Today’s non-Apple users have one more reason to celebrate: It’s almost days when you need your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to join a FaceTime video call. In a move widely seen as Apple’s response to Zoom video calls, the software giant is letting Android devices and Windows laptops accept FaceTime calls, without the need for an iPhone.
This does not mean that Apple devices are excluded from the process. In fact, they’re still so part of the heart of FaceTime that the system will be based on the upcoming iOS 15, now available for download as a public beta, to look and function more like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. In addition to the ability to video chat with people outside the Apple bubble, FaceTime updates include a new network view and the ability to schedule calls, as well as a Watch Party feature called SharePlay.
Whether you decide to download the iOS 15 developer beta now or plan to wait until the final version arrives in the fall, here’s how to join FaceTime calls no matter what device you’re using.
Of course, we don’t mean FaceTime is coming to Android and Windows. It will be possible to simply start or answer a FaceTime video call with a link, provided the person scheduling or initiating the call has an Apple device and an Apple account. If you are an Apple user and have downloaded iOS 15, Here’s how to start a FaceTime call using Android or Windows devices.
- Open the FaceTime app on your phone.
- Click Create Link.
- You will scroll a screen up from the bottom giving you a “FaceTime link”. Click “Add a contact” to add a contact to your chat.
- On the same screen, you’ll see options to share the link via text message, email, Twitter, calendar, or other apps on your phone. Alternatively, you can copy and paste the link yourself.
- To join the call, tap the name of the chat you just created, then tap Join.
- When an Android or Windows user clicks on the link, they will be taken to a lobby where they can be allowed to join the call by clicking the check mark next to their name.
To join a FaceTime call on your Android or Windows device, all you need is the link sent by the person with the Apple device. There is no need to download a separate app. Heres how to do it.
- Open the Shared FaceTime link.
- The link will open in your browser (you will need the latest version of Chrome or Edge). Enter your name and click Continue.
- The screen will say “Waiting” until the person who invited you agrees to join you in the call.
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