You Can Join FaceTime Calls on an Xbox but Not an Apple TV

[MacRumors]

A Redditor has highlighted that it is possible to join FaceTime calls from their TV using an Xbox, a feature that is not possible on the Apple TV.

In a post on Reddit, user u/JavonTEvans explained how they are able to make FaceTime calls on their TV using an Xbox. The simple setup involves using a Logitech C930 webcam connected to an Xbox Series S. To join a FaceTime call, they simply open Microsoft Edge on the Xbox, navigate to their email provider, and open an email with a FaceTime link.

u/JavonTEvans's FaceTime TV setup​

The setup is theoretically possible from any device with Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge installed thanks to FaceTime links. Apple introduced FaceTime links with iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey last year, providing a way for users of non-Apple devices such as Android smartphones and Windows PCs to join FaceTime calls easily, with no need for a dedicated app.

• How to FaceTime a Windows PC User From Mac
• iOS 15: How to FaceTime Android Users

Since Apple TVs do not have a FaceTime app, additional ports to connect a camera, or a browser to open FaceTime links, Apple's own TV device is completely unable to make FaceTime calls. The only option available to Apple TV users is to AirPlay a FaceTime call from another device, but the video feed will still be streamed from the host device's camera.

After discontinuing the HomePod in March 2021, multiple reports claimed that Apple was working on a combined Apple TV and HomePod device that could feature a camera to support FaceTime calls. This appears to be supported by the Apple adding the FaceTime and iMessage frameworks, as well as AVFCapture for capturing images, to the underlying software that runs on the HomePod, in a move that could accommodate a future ‌combined device.

Article Link: You Can Join FaceTime Calls on an Xbox but Not an Apple TV

 

[imnotthewalrus]

Well, that is embarrassing!

 

[kc9hzn]

I mean, this is kind of a non-story. It’s a well-known fact that tvOS and the Apple TV don’t have a camera and don’t have a user accessible web browser to be able to connect with FaceTime video links. Or a FaceTime app or iMessages.

So the whole thing is a bit of a non-starter.

 

[Zachari]

Not surprising. I’ve been increasingly unhappy with Apple. Problem is, I dislike it’s competition even more.

 

[AngerDanger]

Here's an alt article image if you need it @Hartley ??

 

[George Dawes]

Not yet , wait for the inevitable software update

Although I’ve heard rumours the new Apple TV may have a built in FaceTime camera ..and sound bar

 

[SSD-GUY]

When the product manager prioritises the wrong story

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Here's an alt article image if you need it @Hartley 👍👍

View attachment 1941931

Hahaha! Where is the love for Play Station 5?

 

[heov]

I mean, you can't make any video call on Apple TV, right?

Also, do people even use Facetime links? Like if you're trying to reach someone not on an iPhone, why wouldn't you just use a different platform?

I'd feel like a complete dick if I sent an android friend a FT link instead of using any other cross platform video caller (duo, WhatsApp, messenger/insta, etc.). Certainly you're not using it for work.

 

[RoboCop001]

Hahaha! Where is the love for Play Station 5?

That thing is a myth! I've never seen one in person ?

 

[orbital~debris]

Timing sets up an official solution.

Bring on the living room FaceTime device, Apple!

 

[BootsWalking]

The conclusion is obvious - it's time for Apple to release a gaming console ?

 

[sw1tcher]

Well, duh!. It's a closed locked-down ecosystem from a company that prevents people from tinkering...

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

The conclusion is obvious - it's time for Apple to release a gaming console 🤪

This is what we need. Consumers can also play Apple Arcade, as well.

 

[kc9hzn]

That thing is a myth! I've never seen one in person ?

I mean, I’ve seen one IRL, and I’ve never seen an Xbox Series X!

But they’re both basically PCs. They both have USB ports, they both are running OSes derived from desktop (well, perhaps server, in the case of Sony’s use of FreeBSD Unix), and both have x86 chips powering them. For that matter, both are still pursuing media center PC functionality in addition to gaming functionality. It’s really the difference between Coke and Pepsi at this point, and it just boils down to whether you prefer the flavor of Microsoft or Sony. Since they’re so PC-like, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that you can do FaceTime on the web using them.

 

[ios-dan]

Am I missing something? There's no camera on an AppleTV.

 

[jrhop]

Downside is you still need the host to be present in the meeting, so you can't just join a FaceTime link without the host.

 

[ThisBougieLife]

While FaceTime on a TV seems like a fairly niche thing, the Apple TV does seem to be in an awkward spot right now, given that it’s $180 for something a much cheaper Roku or Amazon stick or built-in SmartTV apps can do (or a gaming console which has the benefit of games). I think there’s room for innovation with the Apple TV and HomePod. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.

 

[CalMin]

I have an Xbox and can’t imagine ever wanting to use it for FaceTime. Or my AppleTV. Is this a genuine use case or a novelty?

 

[yabeweb]

I mean, this is kind of a non-story. It’s a well-known fact that tvOS and the Apple TV don’t have a camera and don’t have a user accessible web browser to be able to connect with FaceTime video links. Or a FaceTime app or iMessages.

So the whole thing is a bit of a non-starter.

Am I missing something? There's no camera on an AppleTV.

Xbox X / S (pictured above) do not have a camera....

 

[Nabby]

Here's an alt article image if you need it @Hartley ??

View attachment 1941931

I always enjoy your images, but this one really made me actually LOL in my office. Great work!

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Has anyone tried this on a Tesla yet? The browser is Chrome based, and there is a driver facing camera.

I remember I tried joining a Skype video call in the car one time... it let me share any of the 8 external cameras on the car, but not the internal camera. That was 3 years ago, before Tesla activated the internal camera. Maybe you can use that camera in web-apps now.

 

[diamornte]

FaceTime on Apple TV is long overdue. Why hasn’t this been made a thing already? We are deep in the future now.

 

[kc9hzn]

This is what we need. Consumers can also play Apple Arcade, as well.

View attachment 1941949

In reality, there’s far more in common with the Pippin and the Xbox Series X and PS5 than you’d think.

The Pippin was more or less a low cost Mac focused on gaming and multimedia as a cheap appliance computer. (Think multimedia CD-ROM, QuickTime, basic Internet. The notorious Philips CD-i, the 3DO, and the various Amiga based game consoles like the CDTV and CD32 were the same idea applied to other architectures.) It ran a version of MacOS Classic on a then current gen PowerPC chip (a 603 chip, to be precise) and used cost-optimized hardware derived from the Macintosh. The primary difference between the Pippin (as well as the 3DO and CD-i) and the current consoles from Sony and Microsoft (as well as the two Commodore machines I mentioned) is that the Pippin was also a cloning experiment, much like the Mac clones from the same pre-SJ era. Microsoft and Sony (or their manufacturing partners) exclusively make their respective consoles (as did Commodore) while the Pippin, 3DO, and CD-i were intended to be open standards (well, perhaps subject to licensing, patent fees, but otherwise “open”) that could be implemented by multiple manufacturers.

 

[zorinlynx]

I'm confused. Why would someone want to Facetime on their TV?

This is like saying that you can't make toast using a coffeemaker.