How Much Data Does FaceTime Use

FaceTime is an app created by Apple that allows iOS and macOS device users to make calls within themselves. While FaceTime does not replace the regular calling with phones, it does serve as a very good alternative for apple devices users.

Apple FaceTime app works on both cellular data and Wi-Fi and therefore can be accessed from different apple devices like apple watch, iPod, iPhone, Mac Computers etc. Wherever you are, stationed or on the go, FaceTime is there for you.

Apple promised, at the launch of the FaceTime app in 2010, to make it available as an open-source project which can be used by other devices but continues to remain restricted to only Apple devices till date. So, if you’re using android devices, or windows OS, you can not run FaceTime. You can, however, make use of alternative apps to FaceTime on these unsupported devices.

FaceTime is a very popular app among apple users, and over 20 million calls get processed on the app daily. Initially, when the FaceTime app was launched, it supported only video calls. Over time, however, you can now make voice calls with your FaceTime app from any supported device.

How Much Data Does FaceTime Use- Video Calls

One aspect of the FaceTime app (and the most popular) is the video calling feature. This was the feature that was originally introduced with the app on iPhone 4 in 2010. At launch, the video calling feature uses the device’s front-facing camera to exchange visual views of the call parties.

This feature of the FaceTime app has continually been improved and updated, and of recent, there are different visual options that you can incorporate into your video call on the app. You can switch your camera from the front-facing to the rear-facing camera to show the person you are calling some things, you can also choose either a landscape video mode or a portrait mode. Anything that suits you!

Also, unlike when the app was restricted to only person-to-person calls, the recent version of the app from iOS 12.1 has incorporated a group call feature that accommodates over 30 users.

How Much Data Does FaceTime Use – Audio Calls

The audio call feature of the FaceTime app, unlike the video call feature that has been around since launch in 2010, did not get incorporated into the app until the release of iOS7 in 2013. It works just like the video calling feature with the only difference being that only your voice will be transmitted over the call with no video feed.

This would come in handy when you need to speak to someone urgently without wanting to use the video feature. It also consumes way fewer data.

System Requirements & Compatibility for FaceTime

Supported Version: iOS 4 and above

Supported Mac Software: Mac OS X 10.6.6 upward

Supported Devices: iPhone 4 and above, 4th generation iPod touch and above, iPad 2 and above, Mac computers with camera

FaceTime users do wonder if when they are using the app, it indeed uses cellular data or cellular call minutes. What you need to know is that the video calling app from Apple is supported on iPhone from iPhone upwards, and it uses cellular data.

It does not use your cellular minutes during a call. With Wi-Fi connectivity, you can use your FaceTime app to make calls as you like without worrying about your cellular data. And if you are worried, you can always deactivate cellular data usage for the app from your iPhone’s setting. If your cellular data is limited, this is highly advised.

Using FaceTime with cellular Data: How much Data does it use?

A Wi-Fi connection is always a good option for using video calling on FaceTime. However, there might be times where you’ll not be in the range of your WiFi, and you have to make a call on FaceTime. As long as you do not deactivate cellular option, once you’re out of your WiFi range, the FaceTime app automatically switches to using cellular data.

While the usage of your FaceTime app doesn’t use much data, you might still need to have an insight into the app’s data consumption to help you monitor your data and make better decisions.

Typically, FaceTime video call uses about 3MB of data per minute. This means for an hour of FaceTime call, you’ll make use of 180MB of cellular data. With this information in mind, you can choose to either make calls or not with or without a WiFi connection. If you are on a limited connection, you can use the audio call feature which uses less than 100MB hourly.

How Much Data Does FaceTime Use – Checking Data Usage

• To check how much of the cellular data you’ve used for different calls on the app, open the FaceTime app on your iPhone and view the FaceTime video history.
• Next to contacts that you’ve called, you’ll see an “I” icon, tap on it to read the minutes of the call and the amount of data usage
• To check the overall amount of your cellular that your FaceTime app uses is as simple as navigating to your phone’s settings,
• Tap on cellular
• From here, you can see the apps on your phone and their current level of data usage.
• Scroll down till you see the FaceTime option and click on it.
• You will get the overall amount of cellular data being consumed by the app.

From your settings tab, you can reset the data provided for the FaceTime app for you to be able to keep a fresh tab on the app’s data usage, and you can also activate or deactivate cellular data usage for the app.