Facetime and talk minutes

[gianly1985]

I don't want to get back into this because it's way too much to think about BUT

The iPhone is the account. And your "buddy list" is anyone in Apple's servers who has an iPhone 4.

As I already explained you, this only works HALFWAY.

The first half is FINE. You buy an iPhone and activate it, in Apple Servers your iPhone (its SERIAL NUMBER and your itunes account) is marked as FT-capable. Fine.

Apple Servers hold a list of those FT-capable devices. (=Serial Numbers and itunes accounts of the owners). FINE. That's the buddy list. An alphabet soup buddy list. Not people, but serial number of iDevices.

But THEN WHAT?

How do people call you? How do their iPhones know how to match "mloffa the nice dude" from Lisa's Address Book with "Device XXXXYYYYAAABB" in apple servers?? If she taps "mloffa the nice dude" in her iphone address book, what is her iPhone supposed to do? Pick a random FT-capable device from the Apple Servers? You should give her some kind of CODE or ACCOUNT or ALIAS in advance. So she register it under your contact.

That's the problem.

 

[Revelation78]

As I already explained you, this only works HALFWAY.

The first half is FINE. You buy an iPhone and activate it, in Apple Servers your iPhone (its SERIAL NUMBER and your itunes account) is marked as FT-capable. Fine.

Apple Servers hold a list of those FT-capable devices. (=Serial Numbers and itunes accounts of the owners). FINE. That's the buddy list. An alphabet soup buddy list. Not people, but serial number of iDevices.

But THEN WHAT?

How do people call you? How do their iPhones know how to match "mloffa the nice dude" from Lisa's Address Book with "Device XXXXYYYYAAABB" in apple servers?? If she taps "mloffa the nice dude" in her iphone address book, what is her iPhone supposed to do? Pick a random FT-capable device from the Apple Servers? You should give her some kind of CODE or ACCOUNT or ALIAS in advance. So she register it under your contact.

That's the problem.

I agree, all we can do is wait and see.

 

[goobot]

As I already explained you, this only works HALFWAY.

The first half is FINE. You buy an iPhone and activate it, in Apple Servers your iPhone (its SERIAL NUMBER and your itunes account) is marked as FT-capable. Fine.

Apple Servers hold a list of those FT-capable devices. (=Serial Numbers and itunes accounts of the owners). FINE. That's the buddy list. An alphabet soup buddy list. Not people, but serial number of iDevices.

But THEN WHAT?

How do people call you? How do their iPhones know how to match "mloffa the nice dude" from Lisa's Address Book with "Device XXXXYYYYAAABB" in apple servers?? If she taps "mloffa the nice dude" in her iphone address book, what is her iPhone supposed to do? Pick a random FT-capable device from the Apple Servers? You should give her some kind of CODE or ACCOUNT or ALIAS in advance. So she register it under your contact.

That's the problem.

During the keynote it looked like after a few secs the phone relized it was talking to another iPhone 4 and gave the option. It prob sends out signals when the call is made to the calle and if the calle has an iPhone 4 too it will send back another message.

 

[angevil]

If you need to make a regular call first, it is very stupid. Are we supposed to be making expensive international calls just to begin video chat with friends that live in another country?

FaceTime needs to be implemented in Skype..

 

[microcolt]

Basically, the call is "suspended" whilst the video call occurs.

Just out of curiosity what if the call is still in progress while the FaceTime chat occurs, thus Apples plan to continue voice chat while minimizing the need for wasted bandwidth through WiFi allowing a smoother video chat?

Think of FaceTime maybe as another app running while your calling. (i.e. Playing a game while on the phone.)

 

[bapesta]

i have a very strong feeling that facetime works similar to how whatsapp does not require u username etc but just ur phone number. apple probably holds a central server of all facetime compatible phone numbers.

regarding ipods or ipad which could be supported... who knows... appleID?

 

[gianly1985]

regarding ipods or ipad which could be supported... who knows... appleID?

Except your friends don't know your appleID.

You should give it around and your friends should "type it in" in their address book.

Also, let's say I have 2 ipods touch. Both on wifi. Both FaceTime-capable. Both associated to my AppleID. If a friend of mine facetime me, which one will ring?

The unique identificative has to be linked to:
- the serial number of the particular iDevice

OR

- some kind of facetime account that you "type in" in your iDevice and you can be "online" only on one iDevice at a time.

 

[agjake01]

i have a very strong feeling that facetime works similar to how whatsapp does not require u username etc but just ur phone number. apple probably holds a central server of all facetime compatible phone numbers.

regarding ipods or ipad which could be supported... who knows... appleID?

After reading through this thread, I'm inclined to think the facetime service works on wifi without the need of a cellular signal. As far as handshakes, I agree, when you activate your iPhone 4, iTunes recognizes your phone as a facetime capable phone. This would explain how tens of millions of facetime capable devices would work down the road, all managed through iTunes.

As far as the "no setup required", that was only specified for the iPhone 4, not future devices. I agree that Apple's servers probably have a database of phone numbers associated with iPhone 4s coupled with the iTunes iPhone 4 user database, this would allow you to initate a call over wifi and have your contact sync with with your address book.

Also bear in mind, every iPhone 4 has a MAC address, so upon handshake, your iPhone 4 will know if the phone you're trying to call is facetime capable. I'd imagine you will get a pop up stating the phone you are trying to contact is not supported if the handshake fails.

 

[funkyc]

i have a very strong feeling that facetime works similar to how whatsapp does not require u username etc but just ur phone number. apple probably holds a central server of all facetime compatible phone numbers.

this.

i think it might work similar to this and what someone else said before.

when u activate ur new facetime capable device the first time u plug into itunes it'll be saved into apple's servers that mrX@gmail.com has 2 facetime capable devices, one iphone 4 with serial 123ga1b2c3d4 and an ipod touch with serial 234nbjkaskfh and whenever either of them connects onto a wifi signal it'll just trigger something on a server that then shows on your friends' iphone contact lists that u r facetime active at that time

just like the whatsapp list of ur contacts that tells u who has whatsapp and who doesn't...it doesn't matter what u've named ur friend on ur phone, it just knows

 

[tallyho]

FaceTime needs to be implemented in Skype..

Or alternatively, Skype just need to update their app to allow video chat over their own protocol using the iPhone's cameras (and to any other video-enabled Skype device). No need for "Facetime".

Anyone know if Apple has allowed developers access to the front facing camera? If so, where's the incentive to use Facetime when other systems already exist and have a large user-base?

 

[gianly1985]

just like the whatsapp list of ur contacts that tells u who has whatsapp and who doesn't...it doesn't matter what u've named ur friend on ur phone, it just knows

Except whatsapp is based on PHONE NUMBERS. Easy that way. It just searches for numbers in your address book. But YOU TYPED IN those numbers in your address book. Sometime in the past your friends gave you those number. YOU TYPED those IN. Otherwise your address book wouldn't know.

In the same way, if your friends don't TYPE IN your iDevice serial number in THEIR address book UNDER YOUR name, there's not a chance they will connect to your facetime capable iDevice.

But Steve said "there's nothing to type in" on stage.

 

[funkyc]

gianly: i'm not sure mate, we're all just speculating anyway. until it comes out none of us can know for sre

 

[Edot]

Works by Magic!

They weren't lying, it's magical, duh.

 

[gianly1985]

Here we are, right from the latest iLounge hands-on:

So, there's no "phone call handshaking" required.

And there must be some kind of FaceTimeID to give around to friends.

 

[TurboSC]

glad they're making it as simple to use as possible... but iPod touches with FaceTime would be an interesting twist... definitely would help move a lot of devices...

WE SHALL SEE!

 

[lnferno]

I believe to use facetime you have to use two iphones, which means two AT&T phones, which means no charges.

For now. Steve Jobs said in the WWDC that eventually it will be an open source protocol that other phones/carriers can leverage.

 

[jambobowron]

I asked an Apple Chat person on the store... she said Data... http://cl.ly/e232f9ae2c4ead2d4eb7

 

[farhaan7]

Ok, so this is the story. Do you know how blackberry have messenger pins? well im guessing iphone4 will have that but once you know your friends, you enter it once onto their contact and its saved. then you just click on facetime on their name and your off. but when you click facetime, your iphone will connect if they are on wi-fi at the time.
the wifi is not going to use your minutes or your data. in the uk here, our service provider has limited us to 500mb for anyone purchasing the iphone 4. but we have unlimited wi-fi so whenever we are connected thru wifi, itll be free.
when you are in a call and click facetime, it will end the call and go into facetime, sending audio AND video through the wi-fi network.

 

[gianly1985]

Ok, so this is the story. Do you know how blackberry have messenger pins? well im guessing iphone4 will have that but once you know your friends, you enter it once onto their contact and its saved. then you just click on facetime on their name and your off. but when you click facetime, your iphone will connect if they are on wi-fi at the time.

That's the missing link I've been hypothesizing about all the time.

A code or nickname to give around to people.

 

[Mliii]

If so, how can it be "zero setup required"?

OK, there is a device ID which the Facetime App reads. There is a unique identifier in each iPhone 4. When you initiate Facetime, your device contacts the other iPhone 4 device through the Facetime App and does a handshake and connects. No cell minutes are involved. There are no minutes used. You just need wifi. And from what I was told, this will work internationally.
I think a logical assumption is that other devices (not iPhone 4's) will also be enabled to perform the same function.

 

[gianly1985]

OK, there is a device ID which the Facetime App reads. There is a unique identifier in each iPhone 4. When you initiate Facetime, your device contacts the other iPhone 4 device through the Facetime App and does a handshake and connects. No cell minutes are involved. There are no minutes used. You just need wifi. And from what I was told, this will work internationally.
I think a logical assumption is that other devices (not iPhone 4's) will also be enabled to perform the same function.

Again, how?

1) First you must email your friend and ask "hey pal, give me your device ID."

2) Then he sends you the device ID in a mail/sms and you copy/paste the device ID into your friend's conctact item in your iphone Address Book

3) and then, finally, after having typed 1 email (asking for the ID) and 1 device ID (Steve: "nothing to type in".....yeah), you're ready to initiate the FaceTime call pushing the Facetime button as showed here:

http://img.skitch.com/20100611-j7k9ca8fxkyunaqbj7pq1hgwrs.jpg

3 steps.

Repeat for every friend.

Definitely it's not "zero setup".

Why do people keep not considering that your address book won't magically know your friends' Device IDs.

 

[iPhone Addict]

Am I missing something or would FaceTime not be very useful on the iPod Touch or iPad since they don't have front facing cameras....

 

[gianly1985]

Am I missing something or would FaceTime not be very useful on the iPod Touch or iPad since they don't have front facing cameras....

- iPod Touch ----> wait to see iPod Touch 4G in September 2010. Apple promised TENS of millions of facetime devices for 2010.

- iPad ----> people would look at your nostril hair, goofy/heavy to hold and videocall with, I think it will not have a camera for a while, but I might be wrong

 

[diamond.g]

Here we are, right from the latest iLounge hands-on:

So, there's no "phone call handshaking" required.

And there must be some kind of FaceTimeID to give around to friends.

I actually think that the Phone type also has some say in if the facetime button shows up. Notice it says iPhone 4 instead of just iPhone (Or any other kind of line).

 

[andybno1]

Why do people keep not considering that your address book won't magically know your friends' Device IDs.

according to this video you can call someone and then initiate facetime without device ID http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TNSeGZEL-4 which begs the question does that cancel any minutes charges?