For times when hearing a friend’s or relative’s voice just isn’t enough, there’s FaceTime. With FaceTime, not only can you talk to your friends and family, but you can see them too. So if you want to wave good night to your kids while you’re on a business trip, or chat with loved ones across the country, it’s as easy as a few taps.
Note that to using FaceTime, you must be on a Wi-Fi network—it won’t work over the iPad’s 3G connection. You’ll also need a friend with a FaceTime device—an iPad 2, an iPhone 4, a fourth-generation iPod touch, or a Mac—who’s also on a Wi-Fi network. It’s additionally worth noting that FaceTime is strictly a one-on-one affair—those looking for a group video calling solution will have to find it elsewhere.
Activate and Using FaceTime
In order to use FaceTime, you’ll need to log in with your Apple ID. Go to Settings -> FaceTime and enter your Apple ID and password (the same combination you use to buy apps or media). Tap Sign In. (If you don’t already have an Apple ID set up, you have the option to create one here.) Once you’re signed in, you’ll need to associate your account with an e-mail address, if you haven’t already done so.
Note that if you haven’t used your address with FaceTime before, Apple may first send you an e-mail to verify that you own the account in question.
You can also add multiple e-mail addresses for FaceTime; if you do so, you’ll have the option to choose which address you’d like the call to come from.
Launch FaceTime
Tap the FaceTime icon on the Home screen of your iPad to get started (see “Face Off”). You’ll be greeted by a two-pane view that shows a video of yourself on the left and a list of your contacts, pulled from the iPad’s address book, on the right. You can also view a list of recent FaceTime calls by tapping the Recents button on the toolbar in the bottom right; you’ll see the name of the contact and when the call took place. For more information, you can tap on the arrow icon next to the entry. If you want quick access to certain contacts, you can tap the Favorites button next to Recents.
Make a Call Using FaceTime
To actually place call using FaceTime, tap on one of your contacts’ names to see his or her information. If you’re calling someone on another iPad 2, a fourth-generation iPod touch, or a Mac, you’ll want to tap that person’s e-mail address. For contacts on an iPhone 4, you can tap either an e-mail address or a phone number. If you already know which e-mail address your contact has associated with FaceTime, you’ll see a blue video camera icon to the right of the address. Otherwise, you’ll have to find out from your friend which address to use, or figure it out with a little trial and error.
Using FaceTime – On The Call
Once your friend accepts your call (and we’re sure he or she will), that person’s image should occupy the majority of the iPad’s screen, with your own mug shot relegated to a small picture-in-picture in one corner. You’ll also see three controls at the bottom: Mute, End Call, and the Camera toggle.
Tapping the Mute icon will silence your audio; you’ll still be able to hear and see your conversation partner and he or she will be able to see you, but your screen will dim and you’ll see a big mute icon in the middle. Tapping the icon again at any time will restore your audio, while tapping End Call, as you might expect, will terminate your FaceTime call. The Camera toggle lets you choose whether to show your conversation partner the image from the iPad’s front-facing camera (presumably you) or the rear-facing camera (if you want to show what you’re looking at).
If you have a pressing need to return to your Home screen while on a call, you can do so by pressing the Home button once. You’ll still be able to speak with your partner, but he or she will see an overlay on their screen noting that video call is paused, along with a freeze frame, until you resume the call. In order to resume the call, tap the green bar at the top of iPad’s screen or navigate back to your Home screen and tap the FaceTime app again.
Using FaceTime – Add a Favorite
If there’s someone you find yourself calling a lot, you probably don’t want to have to burrow down through your contact list every single time you’re going to make a call. Instead, add him or her to your favorites. While viewing your friend’s contact info, tap the Add To Favorites button at the bottom and choose which phone number or e-mail address you’d like to add. (You can add multiple numbers or addresses by repeating this process.) Once you assign a contact to Favorites, you’ll see a blue star next to that entry in your address book.
Alternatively, tap Favorites on the toolbar and then tap the plus button (+) in the top right corner. Tap the contact you want to add to Favorites, and then tap the e-mail address or phone number you’re looking for.
Using Facetime – Receive a FaceTime Call
Because FaceTime runs in the background once you’ve set it up, you can get a request for a video chat at any time. A full-screen preview will take over your screen, showing your live video; a title bar at the top that says your contact name would like FaceTime, along with a contact image; and two buttons that allow you to either Decline or Accept the call.
Third-Party Communication App. If video chat isn’t your thing, you can still talk online using this app. BeejiveIM for iPad Face-to-face chatting is great, but the moment’s not always right. Instead, use BeejiveIM for iPad: This text-based chat app allows you to have multiple conversations with people on AIM, Facebook, Yahoo Messenger, and more. Plus, you can send pictures and voice memos, and view links in an in-app browser
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