Trying to use Facetime on Mac OS Catalina

[goodwill67]

Hello.

I am trying to start using Facetime but for some reason I cannot get it to work. I am using Catalina verison 10.15.7. I have googled repeatedly for tutorials and have followed the directions exactly. The problem is that when I sign in and then enter the phone number of the person I am trying to contact and then click on video absolutely nothing happens. I go to preferences to make sure the account is enable and it is. I do notice that in the tutorials I have found that my settings appear sparser by comparison. I also see in the preferences that the email at which I can be reached is grayed out making me think there is a problem there. Can anyone advise here?

 

[Rod]

There are a lot of things that might be causing your problem, it's hard to know where to start.

When you say, "The problem is that when I sign in and then enter the phone number" what do you mean sign in? When I open FaceTime on my MBP there is no signing in. It opens the camera and I see myself with a list on the left side of the people and numbers I regularly contact on FT.

What do you see when you launch FT on your computer? A screen shot would be good.

Are you signed into iCloud on the computer?

Are your personal contact details correct under your Apple ID? See; Apple ID

 

[Slydude]

Just out of curiosity, are you sure the person you are trying to contact has Facetime enabled/configured?

 

[goodwill67]

There are a lot of things that might be causing your problem, it's hard to know where to start.

When you say, "The problem is that when I sign in and then enter the phone number" what do you mean sign in? When I open FaceTime on my MBP there is no signing in. It opens the camera and I see myself with a list on the left side of the people and numbers I regularly contact on FT.

What do you see when you launch FT on your computer? A screen shot would be good.

Are you signed into iCloud on the computer?

Are your personal contact details correct under your Apple ID? See; Apple ID

 

[goodwill67]

Thank you for this response. I am not signed into ICloud. When I said "sign in" I should have clarified that it was when I signed in the first time. I have included a screen shot of both what I see when I open Facetime and what my Preferences look like. I tried to enter a phone number for someone who also has Facetime after which the green Audio and Video options appear at the bottom. I click on Video and nothing happens.

 

[IWT]

@goodwill67,

Firstly, I would strongly advise you to Edit your Preferences screenshot (or delete it) as it shows your Apple ID email address.

As to what's "missing": there should be a line "You can be reached for FaceTime at" with your phone number including the Country Code, and your iCloud email address.

Further down, underneath "Allow Live Photos etc", I have "Start new calls from - with your phone number again shown here.

Here are a couple of Apple articles which may help you:

Make and receive FaceTime video calls on Mac

In FaceTime on your Mac, make or receive a FaceTime video call.

support.apple.com

Use FaceTime on your iPhone – Apple Support (UK)

Make video or audio calls with FaceTime.

support.apple.com

Ian

 

[goodwill67]

Thank You. I will delete the screenshot. The articles you sent are the very things I have been doing. Nothing allows what's missing to appear. Thank you anyway.

 

[IWT]

I'm sorry to hear that.

You know that you need a phone number to use FaceTime. So, if you have FaceTime on your Mac (or on any device), you can use Contacts to identify a person, then choose FaceTime as the means.

I'm a bit in the dark about why you can't use FaceTime. Basically, you and the other person have to have FaceTime on their machines (Macs, iPhones, iPads - not Windows); each of you has to have a phone number associated with FaceTime because it's effectively a phone call via video.

And it's best if you both have WiFi, but not critical.

Let's try this: Open Contacts on your Mac. Choose a name. If that person has FaceTime, and you as well, you will see this:



Just Click (or tap on an iDevice) on FaceTime Video (third from left) as shown above and it will happen automatically.

If this is not there, either you or the other person has not got FaceTime turned on.

Ian

 

[goodwill67]

I'm sorry to hear that.

You know that you need a phone number to use FaceTime. So, if you have FaceTime on your Mac (or on any device), you can use Contacts to identify a person, then choose FaceTime as the means.

I'm a bit in the dark about why you can't use FaceTime. Basically, you and the other person have to have FaceTime on their machines (Macs, iPhones, iPads - not Windows); each of you has to have a phone number associated with FaceTime because it's effectively a phone call via video.

And it's best if you both have WiFi, but not critical.

Let's try this: Open Contacts on your Mac. Choose a name. If that person has FaceTime, and you as well, you will see this:

View attachment 34065

Just Click (or tap on an iDevice) on FaceTime Video (third from left) as shown above and it will happen automatically.

If this is not there, either you or the other person has not got FaceTime turned on.

Ian

Thanks, but I am now starting to see that I apparently do not have a good understanding of Facetime and its requirements and uses. This may come as a shock but I don't even have a single contact in Contacts! I have just never had any reason to. So I cannot try what you suggest. Yes, I am what you might call a dinosaur. I thought I would try to upgrade my Mac experience by trying to use Facetime but it is starting to seem like there is something missing somewhere that is not going to let me do so. What frustrates me is that all the tutorials I have read online about Facetime never mentioned anything about how to register a phone number or anything about Contacts. I do remember reading that it can be used with email. Also, I am using a Mac Mini and maybe Facetime is just not compatible with it. Still, I have read that it is supposed to work with a regular desktop Mac and not just the smaller devices. I am sure that if there was a thorough tutorial somewhere as to what works with what and exactly what has to be set up as far as phone numbers, email addresses, and Contacts that I would have not difficulty setting it up. But everything I find seems very incomplete. Maybe a desktop device is really not the best way to use Facetime. I am every familiar and fluent with Microsoft Teams because I use it at work. Same with Zoom. I have spent so much time reading and searching about how to use Facetime that at this point I am considering scrapping any further efforts with Facetime and downloading one of those. THANK YOU for your efforts at helping me. I appreciate that time you took to try and explain.

 

[IWT]

Oh please don't give up. We are here to help and we just need to try harder to assist you.

In my post #6, I gave you links to 2 Apple Articles; one for a Mac and one for iDevices like iPhone and iPad. By the way, the Mac Mini does support FaceTime. It's a Mac running a macOS, so works just like a Desktop Mac.

The fact that you don't use Contacts only means that instead of clicking on a person's name and then on FaceTime, you have to input their Phone number OR email address manually.

As your Mini has a macOS, treat it as a desktop and try this link again:

Make and receive FaceTime video calls on Mac

In FaceTime on your Mac, make or receive a FaceTime video call.

support.apple.com

Of course Zoom and Microsoft Teams work fine on a Mac - in fact I use them professionally more than I use FaceTime which I generally use for family/friends.

Give it another shot. I'm sure we can get you there

Ian

 

[goodwill67]

This is one of the tutorials I came across while searching. It says to enter the phone number and click either Audio or Video. When I do this nothing happens at all. I do know that the person uses FaceTime. They agreed to let me call them to test it. I also think I mentioned that my Preferences are incomplete and do not show the things I see in the Preferences in the tutorials I have found.

 

[MacInWin]

Thanks, but I am now starting to see that I apparently do not have a good understanding of Facetime and its requirements and uses. This may come as a shock but I don't even have a single contact in Contacts! I have just never had any reason to. So I cannot try what you suggest. Yes, I am what you might call a dinosaur. I thought I would try to upgrade my Mac experience by trying to use Facetime but it is starting to seem like there is something missing somewhere that is not going to let me do so. What frustrates me is that all the tutorials I have read online about Facetime never mentioned anything about how to register a phone number or anything about Contacts. I do remember reading that it can be used with email. Also, I am using a Mac Mini and maybe Facetime is just not compatible with it. Still, I have read that it is supposed to work with a regular desktop Mac and not just the smaller devices. I am sure that if there was a thorough tutorial somewhere as to what works with what and exactly what has to be set up as far as phone numbers, email addresses, and Contacts that I would have not difficulty setting it up. But everything I find seems very incomplete. Maybe a desktop device is really not the best way to use Facetime. I am every familiar and fluent with Microsoft Teams because I use it at work. Same with Zoom. I have spent so much time reading and searching about how to use Facetime that at this point I am considering scrapping any further efforts with Facetime and downloading one of those. THANK YOU for your efforts at helping me. I appreciate that time you took to try and explain.

FaceTime started as a phone app, to allow a caller to see the called person and vice versa. Not a conferencing tool like Zoom or Teams. To use it, therefore, you need an iPhone to make the call and connection. Just having a number endnote an associated phone won't get you the connection. If the other end has an AppleID and if that AppleID is associated with their system, I think you can FaceTime through iCloud, but I've never used that. And to make that work, the telephone number on the other end has to be associated with the iCloud account on that end as well. Here is another article from Apple on what to do if it's not working for you. If FaceTime isn't working on your Mac

 

[goodwill67]

Yes, I saw thiat article also. You say I need an iPhone to do this. Someone else says I can use it on my Mac. I certainly don't own an iPhone.

 

[MacInWin]

Yes, I saw thiat article also. You say I need an iPhone to do this. Someone else says I can use it on my Mac. I certainly don't own an iPhone.

Then I don't believe it will work at all. Everything I can find at Apple indicates it requires an iPhone telephone number associated with an Apple ID to make it work.

 

[goodwill67]

Thanks. Finally a straightforward answer. I will opt for Zoom instead.

 

[MacInWin]

I have Zoom and it works OK for one on one conferences. I don't think you can "call " on it but I suppose you could text and have the other end join in the conference. A bit awkward, but it would work.

 

[chscag]

Then I don't believe it will work at all. Everything I can find at Apple indicates it requires an iPhone telephone number associated with an Apple ID to make it work.

I've only used it iPhone to iPhone, however, I believe it does work with your Mac but you must have an Apple ID and iPhone number associated with it. And the party you call likewise has to have the same.

Next time I call my son in Georgia I'll give it a try from my iMac. My son also has an iMac and iPhone and he is of course listed in my contacts.

 

[MacInWin]

Charlie, it should work. I've done FT Mac to Mac, but it takes an iPhone on each end to make that work. Reading Apple's articles, it seems it will use WiFi if available, but still requires the iPhones.

 

[chscag]

Thanks Jake. I thought it was possible.

I should also mention that you can use WhatsApp to do video calling. That only requires the other party be using WhatsApp and has either an iPhone or Android (with built in camera of course) and is listed in your contacts.

 

[IWT]

I believe it does work with your Mac but you must have an Apple ID and iPhone number associated with it

Absolutely correct. I use my iMac regularly for FaceTime calls; but as you said, you do need an Apple ID and an iPhone number.

And I apologise to the OP, goodwill67. I knew you had an Apple ID because I saw it on your screenshot and suggested you remove the screenshot. I assumed you had an iPhone. My fault for not asking you if you did.

Ian