How do I make use of Facetime w/family members out of the country w/o paying?

[MK25toLife]

I am in the US and have family members in Europe and Asia that have the iPhone 4, how do I make use of Facetime and not have to pay long distance fees?

 

[Jare]

Google.

Facetime is done over WiFi only, and therefor it is free for anyone, anywhere.

 

[MK25toLife]

Google.

Facetime is done over WiFi only, and therefor it is free for anyone, anywhere.

Ok, I was thrown off b/c I just got back from a trip in Asia and was using Airplane mode the whole time and had wi-fi and could not utilize Factime.

 

[Jare]

Ok, I was thrown off b/c I just got back from a trip in Asia and was using Airplane mode the whole time and had wi-fi and could not utilize Factime.

You can still use Facetime under Airplane Mode. Turn on Airplane mode, THEN turn on WiFi, which will keep you connected to your WiFi Network. From there, just call someone via Facetime and ta-da.

 

[iPhone1]

I've noticed that FaceTime may not work with Ad-Hoc wireless networks. Some airlines use this type of network and call it Wi-Fi. Also, if you use MyWi to broadcast a network, FaceTime will not work either.

 

[JediMeister]

To initiate a Facetime call with a family member who's abroad you should do it from their contact card in the Contacts application, rather than calling them normally and converting to a FaceTime call.

 

[eastercat]

IIRC, facetime does require sending a text message to that person.

 

[dyn]

That text message is only used to activate FaceTime. It only registers your phone number (if you have an iPhone; if you have an iPod Touch you have to register your e-mail address) on some Apple server so it can use it as a unique id to recognize you. The activation is a one time thing only (except when you disable FaceTime and enable it afterwards as well as restoring the iPhone; these actions will trigger a new activation).

The actual FaceTime call uses known protocols such as xmpp (better known as jabber) over a standard tcp/ip connection. To connect users FaceTime uses the phone number (in case of an iPhone) or the registered e-mail address (in case of an iPod Touch) so it knows which persons to connect.

 

[duliel]

regarding your question about facetime

I am in the US and have family members in Europe and Asia that have the iPhone 4, how do I make use of Facetime and not have to pay long distance fees?

Did you find a solution to your question? because I came to Asia and tried to use Facetime, but I could not use the Facetime somehow. I am connected to wifi, and disabled airplane mode but it didn't seem to work at all.