Group FaceTime Calls Not Working? Fix

This article explains how you can fix if Group FaceTime is not working as expected. Are you running into issues trying to chat with multiple people? Then this article is for you.

See this article if your experience general issues with FaceTime.

This article will help you if you are having one of the problems below:

• Dropped calls.
• Poor audio quality.
• Poor video quality.
• Delays.
• Sign-in issues.
• Joining in group calls.

There are a number of reasons why Group FaceTime may not be working. The most common are connection issues, software issues, camera issues or microphone issues.

Group FaceTime will let you video or audio chat with up to 32 different people at the same time on your iPhone, iPad or Mac as long as they all have FaceTime. This is one of the easiest and most secure ways to make a conference call.

You (as the group caller) and your friend (as the recipient) may run into issues using this.

1. Check Screen Time

Before you do anything, make sure that FaceTime and Camera are allowed on your device. Here is how you can check:

• iOS and iPadOS: Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allowed Apps. Ensure that FaceTime and Camera are allowed.

• macOS: Click the Apple menu and System Preferences, Screen Time, Content & Privacy. Then click the Apps tab and make sure that the FaceTime and Camera boxes are checked.

2. Check the FaceTime status

There may be issues with the Apple servers. The first thing to do is to check if FaceTime is down. If this is the case, Group FaceTime may not work. This is rare but happens.

Apple has a web site that tells you if there are any reported issues. You can go to the Apple System Status page to learn more.

3. Check to see if you meet the minimum system requirements

• Group FaceTime audio calls requirement: All of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models that support iOS 12.1.4 can join a group audio call.
• Group FaceTime video calls requirement: All iPhone 6s or later, iPad Pro or later, iPad Air 2 or later, iPad mini 4 or later, iPad (5th generation) or later, or iPod touch (7th generation) models running iOS 12.1.4 or later, or iPadOS can participate in video calls.
• If you are using a Mac, then you need a Mac with macOS Mojave 10.14.3 (build 18D109) or later. Also, your Mac needs to have a camera and a microphone (built-in or connected).

4. Check your internet connection

FaceTime group calls require strong internet connections. You may receive “FaceTime Poor Connection” errors, if your connection is not strong enough. Here is what you can do to improve your connection:

• Use a wired connection, if possible.
• Close all other open apps. (they may be consuming your bandwidth in the background).
• Restart your router. Unplug it from its power outlet, wait 1 minute and then plug it in.
• Enable Airplane Mode, wait for 10 seconds and then disable it (Settings > Airplane Mode).
• Turn off Wi-Fi, wait 10 seconds and then turn it on:
  • iOS, iPadOS: Settings > Wi-Fi.
  • macOS: Click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar and select Turn Wi-Fi Off.
• If you are using Group FaceTime over cellular, make sure that FaceTime is allowed to use the cellular data. You can check this by going to Settings and Cellular or tap Mobile Data, then turn on FaceTime.

See also: How to limit cellular data use

5. Restart your device

This is very simple but fixes most problems. Here is how you can restart your device:

• Mac: Click the Apple menu and then click Restart.
• iPhone x, 11 or later and iPad with Face ID models: Press and hold the power (side or top) and volume up (or down) buttons together until you see the power off slider. Then drag the slider. Wait until your device completely turns off. Then press and hold the power button until you see the Apple logo.
• Other iPhone or iPad models: Press and hold the power (side or top) button until the power off slider appears. Then drag the slider. Wait for about one minute. Then press and hold the power button until the Apple logo appears.

6. Check your camera, microphone, and speakers

If you are having video and audio quality issues, your camera, microphone, and speakers might be the blame.

• Make sure that they are plugged in.
• Make sure that they are not muted.
• Make sure that they are turned on.
• Make sure that there’s nothing obstructing your camera. Remove any case that may block it.
• If the video is blurry, try to clean the camera lenses with a microfiber cloth.

See this article if your Mac microphone is not working.

7. Check the software

It is important to ensure that you’ve installed the latest software updates. Here is how you can check if there are software updates:

• iOS or iPadOS: Go to Settings > General > Software Update. (See: how to update your iPhone or iPad)
• macOS: Click the Apple menu > System Preferences > Software Update. (see: how to update your Mac)

And if there are updates, follow the onscreen instructions to install the updates.

8. Disable and enable FaceTime

On your device, disable FaceTime, restart your device and then re-enable FaceTime. Here is how:

• iOS or iPadOS: Settings > FaceTime.
• macOS: Open FaceTime and then click FaceTime and select Turn FaceTime Off.

9. Check Date & Time

On your device, make sure that Date and Time settings are correct. Here is how you can check this:

• iOS, iPadOS: Go to Settings > General > Date & Time. Make sure that everything is correct and you may also want to turn on the Set Automatically option.
• macOS: Click the Apple menu, System Preferences, then click Date & Time. Make sure that settings are correct and you want to set this automatically by selecting “Set date and time automatically”.

See also: Screen sharing not working?