceTime app and go to FaceTime > Settings from the menu bar. Uncheck the Enable this account option to turn off FaceTime. Then click Turn On to turn it back on.

13. Sign out of FaceTime, then sign back in

If FaceTime still isn't working on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, sign out completely and then sign back in. You can reset your Apple ID password if you forget it.

On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > FaceTime . Tap your Apple ID email address in the Caller ID section and select Sign Out from the pop-up window that appears. Once signed out, tap Use your Apple ID for FaceTime and sign in with your Apple ID details.

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On your Mac, open the FaceTime app and go to FaceTime > Settings from the menu bar. Click Sign Out at the top of the window, then confirm you want to Sign Out . After signing out, enter your Apple ID details in the main FaceTime window to sign back in.

14. Disable content restrictions for FaceTime

If the FaceTime app won't open at all on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you might have screen time limits turned on. People often use these settings to prevent young children from accessing certain features on their device.

On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions . Go into Allowed Apps and make sure the toggle switch is on for both FaceTime and Camera.

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On your Mac, go to System Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy > App Restrictions . Make sure Camera and FaceTime are turned on.

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If prompted on either device, enter your Screen Time passcode, which is usually different from your device passcode.

15. Enable certain ports in the firewall

FaceTime may not work on your Mac if your computer's firewall blocks necessary connections. This can happen with third-party firewalls that are not configured to work with FaceTime. You can fix these problems without turning off the firewall by opening specific ports.

Check with the person who created your firewall to learn how to unblock specific ports. Then, check out Apple's firewall support page to see which ports you need to unblock for FaceTime.

Good luck!

Jessica Tanner

Update 20 December 2023