How To Do Group Facetime on Mac & iOS.
FaceTime is one of the best features available for Mac users, allowing you to make high quality video calls between users with just a few clicks. While other services also offer video calling, FaceTime is the default option for Mac users. Apple‘s stance on privacy also generates more enthusiasm for FaceTime among users than other options.
One of the lesser known features of FaceTime is the ability to make group FaceTime calls. FaceTime can support calls with up to 32 users, although it will only display 4-9 video tiles at a time.
The number of tiles displayed depends on your Mac model. The tiles that FaceTime shows during a hangout are tiles that show the most active participants – quieter speakers will be marked with an exclamation mark.
Want to learn how to use group FaceTime? While this is not the most intuitive process, you can learn how to do it in just a few steps.
Group FaceTime Call Requirements
macOS Mojave 10.14.3 or later can support up to 32 participants per call. All modern versions of iOS on iPad and iPhone can support this number of users, although only a few of them will be displayed on the screen at any given moment.
How to make group FaceTime calls from the FaceTime app
The FaceTime app makes it easy to set up a FaceTime call for multiple participants without calling each one individually.
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- Open FaceTime and click the plus sign to the right of the To field. You can scroll through the page until you find a user, or search by name.
- When you do, click on his phone number to add it to the “To” field. You can also enter numbers manually here. Each number you plan to call must be separated by a comma.
- Once you’ve entered everyone you want to call, simply tap Video in the lower-right corner of the screen to initiate a FaceTime call.
How to set up a Group FaceTime call from Messages
Another (easier!) Way to set up a group FaceTime call is to call the entire group from an existing chat in Messages.
At the top of the message box, you will see the names and / or phone numbers of all chat participants. Tap on either side of the names and a list of options appears below them: Audio, FaceTime, and Info. Tap FaceTime to instantly call everyone in the chat.
It’s really that simple. Since you will most likely be doing a group FaceTime call with friends and family, you will probably still have an existing group chat with them. If so, this method is easier than individually adding each person’s name to the FaceTime app.
How to add a person to a Group FaceTime call
If you have a group call and need to add someone to it, you can do that easily too. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and you’ll see a list of everyone involved. If you want to add someone to the call, click “Add person” and select him from the list of contacts or enter a number.
After you’ve entered a name or number, tap or click Add and they will join the conversation.
These methods work on both macOS and iOS. FaceTime is a great way to stay connected in a more intimate way than just a phone call (which is vital to do during quarantine), so why not take the time to set up a group FaceTime call with all your friends to keep you in the mood?
Have you ever made a FaceTime call? What experience have you had? Let us know in the comments below.
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