How to use FaceTime Audio for a high quality voice call

FaceTime supports video calls and audio-only calls. The latter requires a little more thought to create, but you may find it a better alternative to a voice call, with clearer sound and a lower bar than managing your video camera during a FaceTime video call.

While phone calls are limited to three to five participants, depending on your carrier, you can have Group FaceTime audio calls with up to 31 other people. (The same limit applies to FaceTime video.) To make a FaceTime group call, you must have an iPhone, iPad, or Mac model released in the past few years. Participants do not necessarily need a more recent hardware model, but they must have a minimum of iOS 12.1.4, any version of iPadOS, or macOS 10.4.3 Supplemental Update or later.

Here’s how to make a FaceTime audio call in iOS or iPadOS:

• In a contact card, including in the Phone app, Contacts app, or by searching with Siri, tap the phone icon next to FaceTime.
• In Messages, tap and hold the camera icon in the top right corner of a conversation, and a FaceTime Audio option will appear for you to tap.
• Also, on a contact card, tap and hold a bell icon or phone button, tap the FaceTime link, then select a phone number or email address for a FaceTime audio call. (If you’re using an iPhone or other device that the iPhone uses to forward phone calls, FaceTime will appear as a link after a list of phone numbers you can call directly.)
• In FaceTime’s call list, which appears from newest to oldest, you can tap any item that says FaceTime audio call to re-place such a call to that person. You can tap the info button next to each item to access a business card and FaceTime audio link as well.

And here’s how to start a FaceTime audio call in macOS:

• In the Contacts app, control-click the Call icon and select an item with FaceTime. You can also click the phone icon in the FaceTime line in the main contact item.
• In Messages, click the camera icon in the top right corner of a conversation and select FaceTime audio.
• In Message and FaceTime on a business card, you can click the Call icon and then choose an item from the FaceTime menu.
• In FaceTime, you can Control-click an item in the recent calls list and choose FaceTime Audio.
• Also in FaceTime, click New FaceTime in the top-left corner, choose a person or people for the call, and then click the down-pointing arrow to the right of the FaceTime link in the bottom-right corner of the dialog box. Choose FaceTime Audio from the menu that appears.

On any operating system, including watchOS, you can also tell Siri to “Make a FaceTime audio call with” personal name†

Once a FaceTime audio call is in progress, any participant can convert it to a FaceTime video call by clicking the video icon in the FaceTime bar in iOS or iPadOS or the FaceTime audio notification in macOS. Other participants have their cameras turned off by default, but cannot prevent the call conversion.

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