It’s more important than ever to keep connected to people far away from you. One of the best ways to maintain those relationships is with Group FaceTime chats. These let you enjoy calls with up to 32 people at once!
If Group FaceTime isn’t working on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac you can fix it using the troubleshooting steps below. We’ve also answered common questions, like how to start a call without activating your camera.
Lots of people ask the same questions when Group FaceTime isn’t working. We’ve pulled together some frequently questions below to give you quick answers to your problems.
If you can’t find your question, take a look at the troubleshooting steps beneath this FAQ.
Why is there a triangle with an exclamation mark in Group FaceTime calls?
An exclamation mark usually indicates connection issues.
This icon appears when your Internet connection is too slow to maintain the Group FaceTime call. It’s a good idea to connect to broadband over Wi-Fi or to make sure you have a strong cell signal.
If you’re already using Wi-Fi, stop other people from downloading or streaming music and videos on the same network. You might also need to restart your router or contact your Internet service provider.
There’s a chance the poor network connection is down to a problem with Apple’s systems. Check Apple’s system status online to find out.
Why isn’t the camera working for people in my Group FaceTime call?
FaceTime allows video and audio calls. If one of your contacts doesn’t want to use their camera, they might have be using audio-only, with their camera turned off.
When this happens, you usually see their initials or their profile picture rather than a live video stream. It doesn’t mean Group FaceTime isn’t working, only that they turned their video off.
To fix it, that person needs to tap the camera icon in FaceTime on their device to turn the video stream on.
Tap the camera icon to disable the camera or the microphone icon to mute yourself.
How can I join a Group FaceTime call using audio-only without video?
When starting a brand new Group FaceTime call, you can choose to use video or audio-only. However, you don’t get the same choice when joining a FaceTime call that’s already in progress.
Instead, you need to tap the camera icon in FaceTime on your device after joining the call. When you tap this button it disables your camera, making you an audio-only participant. You can still see other people, but they won’t be able to see you.
Is there a quicker way to start a Group FaceTime call with lots of people?
If you already have a group chat in Messages, you can use that to start a Group FaceTime call with everyone. To do so, tap the FaceTime button in the Details section at the top of your Messages conversation.
You still need to add everyone individually if you don’t have a pre-existing Messages chat. Each name should appear blue when it’s possible to call that person using FaceTime.
Start an instant Group FaceTime call from the Messages app.
Why can’t I start a Group FaceTime call with all of my contacts?
FaceTime allows you to chat with up to 32 people at any one time, including yourself. But each of those people needs to use an Apple device to be able to use FaceTime.
If Group FaceTime isn’t working for certain people, make sure they’re signed in to FaceTime on an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac.
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to use FaceTime with Android or Windows devices. To start a cross-platform video chat, look at third-party apps like WhatsApp, Skype, or Discord.
There are plenty of alternatives to FaceTime for group video chats.
Troubleshooting when Group FaceTime is not working
A lot of problems with Group FaceTime calls not working are easy to fix with some basic troubleshooting steps. We’ve listed each of the steps you need to follow below, which include checking FaceTime’s availability and testing your iPhone microphone.
Step 1. Find out who is causing the Group FaceTime problems
Consider the possibility that Group FaceTime is not working because of a problem with someone else’s device. Add people to your call one by one and try to find out if the same person causes problems each time.
Whoever is the common link—whether that’s you or someone else—needs to follow the troubleshooting steps below to fix FaceTime.
Step 2. Update your device to the latest software
Although one-to-one FaceTime calls work on much older software, Group FaceTime requires iOS 12.1.4 or later. That means you should update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to the latest software to work with Group FaceTime.
Go to Settings > General > Software Update to install the latest updates.
On a Mac, open the Apple menu and go to System Preferences > Software Update. Install the latest version of macOS available for your Mac.
Check for new software updates to your Mac.
Step 3. Use an Apple device compatible with Group FaceTime
Your device might not work with Group FaceTime even if it’s running the latest software. Not all hardware is compatible because a large group call demands more power from the processor.
Make sure you’re using one of the following devices:
iPhone 6S or later
iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, iPad (5th generation), or later
Unfortunately, Group FaceTime is not a global service and doesn’t work in every country or region. Most places are supported, but you should check on Apple’s website to see which Apple services work in your country.
You may need to use a VPN to trick FaceTime into thinking you’re in a different country.
A VPN lets you access the Internet as if from another country.
Step 5. Restart FaceTime and your device
It’s always a good idea to restart your device when something stops working, but you should also restart FaceTime itself.
On an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > FaceTime and turn FaceTime off at the top of the page. Then restart your device and return to this Settings page to enable FaceTime again.
Turn FaceTime off from the Settings.
On a Mac, open the FaceTime app and go to FaceTime > Preferences in the menu bar. Uncheck the box to Enable this account, then restart your Mac and check the box to enable FaceTime again.
Step 6. Stop using FaceTime effects
Turn off any FaceTime effects.
Part of the fun of a Group FaceTime call is adding Animoji, Memoji, stickers, and other effects to your face. But these effects could be the reason Group FaceTime isn’t working properly.
Try making a call without activating any of these effects to see if it helps. If so, simply refrain from using the effects until Apple releases a more stable update.
Step 7. Sign in to FaceTime again
Sign out of FaceTime, then sign back in again to make sure there are no problems with your Apple ID account. If two people are trying to use the same Apple ID account from different devices, only one of them can join the call. They need to create a second account from the Apple ID website instead.
On an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > FaceTime. Tap your Apple ID username, then choose to Sign Out. Sign in again from the same page.
On a Mac, open FaceTime and go to FaceTime > Preferences from the menu bar. Click Sign Out, then sign in again from the same page.
Sign out of FaceTime temporarily if it isn’t working.
Step 8. Test your speaker, microphone, and camera
Open the Camera app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and record a short video. Watch the video back the make sure the camera and microphone are working on your device. You should repeat this using both the front- and rear-facing cameras to test each of them.
On a Mac, open the Photo Booth app to record a short video of yourself.
If there are any problems with the camera or microphone on your device, speak to Apple Support about getting a repair.
You may need to visit the Genius Bar for a physical repair.
Other FaceTime problems
Of course, all the troubleshooting steps in this article focus on what to do if Group FaceTime isn’t working. But there are plenty of other troubleshooting suggestions for one-to-one FaceTime calls as well.
If FaceTime doesn’t work at all—whether attempting a group call or not—check out our other FaceTime troubleshooting guide to find more solutions to try.
Dan writes tutorials and troubleshooting guides to help people make the most of their technology. Before becoming a writer, he earned a BSc in Sound Technology, supervised repairs at an Apple Store, and even taught English in China.
There is no add person button on the facetime app for group calls. I have tried all of your fixes and nothing is working. Also when we are trying to be added to a facetime call my name is greyed out and when I try to start a group call after adding the first person it’s greyed out ! The phone is the iphone 11 And I have the most recent Ios 14 software update !
I have tried all the troubleshooting and suggested fixes and none is working
Is this a problem with iPhone 11 because I can see other people complained and you have refused to respond to their queries
I tried having a FaceTime with two people and it does not work – using iPhone 12. Once I choose the people, I get the message Diane waiting and Valerie waiting, but neither of the two phones ring for a FaceTime.
There is no add person button on the facetime app. I have tried all of your fixes and nothing is working. Also when we are trying to be added to a facetime call our names are grey our friends told us. The phone is the iphone 11
We often see this problem when another app is using the camera you want.
Try closing all your open apps, then test FaceTime again.
Close an app
1. On an iPhone or an iPad with no home button from the Home screen, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause slightly in the middle of the screen
2. On an iDevice with a home button, double-click the Home button and swipe right or left to find the app that you want to close
3. Swipe right or left to locate the app you want to close
4. Swipe up on the app’s preview to close it
There is no add person button on the facetime app for group calls. I have tried all of your fixes and nothing is working. Also when we are trying to be added to a facetime call my name is greyed out and when I try to start a group call after adding the first person it’s greyed out ! The phone is the iphone 11 And I have the most recent Ios 14 software update !
I have tried all the troubleshooting and suggested fixes and none is working
Is this a problem with iPhone 11 because I can see other people complained and you have refused to respond to their queries
I tried having a FaceTime with two people and it does not work – using iPhone 12. Once I choose the people, I get the message Diane waiting and Valerie waiting, but neither of the two phones ring for a FaceTime.
There is no add person button on the facetime app. I have tried all of your fixes and nothing is working. Also when we are trying to be added to a facetime call our names are grey our friends told us. The phone is the iphone 11
there is no add person button on my facetime for my iPhone 11 i’ve tried all of your fixes and nothing is working.
Can anyone tell me how to turn the camera on for face time , it just won’t switch on when pressing it on my I phone 6
HI Bev,
We often see this problem when another app is using the camera you want.
Try closing all your open apps, then test FaceTime again.
Close an app
1. On an iPhone or an iPad with no home button from the Home screen, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause slightly in the middle of the screen
2. On an iDevice with a home button, double-click the Home button and swipe right or left to find the app that you want to close
3. Swipe right or left to locate the app you want to close
4. Swipe up on the app’s preview to close it