No Cell Minutes Used for iPhone FaceTime Calls

**Michael Essany** · 06-20-2010, 07:14 PM

Dan Frommer of Silicon Alley Insider is sharing some good news with iPhone 4 buyers and prospective buyers this weekend. According to his sources from Apple, the new FaceTime video calls - as hoped - won't use any carrier minutes even when initiated from within a voice call.

The report comes as a welcome morsel of positive news as many AT&T customers have grown restless and eager to find out more about the potential costs and restrictions of the long-awaited iPhone video call feature.

While some have accused both Apple and AT&T of using "cryptic language" when referring to the FaceTime feature, many of the details we've waited for are now finally be coming to light. After all, the Apple rep told Frommer that "The voice call ends as soon as the FaceTime call connects. The FaceTime call is over Wi-Fi so does not use carrier minutes." That's pretty straightforward and far from "cryptic."

Apart from the ease with which carrier minutes would disintegrate if absorbed during FaceTime calls, some AT&T customers also expressed concern that a shoddy 3G mobile connection would preclude users from having an enjoyable, smooth video phone call. Wi-Fi reliability will underpin FaceTime calls, which won't have the voice call continued in the background as a "backup" should the video call abruptly end.

For the next version of FaceTime that works over 3G, Apple and its carrier partners will need to decide how those calls are billed -- as minutes toward voice calling, as data toward monthly data caps, or both, or something entirely different.

As our friends at Apple Insider reported, it is certainly possible but not yet confirmed that Apple may soon make it possible to initiate FaceTime calls from a future iPod touch - one designed with a corresponding camera optimized for such functionality.

**Happy Noodle Boy** · 06-20-2010, 07:18 PM

Kinda figured it'd be like that. Not like I'll ever use it considering the only other person around here I know that's getting an iPhone 4 is one of my bosses...

Maybe I could make a Facetime call from a job site and show him how awesome/terrible things are going.

**adp** · 06-20-2010, 07:25 PM

Is there anyone here who actually thought you would be charged? Captain Obvious?

**spiderguy84** · 06-20-2010, 07:28 PM

Seriously a waste of an article. You can only make facetime calls to other iPhone 4 users. iPhone is only with AT&T. AT&T calls to other AT&T customers already don't use minutes. A big fat duh!!!

**iPhoneApps** · 06-20-2010, 07:32 PM

Before you people speak you should think. There are rumors that ATT is going to charge for data when using the femtocell which uses your existing internet connection. So if there are rumors about that why wouldn't there be rumors about this.

And why wouldn't you think for a second that ATT wouldn't try and gouge it's customers...? They certainly did with the data rate changes.

You people are giving ATT too much credit.

**faymus** · 06-20-2010, 07:37 PM

slow news day huh?

**youngbrammer** · 06-20-2010, 07:40 PM

Well, one plan only has 5000 minutes of AT&T to AT&T but otherwise that's true. There is no way it'd be charged (unless another phone used it because FaceTime is open sourced now)

Originally Posted by spiderguy84

Seriously a waste of an article. You can only make facetime calls to other iPhone 4 users. iPhone is only with AT&T. AT&T calls to other AT&T customers already don't use minutes. A big fat duh!!!

**mortopher** · 06-20-2010, 07:44 PM

When are they going to just refer to everything as data? I've never understood the dual rates of data and voice. When it all gets boiled down, it is all just data packets, is it not?

**JLick** · 06-20-2010, 07:56 PM

Who thought you'd be charged?

Too bad I won't have my phone for a while, and everyone around me couldn't give 2 shi(t)s about the iPhone 4 lol...

Proud to be the only Apple Junky in my city.

**johnr9412** · 06-20-2010, 08:12 PM

Originally Posted by adp

Is there anyone here who actually thought you would be charged? Captain Obvious?

the people who actually watched WWDC and saw that, what do ya know, you start a facetime call by actually calling something. therefor using minutes. its a legitimate question and this is a legit answer.
thank you for the article

**screamforme02** · 06-20-2010, 08:22 PM

Originally Posted by Happy Noodle Boy

Kinda figured it'd be like that. Not like I'll ever use it considering the only other person around here I know that's getting an iPhone 4 is one of my bosses...

Maybe I could make a Facetime call from a job site and show him how awesome/terrible things are going.

haha exactly it would be good..

maybe they will have an agmuneted reality add on so i can pretend im at a job site

**spiderguy84** · 06-20-2010, 08:22 PM

Sorry John. You're wrong. Anyone who watched wwdc knows you can only use face time with other iPhones. Every AT&T plan has unlimited mobile to mobile. So there's no reason anyone should have ever thought you'd get charged in face time.

**Justin13** · 06-20-2010, 08:25 PM

I think everyone that is throwing out the captain obvious lines is misguided. I mean we are talking about ATT here, why would you ever assume you wouldn't be charged just because you had to use WI-FI?

I thought it would be charged as regular voice mins and only the video would use the WI-FI. I mean Skype on Verizon comes out of regular voice mins when calling landlines, what's the point of getting Skypeout?

**AlexCrammer** · 06-20-2010, 08:29 PM

It doesn't use minutes because you do it over Wi-Fi. ?????

**JFR** · 06-20-2010, 08:34 PM

I would rather only the video be transmitted through wi-fi, and the voice through the cell signal...

**waheedtarin** · 06-20-2010, 08:36 PM

Omg here we go again

**eortizr** · 06-20-2010, 08:37 PM

duuuhhh wifi only,, is not that obvious?

**CZroe** · 06-20-2010, 08:39 PM

Originally Posted by iPhoneApps

Before you people speak you should think. There are rumors that ATT is going to charge for data when using the femtocell which uses your existing internet connection. So if there are rumors about that why wouldn't there be rumors about this.

And why wouldn't you think for a second that ATT wouldn't try and gouge it's customers...? They certainly did with the data rate changes.

You people are giving ATT too much credit.

Good point... except that AT&T to AT&T calls are already free (they do not use plan minutes).

I'm guessing that FaceTime will also work with iChat clients, so that is where some concern comes from. Of course iChat is data

**adp** · 06-20-2010, 08:51 PM

Originally Posted by johnr9412

the people who actually watched WWDC and saw that, what do ya know, you start a facetime call by actually calling something. therefor using minutes. its a legitimate question and this is a legit answer.
thank you for the article

So in MSN messenger or AOL whenever you start a webcam calling feature (using data), you should be charged right? I think you're stuck in 1999

**StealthBravo** · 06-20-2010, 08:56 PM

Originally Posted by spiderguy84

iPhone is only with AT&T.

Is that right?

So what's up with Facetime internationally?

Your favorite Apple, iPhone, iPad, iOS, Jailbreak, and Cydia site.

Thread: No Cell Minutes Used for iPhone FaceTime Calls

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