Apple Saw Record Number of FaceTime Calls On Christmas - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Saw Record Number of FaceTime Calls On Christmas

As people stayed away from travel and celebrated the holidays from their homes this December, Apple saw the highest volume of FaceTime calls ever on Christmas.

macbook air facetime camera
Apple CEO Tim Cook shared the tidbit during today's earnings call covering the first fiscal quarter of 2021, but he did not give specific numbers on how many ‌FaceTime‌ calls were placed.

Online video communication services like ‌FaceTime‌ and Zoom have seen major growth over the course of the last year as people aim to stay in touch with loved ones, friends, and coworkers while social distancing.

Cook also said that Apple saw a record number of device activations during the last week of the quarter as people received Apple products as gifts, and there were new retail records driven by the performance of the online Apple Store.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

iphone duo facetime

iPhone Duo's Hidden FaceTime Camera Takes 'Trash' Photos

Wednesday October 21, 2026 11:36 am PDT by
The iPhone Duo's inner screen has an under-display front camera that's largely hidden from view. It's the first time we've seen an under-display camera on an iPhone, and it turns out there's a reason Apple hasn't used the technology before. Apple said the camera offers 1080p video recording, but didn't mention photo quality. Gizmodo said it's a 4-megapixel camera and described the photos as...
iphone duo facetime

Why Can't iPhone Duo Users Make Eye Contact on FaceTime?

Monday October 26, 2026 3:49 pm PDT by
FaceTime's Eye Contact setting is missing on the iPhone Duo, MacRumors can confirm. The setting was first flagged as absent by MacRumors forum member TwoBytes, who noticed their eyes looking "a little off" during a call. Introduced in iOS 14, Eye Contact uses machine learning to subtly adjust your eyes during a video call to make it seem like you're looking into the camera lens, even though ...
iOS 27 and FaceTime Feature

iOS 27.2 Expands Dual Capture to Group FaceTime

Monday October 26, 2026 12:46 pm PDT by
The iOS 27.2 update Apple released today allows the FaceTime Dual Capture feature to be used in Group FaceTime calls. Dual Capture is a feature that lets you stream FaceTime video content from the front and rear cameras at the same time. On a compatible device running iOS 27, flipping the camera while on a FaceTime call automatically turns on Dual Capture. Dual Capture is available on...

Top Rated Comments

Apple_Robert Avatar
75 months ago
How in the world is people sharing Christmas using FaceTime political?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dpcanon Avatar
75 months ago
I worked on Christmas Day(ICU nurse) and helped make a bunch of FaceTime and duo calls. With covid, we’re not allowing visitors so that was the only joy the the patients could have.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
75 months ago

Ignore my ignorance but how do they even know this? Privacy much?
Probably a simple counter:

begin
if start_of_day then set facetime_calls = 0;
set facetime_calls = facetime_calls +1;
end;
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
75 months ago
I don't mean to be pedantic but... shouldn't the headline be 'Apple saw record number of FaceTime calls at Christmas' or 'On Christmas Day'?

I'm ready to be told i'm wrong!

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
75 months ago

Considering we had to share Christmas with our sister over FaceTime because she was self-isolating, this doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.
We had to do the same. It is the first time that our family was not together for Christmas, and it felt terrible (and really odd).
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
75 months ago
Ignore my ignorance but how do they even know this? Privacy much?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
Early Apple Black Friday Deals on Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and More
Early Apple Black Friday Deals on Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and More
10 hours ago
'Backglow' Lets You Customize New MacBook Pro's Glowing Apple Logo
'Backglow' Lets You Customize New MacBook Pro's Glowing Apple Logo
10 hours ago
Top Stories: Apple Product Launches, iOS 27.3 Beta, and More
Top Stories: Apple Product Launches, iOS 27.3 Beta, and More
17 hours ago
More Fun iPhone Duo Apps: 30 New Picks to Try
More Fun iPhone Duo Apps: 30 New Picks to Try
1 day ago
Hands-On With Apple's New OLED Touchscreen MacBook Pro
Hands-On With Apple's New OLED Touchscreen MacBook Pro
1 day ago
Apple Store With All-New Design Opening Soon in Southern California
Apple Store With All-New Design Opening Soon in Southern California
1 day ago
Control the Glowing Apple Logo on Your New MacBook Pro
Control the Glowing Apple Logo on Your New MacBook Pro
1 day ago
Apple Shares New 'Apple Card: Apply and Use in Minutes' Ad
Apple Shares New 'Apple Card: Apply and Use in Minutes' Ad
2 days ago
Apple Says More Than 100,000 Apps Optimized for iPhone Duo, Here's What's Still Missing
Apple Says More Than 100,000 Apps Optimized for iPhone Duo, Here's What's Still Missing
2 days ago
Early Black Friday Deals Kickoff With Steep Discounts on Apple Watch Ultras and More
Early Black Friday Deals Kickoff With Steep Discounts on Apple Watch Ultras and More
2 days ago
The MacRumors Show: iOS 27.3 Looks Like a Huge Update
The MacRumors Show: iOS 27.3 Looks Like a Huge Update
2 days ago
Best Buy's Black Friday Event Begins With Sitewide Savings on Apple, TVs, More
Best Buy's Black Friday Event Begins With Sitewide Savings on Apple, TVs, More
2 days ago
Apple Releasing Yet Another Two New Products Next Week
Apple Releasing Yet Another Two New Products Next Week
2 days ago
MacBook Air Drops to Lowest Price in Months With Amazon's $250 Discount
MacBook Air Drops to Lowest Price in Months With Amazon's $250 Discount
2 days ago
Apple Rumored to Drop the iPhone's Action Button Next Year
Apple Rumored to Drop the iPhone's Action Button Next Year
2 days ago
Apple's Extended Return Policy Now in Effect for 2026 Holiday Season
Apple's Extended Return Policy Now in Effect for 2026 Holiday Season
2 days ago
Apple Music Classical Updated With New Icon and Refreshed Design
Apple Music Classical Updated With New Icon and Refreshed Design
2 days ago
OLED iPad Mini, M6 iMac, and New MacBook Pros Available From Today
OLED iPad Mini, M6 iMac, and New MacBook Pros Available From Today
2 days ago
Apple Surveys iPhone Duo Buyers About Crease and Camera
Apple Surveys iPhone Duo Buyers About Crease and Camera
2 days ago
Apple's First Touchscreen Mac is Now Arriving to Customers
Apple's First Touchscreen Mac is Now Arriving to Customers
2 days ago
Claude Gets Personal Finance Feature With Bank Account Linking
Claude Gets Personal Finance Feature With Bank Account Linking
2 days ago
Apple Arcade Adds Crossy Road Rush and NBA 2K27
Apple Arcade Adds Crossy Road Rush and NBA 2K27
2 days ago
Apple's New HomeView Smart Home Hub: Here's How Much RAM It Has
Apple's New HomeView Smart Home Hub: Here's How Much RAM It Has
2 days ago
iPad Mini vs. iPad Air Buyer's Guide: Now Just $50 Apart
iPad Mini vs. iPad Air Buyer's Guide: Now Just $50 Apart
2 days ago
First iOS 27.3 and macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Public Betas Now Available
First iOS 27.3 and macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Public Betas Now Available
3 days ago
Apple Announces a New Mac Sales Record
Apple Announces a New Mac Sales Record
3 days ago
Paid $200 for Logic Pro? Apple Says You Won't Get This New Feature
Paid $200 for Logic Pro? Apple Says You Won't Get This New Feature
3 days ago
Instagram's Edits Video Editor is Now Available on Mac
Instagram's Edits Video Editor is Now Available on Mac
3 days ago
Prevent Siri and Search From Accessing Specific iPhone Apps
Prevent Siri and Search From Accessing Specific iPhone Apps
3 days ago
Best Early Black Friday Deals on iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo
Best Early Black Friday Deals on iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo
3 days ago