Apple Confirms FaceTime Video Calling Will Not Use Cellular Minutes
Silicon Alley Insider reports that Apple's FaceTime video calling feature coming on iPhone 4 will not tap into customers' allotments of cellular minutes. Although the feature operates only over Wi-Fi for the time being, a FaceTime session can be initiated from within a phone call, leaving some observers wondering whether the phone connection would be maintained in the background as a fallback in case the video call fails, but eating up cellular minutes while doing so.
"The voice call ends as soon as the FaceTime call connects," Apple tells us. "The FaceTime call is over Wi-Fi so does not use carrier minutes."
Apple CEO Steve Jobs noted during his introduction of iPhone 4 and FaceTime at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month that the company will be working with carriers to allow FaceTime over cellular networks but that it will remain Wi-Fi-only at least through the end of the year.
Once the feature does go live on cellular networks, today's report points out that Apple and service providers will have to determine whether FaceTime sessions are billed as minutes, data, or both, or even a completely new category of consumption.
Popular Stories
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking!
Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27.
During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14.
iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update.
Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries.
In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....
