FaceTime is Apple’s free built-in app for video and voice calls, the green icon with a white camera on it. It’s already on your iPhone, so there’s nothing to download. As long as the person you’re calling has an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can call them for free over Wi-Fi wherever they are in the world.

Note: FaceTime only works between Apple devices. For calls to someone with an Android phone, you’d need WhatsApp instead.

How to start a FaceTime call from the Phone app

The quickest way to FaceTime someone is straight from their contact:

Open the Phone app (the green icon with a white telephone).
Tap Contacts at the bottom of the screen.
Find the person you want to call and tap their name.
Scroll down a little and you’ll see a green FaceTime button. Tap it.
Choose Video for a video call, or Audio for a voice-only call.

Their phone will ring just like a normal call. When they answer, you’ll be connected.

How to start a call from the FaceTime app directly

You can also open FaceTime itself and call from there:

Open the FaceTime app.
Tap the green + button in the top right corner.
Start typing the name of the person you want to call. Their name will appear as you type if they’re saved in your contacts.
Tap their name to select it.
Tap Video or Audio to start the call.

If you’ve spoken to someone on FaceTime before, their name will already appear in the list on the home screen, just tap the camera icon next to their name to call them again.

During a call: useful things to know

Once you’re connected, tap the screen to bring up a row of buttons:

Mute (microphone icon): silences your end so the other person can’t hear you. Tap again to unmute.
Flip camera (two arrows in a circle): switches between your front camera (your face) and the back camera (what’s in front of you).
Switch to audio-only (camera icon with a line through it): turns off your video if you’d prefer a voice call.

Don’t worry about pressing the wrong thing, everything can be undone with another tap.

Ending the call

When you’re ready to finish, tap the red circle button at the bottom of the screen. The call will end immediately.

Troubleshooting

“FaceTime Unavailable”: Your internet connection isn’t working. Check you’re on Wi-Fi or have mobile data, and try moving closer to your router.

The other person can’t see you: Check nothing is covering the camera, a finger or phone case resting across the small lens at the top is a common culprit.

The other person can’t hear you: You’re probably muted. Look for the microphone icon with a line through it and tap it once to unmute.

A useful tip: no phone charges

FaceTime uses your internet connection, not your calling minutes. That means calls to family abroad are completely free over Wi-Fi, no international charges, no surprises on your bill.

If you’d like to practise making a FaceTime call with someone patient at the other end, that’s something we can help with in one of our one-to-one sessions across Hebden Bridge and the Calder Valley. Get in touch and we’ll arrange it.

How to Make a FaceTime Call on Your iPhone