First of all, what is FaceTime?

 FaceTime is a video call app provided by Apple on iPhones, iPads, iPod touch, and Mac computers.  It helps you to video chat with your dear and near ones in your contacts list. For doing so, the person at the other end should also have the FaceTime app on their iPhones iPads, iPods touch, and Mac computers and got them registered in it.

So, what does it mean when it says FaceTime unavailable?

There can be a lot of reasons to show FaceTime is unavailable once you make a phone call from your iPhone. It can be due to problems from your end or at the recipients’ end or both. We shall see the reasons in detail below;

Reasons from your end

  1. Poor or no internet connection

For the FaceTime app to function properly on your iPhones, iPads, iPod touch, or Mac computers, you need good internet connectivity. Otherwise, you cannot make a FaceTime call and your iPhone will show a notification saying FaceTime is unavailable. 

  1. Restricted camera access

FaceTime app needs access to camera function in your iPhones, iPads, iPod touch, or Mac computers to perform video calls. FaceTime app without access to your iPhone camera shows ‘FaceTime unavailable’ when you try to do a video call.

  1. Wrong credentials

If you use the wrong credentials of the recipient, for example, the wrong phone number from iPhone or the wrong email address from other apple devices like iPads, iPod touch, or Mac computers, while trying to do a video chat, the FaceTime app will show notification as FaceTime unavailable.

Reasons from the recipient’s side

  1. If the recipient’s iPhone is switched off or if the battery is dead, your video call will show FaceTime unavailable on your iPhone.

  2. If Do Not Disturb is turned on on your recipient’s iPhone, your video call will show FaceTime unavailable on your iPhone.

  3. If your video call through FaceTime is not answered after ten rings, your FaceTime app will show your recipient is unavailable.

  4. If your recipient’s iPhone is in ‘out of network area’ or ‘out of range’, then also your FaceTime app will show your recipient is unavailable.

  5. If your recipient’s iPhone does not have an active internet or WiFi connection, your video call will not get connected to your recipient and it will show FaceTime unavailable.

  6. If your recipient is on another FaceTime video chat, your FaceTime video call will not be received by the person on the other end. So your FaceTime app will show FaceTime unavailable.

  7. If your recipient fails to answer your video call from the FaceTime app, your iPhone will show a notification saying FaceTime is unavailable.

  8. Most importantly, as mentioned earlier, your recipient, a user of any Apple product, for example, iPhones, iPads, iPod touch, or Mac computers, should have the FaceTime app installed in their Apple gadget. They should not only install but also register themselves on FaceTime using their phone number for iPhones and email addresses for other Apple gadgets like iPads, iPod touch, and Mac computers. If your recipient does not have a FaceTime app installed on their iPhones your video call will show the notification saying FaceTime unavailable.

  9. At last, if your recipient does not want to talk to you and hence declined your video call, in that situation also, your FaceTime app will show that your recipient is unavailable with a notification saying FaceTime unavailable.

Changing FaceTime unavailable to FaceTime available; what can you do about it?

  1. Make sure that your iPhones, iPads, iPod touch, or Mac computers, have active cellular internet connection or they are within the range of a strong WiFi connection, before trying video calling using the FaceTime app.

  2. Make sure that your FaceTime app has access to your iPhones camera function or Mac computer’s webcam. To give access to FaceTime to the camera settings make sure the firewall of your computer is not restricting the same. For iPhones ensure that neither FaceTime nor the camera app has limitation settings. So that, your phone’s FaceTime app will work properly. 

  3. Make sure that you are using the right credentials of the recipient before trying video chat using FaceTime app from your iPhone.

  4. Make sure that your recipient’s iPhone is switched on and not in Do Not Disturb mode so that your FaceTime app gets connected with the recipient’s iPhone.

  5. Make sure that your recipient’s iPhone also is in the network coverage area and that it also has an active internet connection to ensure the effective functioning of FaceTime apps

  6. Also make sure that your recipient’s iPhone has the FaceTime app installed and registered using their phone number or email address.

  7. In the end make sure that your recipient is in a position to FaceTime with you

FaceTime is a very useful app available on Apple gadgets like iPhones, iPads, iPod touch, and Mac computers for video chat. Sometimes it shows FaceTime unavailable which makes us confused and lost at times. But now we know the various reasons from our side and the recipients end causing the problem of FaceTime unavailable. Now we also know the solutions to make FaceTime available again and keep in touch with our dear and near ones. So go and enjoy video calling your loved ones… Happy FaceTiming!!!

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