FaceTime has been long best known for its video calling feature. It is indeed a pretty cool feature for the iOS users. It lets you stay in touch with your friends and family at all times no matter where they are in the whole world. What’s really great is that this feature is absolutely free. But there is one feature that is usually overlooked, though it could be pretty handy. It is the audio functionality of this incredible app. FaceTime audio work pretty much the same way as the video function. It is a great tool to save the audio call charges by your mobile service provider. You can even use it on iPod and use it for calling. So, it simply means that your iPod will become somewhat like iPhone for a while. So is the case with iPad.
So what exactly is FaceTime audio?
This cool audio feature of your favourite app FaceTime lets you make the voice calls using your mobile data network or over Wi-Fi. Whether you have Mac, iPhone, iPod, or iPad you can use them all to make free calls to anyone who has FaceTime.
The technology of making audio calls over the internet has been there for quite a while now. Technically it is referred to as Voice over IP or simply VoIP.
FaceTime audio is the same but it is powered by Apple so that makes it even cooler. You simply need to download the FaceTime app on one of your apple devices and get ready to get connected to whoever you want to. The app uses the phone number to identify the user.
However, it does not use your mobile minutes to make the call. Also, if the phone number is not there the app can use the email address to connect to the other user. However, the other user must have enabled this feature.
Why use FaceTime to make calls?
One of the biggest reasons why people use VoIP is to save their mobile plan minutes. Most of the plans these days offer unlimited data.
Therefore, there are no charges for making calls over internet. FaceTime audio is also a VoIP feature. So, one may wonder why use FaceTime and not any other app. The answer is pretty simple.
This app is exclusive to the iOS users. It is integrated with the firmware. Therefore, it can be more reliable than any third party application.
FaceTime audio offers high call quality. It uses the codec called AAC-ELD. With this codec users can make HD audio calls. However, the bit-rates are low and the latency is minimal.
This is the reason why the call quality is much better. If you are looking for Facetime for Android then it’s impossible as Apple hasn’t released any official version for Android.
Follow these simple steps to make a free phone call using FaceTime:
- First, go to your contacts and find someone you know with iPhone or iPad.
- Now go to Facetime option below their contact no. and you will see two options – video camera and a phone icon (Audio call).
- Now tap the Facetime Audio icon and enjoy free audio calls on your iOS device.
Are there any limitations?
There are a few things you will want to know. First of all, you will need the steady internet connection. But that is the case with your mobile network as well. Also, if your data plan is limited then you will need to keep a check on the amount of data you are using.
You can opt for unlimited data plan to avoid any additional charges.
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