We are all aware of how stringent Apple is about keeping its products—the iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch, and MacBook—exclusive to those features. Many people’s jaws dropped and their eyebrows were raised when Apple revealed they would be making Apple FaceTime available on Android.
If you have similar questions in your mind then you’re at the right place.
Here we have gathered every piece of information and answer you are looking for about using limitations, and features of Apple FaceTime on Android.
So without any further ado, let’s get into it!
Apple FaceTime On Android: How it Works?
As soon as you heard the news, you must have rushed to the Google Play Store and searched for Apple FaceTime. You must be very disappointed to see that there is no actual app for it yet.
We don’t think there will be an Apple FaceTime app on Google Play Store anytime soon. This is Apple’s way of saying that it may have opened its services to other platforms but still, they control everything.
If you have been left out of the FaceTime group calls, then you can be relieved because you can join audio and video FaceTime calls from your Android phone.
See, this is the catch.
Android users can not start a FaceTime call by themselves at all. They can only join the calls when invited by Apple users. Although it’s not much, it’s still better than being left out.
Here’s how Android users can join Apple FaceTime on Android calls:
- Whoever has an Apple device can start an audio or video FaceTime call. They have to invite the Android user through a link. The link can be sent through any instant messaging app easily.
- The Android user has to open the link in the browser. Once the page opens, the Android user will have to enter their name in the box and press continue.
- And there you go, just joined a FaceTime call on android.
It’s not complicated at all, and anyone can easily do it.
Although it is an outstanding feature, many people wonder what pushed Apple to do that. Well, there is an answer to that.
Why Did Apple Introduce FaceTime On Android?
Apple and Android have been the biggest competitors lately. Until now, Apple has kept many features exclusive to its devices. On the other hand, Google, which developed Android, has ported all of its applications to every platform including iOS.
What pushed the idea of Apple FaceTime on Android might have been called a mystery if the circumstances were different and we didn’t go through a world-changing pandemic.
One of the biggest and most unexpected technological things that bloomed during the pandemic was Zoom. People ditched Skype, Discord, FaceTime, and Google Meets just to switch to Zoom for various purposes, as it offered many features.
Apple’s reasoning behind enabling cross-platform usability for FaceTime is to take over Zoom. Although it might not seem like a big deal, Apple losing FaceTime users is a huge deal.
That is because we have seen and heard the hype of Apple FaceTime on Android until not too long ago. All Apple users were having encrypted video and audio calls. They are secure, handled by Apple’s security experts, and have exceptionally outstanding quality.
Apple is now claiming that the FaceTime calls between Apple & Android or Apple & Windows devices will be encrypted.
You Read It Right, FaceTime Is Coming To Windows As Well!
In all the hype about being able to use Apple FaceTime on Android, many of us overlooked that FaceTime will also be usable on Windows.
You can use FaceTime on any windows device; a Computer, Laptop, or your Microsoft Surface as well. This creates a great communication bridge among different platforms and will surely attract new users as well.
For instance, if you are getting connected to a seller on an online eCommerce platform, you can add FaceTime as a communication option as well. It’s fast, safe, and secure.
You Should Know About — The Limitations
There is something that we didn’t mention above. The communication bridge between different platforms will be created with iOS 15. It means that people who are on older devices that are out of the iOS 15 support list won’t be able to benefit from this feature.
The list of devices that will support iOS 15 is as follows:
- iPhone SE (First Generation)
- iPhone 6s
- iPhone 6s Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone X
- iPhone XR
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2020 Edition)
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 12 Mini
- iPhone SE (2022 Edition)
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 Mini
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
As you can see, all the devices older than the iPhone 6s, which includes iPhone 6/6 Plus, iPhone 5/5s/5C, and older devices won’t be getting the iOS 15 update. Hence, it is obvious that users with these devices won’t be able to use FaceTime as a cross-platform communication thing.
Anyhow, it’s still debatable as Apple might consider releasing the standalone FaceTime update for older devices, my fingers are crossed for that!
Wrapping Up!
So, are you looking forward to joining your friends on a web-browser-based FaceTime call using your Android device or would you invite your friends on Apple FaceTime on Android to chat with you?
With so many options available, this step by Apple seems a little late but as we have seen how Apple has come up with genius ideas in the past, we can keep our hopes up.
Let’s hope that it all works out smoothly and everyone has another safe and secure communication platform to connect for business or personal uses soon enough!
