Apple’s ‘walled garden’ has prevented users from video calling their contacts on the Android platform. As you probably know, Facetime is exclusively available to Apple users only. However, the walled garden may finally be seeing some minor cracks. With iOS 15, Apple finally introduced a way to include Android and Windows users on Facetime calls. While it still takes an Apple device to create a call and there may not be a Facetime app for Android yet, the latter can still get on a Facetime video call. Here’s how you can carry out a video call between an iPhone and an Android smartphone using Facetime.
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How to Facetime from iPhone to Android
Step 1: Launch the Facetime app on your iPhone.
Step 2: Select ‘Create Link’.
Step 3: Tap on ‘Add name’ to create a name for the call.
Step 4: Choose the medium through you which you want to share the call link with your Android contacts. You can share the link over the text or through messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, Instagram, and more. You can also simply copy the link and paste it wherever necessary.
Step 5: Once the Android user receives the link, all they need to do is tap on it and they will be redirected to the Facetime waiting room on their web browser.
Step 6: Let the user(s) join the call once they are in the waiting room.
Once they are on a Facetime call, Android users can perform basic functions like mute/unmute, camera on/off, camera toggle, and fullscreen toggle. They can also view other participants in a grid layout. Android users can neither start a Facetime call nor can they add other users to an existing call.
Use a third-party app
Since the Facetime features for Android users are extremely limited, using a Facetime alternative is the better option. There are tons of options to choose from. WhatsApp is certainly the best option you can go for, given its popularity and excellent call quality. It is very likely that your Android contacts are already on WhatsApp. Once you’ve added them on WhatsApp, all you need to do is go to the conversation thread and tap the video camera icon at the top to start a video call.
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Conclusion
This is how you can carry out a Facetime video call between an iPhone and an Android smartphone. As mentioned earlier, there is no Facetime app for Android, so all call links will open up in a web browser on Android. Which app do you prefer to get on a video call? Let us know in the comments!
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