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Facetime Free with International Calls

J

jmmo20

macrumors 65816
Jun 15, 2006
1,164
102
Mliii said:
OK, your VERY FIRST FaceTime 'call' from your iPhone to any number starts as a cell call so the system can register your number and add it to the Apple servers. After that, all FaceTime 'calls' are free. SO instead of making your very first FaceTime call to someone overseas, call someone locally or sign up for one of the many free FaceTime services that are available online. That way, you aren't having to pay for an international cellphone call.
After your first call, it doesn't matter whether your subsequent calls are international. local or otherwise.
Click to expand...



No, you are wrong. Your first Facetime call doesn't need to be initiated by a normal carrier call.

Just go to Phone->Activate Facetime.

Wait for the Apple servers to authorise and register your phone number (which you can enter in the field above the activation switch), and there go you, facetime any of your contacts phone numbers of email addresses.
 
Mliii

Mliii

macrumors 65816
Jan 28, 2006
1,126
5
Southern California
jmmo20 said:
No, you are wrong. Your first Facetime call doesn't need to be initiated by a normal carrier call.

Just go to Phone->Activate Facetime.

Wait for the Apple servers to authorise and register your phone number (which you can enter in the field above the activation switch), and there go you, facetime any of your contacts phone numbers of email addresses.
Click to expand...

Then this is a new feature because when iPhone 4 was first released, you were required to initiate FaceTime via a call.
 
maturola

maturola

macrumors 68040
Oct 29, 2007
3,863
3
Atlanta, GA
Mliii said:
Then this is a new feature because when iPhone 4 was first released, you were required to initiate FaceTime via a call.
Click to expand...

Not true, you can initiate FT calls from Ip4 to iP4 since day 1, now you can do it from the Mac as well, not call was ever required.
 
Mliii

Mliii

macrumors 65816
Jan 28, 2006
1,126
5
Southern California
maturola said:
Not true, you can initiate FT calls from Ip4 to iP4 since day 1, now you can do it from the Mac as well, not call was ever required.
Click to expand...

Whatever.
I hurriedly looked for the original link that discussed this issue back in June but couldn't find it. I was at the WWDC in June and this was how it was explained at the time and also how I originally activated FaceTime.
As to OP's issue, once FaceTime is initiated HOWEVER it's initiated, your international FaceTime connections are free.
 
maturola

maturola

macrumors 68040
Oct 29, 2007
3,863
3
Atlanta, GA
Mliii said:
Whatever.
I hurriedly looked for the original link that discussed this issue back in June but couldn't find it. I was at the WWDC in June and this was how it was explained at the time and also how I originally activated FaceTime.
.
Click to expand...
You could do it from a phone call, and that is how they demo it, however the call is NOT necessary, you can initiate a FT call without a phone call.
 
C

conorjay

macrumors newbie
May 10, 2008
12
0
Got my iPhone 4G and FaceTime works soooo well. Successfully tested it with these situations and WiFi locations:

  • iPhone 4G (US WiFi)
  • iPhone 4G (South Korea WiFi)
  • iPod Touch iOS4 (South Korea WiFi)
  • FaceTime for Mac (US WiFi)
 
C

couto27

macrumors 6502
Nov 10, 2008
264
0
lisboa,portugal
haxoware said:
facetime do not use sms it use apple push service in 4.1 now you can use the email add to call ipods i call my wife in japan for the last 4m and no charge

and i have block sms on my family plan
Click to expand...

you are wrong , theres being a lot of fuzz in europe about facetime and sms charge to your phone bill with facetime activation.

Just search on google facetime charge international sms

some users havent activate facetime and have being charged a sms +tax

apple and att have a agreement that no sms will be charge , but looks like apple has forgot europe
 
I

IFRIT

macrumors 6502a
Oct 15, 2012
840
137
msalah009 said:
What can be the best way to avoid from expensive roaming charges while traveling to the different countries? Any Idea Please? I am traveling to several countries for business purpose but always face bitter experience of expensive bill while coming back to home country.....
Click to expand...

Buy local SIMs or buy a package deal from your telecom provider.
 
S

stevejobz

macrumors member
Jul 11, 2014
47
0
Briview said:
Hello... yes, it doesn't use any minutes. I emailed Steve Jobs about this just this morning because a few of my contacts live in the UK and I'm in the US, so I was also concerned about this.

His response was that "FaceTime works over WiFi and does not use cellular minutes. Both parties need to have WiFi coverage."
Click to expand...

I can confirm. He did email me this morning and that was my reply.
 
C

C DM

macrumors Sandy Bridge
Oct 17, 2011
51,391
19,458
msalah009 said:
What can be the best way to avoid from expensive roaming charges while traveling to the different countries? Any Idea Please? I am traveling to several countries for business purpose but always face bitter experience of expensive bill while coming back to home country.....
Click to expand...
Do you need to make calls and actually use the phone, or just use data and applications that use data? If just data and you generally will have WiFi access then you can enable airplane mode and then enable WiFi and just use that.
 
N

nebo1ss

macrumors 68030
Jun 2, 2010
2,903
1,695
kultschar said:
So is wifi always running in the background if your iPhone is on standby locked mode??


E.g. I use Skype a hell of a lot to call my folks in Europe, my dad has an iPhone also but he needs to be logged into Skype on his iPhone 3G and also wifi enabled and iPhone active (not locked). Standby kills skype and wifi

If we both had iPhone 4 and roaming around the house with out iphones in our pockets would we be able to receive facetime calls without setting up a time to both be logged in and iphones active
Click to expand...

This is inaccurate, I receive SKYPE calls perfectly when my phone is locked and in my pocket.
 
H

hpaul

macrumors newbie
Jul 11, 2014
1
0
msalah009 said:
What can be the best way to avoid from expensive roaming charges while traveling to the different countries? Any Idea Please? I am traveling to several countries for business purpose but always face bitter experience of expensive bill while coming back to home country.....
Click to expand...

To avoid from roaming charges, some roam free prepaid sim card can be used, I remember my friend Tom came to meet me in USA from France and he was using a sim card name xxsim and taking incoming calls free of cost & it worked fine while he stayed in USA & was not worried about the roaming charges.
 
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