This issue was encountered by a few users on the site. Thanks to Claire, our reader, we were able to look into this issue and suggest a quick fix. The problem is that you are able to talk to your friends and family on facetime but you don’t hear any sound when they facetime you. Sometimes the problem only happens with one of the iOS devices and does not happen with all the devices that are connected to the same Wi-fi. If you are experiencing this problem with your iPad or iPhone, the fix is relatively very easy. Sometimes the settings on your device get changed and this problem can be easily fixed by checking and tweaking a few of the settings on your device. 
Contents
iPad FaceTime Problems: No Sound
Step -> 1 Go to Settings > General. Tap on General
Step-> 2 Look for “Use Side switch to” and you will find two choices underneath it. Lock Rotation and Mute
Step-> 3 Click on Lock Rotation and set it on. You will see a check mark once you complete the action. This will allow your facetime calls to ring. As you see in the picture below, it shows as “Mute” thereby disabling the sound.
Step -> 4 Please make sure your ringtone sound is “On” by checking Settings > Sounds ON > specific ringtone of your choice. This will make sure you are able to hear the ringtone when someone dials you on facetime.
iPad FaceTime Problems: Connecting
If you are experiencing other problems with facetime such as connection issues or you see the message “Connecting..” and then it fails, you can follow the steps below. Essentially the steps described below are assisting with reactivation of facetime and resetting the network. By performing both these steps, the connection error can be easily resolved.
Step-> 1 Open “Settings” and go to “FaceTime”
Step-> 2 Flip the switch for “FaceTime” into the OFF position followed by flipping it back to the ON position. ‘Waiting for activation…’ message will be displayed and your Apple ID information will fill in.
Step- > 3 When in doubt, go ahead and reset the network. This usually resolves problems associated with connection issues. Open Settings” > General > Reset > choose “Reset Network Settings 
Once your device boots up, your Facetime should be up and working. Please provide your comments if you have encountered other problems and know of easy fixes.
Ringer Not Notifying You of an Incoming FaceTime Call? 
Turn ON Allow Notifications for FaceTime. Go to Settings > Notifications > FaceTime > toggle ON Allow Notifications. Then look at Sounds (Settings > Notifications > FaceTime> Sounds) and select your ring tone preference. Then go to Settings> Sounds & Haptics and check that the Ringer And Alerts volume slider is UP, not muted. Finally, restart your iDevice.
FaceTime Problems on Macs?
If you are having problems with FaceTime on your mac, please see the attached article.
Reader Tips
- I also had a problem with the ringer notifying of an incoming FaceTime call.After much experimenting I found my alarm icon on my control panel was set to off. Touched the icon, it turned from red to black, and the problem was solved.Hope this helps you too!
Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.
Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.
In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.
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Have iPad – use for face time only. Last two times did not get ring tone to notify me of face time call. Got telephone call from Singapore that he used face time to contact me. I did not get notification on iPad/face time as usual.I contacted person in Singapore via face time person did get my face time call. Have tried to follow instructions for fix per data on Google – – no help. I’m p….d off.
I have checked all the above several times and still there is no ringtone for incoming calls on FaceTime.
SOUNDS Ringer/alert bar is set to full.
NOTIFICATIONS FaceTime is set to Allow notifications and is set to the default ring tone (i have tried other ringtones as well)
DO NOT DISTURB – following advice from a forum I disabled DO NOT DISTURB but this made no difference either.
Outgoing calls sound works perfectly. Would really appreciate some help with this as I am missing calls.
Jackie Harrison
When I try to play guitars with a friend on FaceTime there is a sound lag and we are out of sync. Is there any way to fix this? We are both using iPads. Also the sound is out of sync with the video.
Hi Brendan,
These usually indicate bandwidth problems on either your internet or your friend’s internet. If there are a lot of family members also using the internet at the same time, it’s possible that those activities are causing the lag.
how about trying an audio-only FaceTime call, which uses a lot less bandwidth? Tap the phone icon instead and see if that makes any difference. ake sure both of you choose audio-only.
If you have success with audio-only, you can try tapping the video button and see if it can then handle the video stream as well. You do not need to hang up and call again, just tap the video icon–we suggest you do this one at a time. See if the call can handle the video feed of one person and then add the second.
Good luck!
I don’t show FaceTime in notification, I don’t show FaceTime in sounds. IPhone 7 not ringing when incoming FaceTime calls and not ringing when I try Group FaceTime going out.
I can place a FaceTime call to 1 person ok.
The words FaceTime only appear in settings list and home screen
HI Jacque,
What iOS version do you use on your iPhone 7?
We suggest you check if you somehow restricted FaceTime via Settings > Screen Time or Settings > General > Restrictions. Turning Screen Time or Restrictions off temporarily is the easiest way to verify if this is the case.
Next, let’s open your Notification settings. Go to Settings > Notifications > FaceTime. Toggle on Allow Notifications and tap both Notification Center and Banners. Choose Persistent for Banner Style and toggle on Badges. Select a sound and then ask someone to call you via FaceTime to see if you now get those notifications.
Hi have just bought an apple lightning to digital to av adapter,when i connect to the TV using an HDMI cable i can play videos and itunes with the sound coming from the TV speakers but when i face time there is no sound from TV but only from the ipad speakers, please help, my ipad is 5 generation. Thank you
Problems with FaceTime ringing on an iPad to notify you of a call coming in.
Best Buy and Walmart that are selling these iPads are telling their customers that if it is a WiFi IPad that you can not have a ring notification for FaceTime.
Which by the way sounds ludicrous.
I personally have 2 iPad wifi only and they both ring.
Is Apple aware there is a huge issue with this problem?
Why would the ring work one day and not the next? With no changes being made.
Is this a glitch in an update? Even the Geek Squad is not able to help.
What can you tell me about this problem?
Hi Dianne,
We don’t know why anyone is saying that you do not have ring notifications on WiFi iPads!
We have an 11-inch model from 2018 and you have ring options for FaceTime–they are located in Settings > Notifications > FaceTime > Sounds. From that menu, you select any of the iOS included ringtones, can purchase new rings from the Tones Store, or download any previously purchased tones as well.
You also need to ensure that you set your ringer and alerts to a good volume in Settings > Sounds > Ringer and Alerts and slide the slider to a volume that you prefer.
If you don’t see these options, it is likely a glitch. In that case, update your iPad’s iOS using iTunes if possible instead of an Over the Air update using Settings > Software Update.
iTunes installs a full new version of iOS onto your device, while Over the Air just installs any changes/updates.
Hopefully, everything gets back to normal after updating.
Keep us posted,
Liz
I am having a similar problem as Claudia below. I can always hear sound, but my sister who I facetime with can not hear me on her ipad mini. I have done the below several times, and it works then for a few days, before it occurs again. Do you have any other suggestions?
“Usually, a reset to the network fixes these issues. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings–this removes any stored WiFi passcodes but does not impact your data, texts, or other personal info.
After resetting the network, restart the device and then try FaceTime again.”
As of today (3/22/2019) I have the newest update of SKYPE FOR IPAD.
The problem is that I have been unable to use the KEYPAD AFTER THE CALL HAS CONNECTED.
I can hear the tones if I manually punch in the numbers prior to connecting but once the call has connected the tones are NO LONGER RECOGNIZED BY ANY SYSTEM.
I have older iPad no mute buttton under general. I have no sound on iPad and don’t know how to fix it
So does mine
Incoming FaceTime call will ring on iPhone but not always on iPad. I turn FaceTime off on it then back on it will ring but later will not unless I do the same turn it on then off . Any suggestions …
Hi Candice,
Sorry to hear about your issues with FaceTime and your iPhone/iPad. Please check the following:
each device is signed in to icloud with the same apple id
each device is signed in to facetime with the same apple id
each device has wifi turned on and each device is connected to the same WiFi network
on iPhone, go to settings > phone > calls on other devices, then turn on allow calls on other devices
on iPad, go to settings > facetime, then turn on calls from iphone
Make sure that you have Notifications turned on for FaceTime on your iPad (Settings > Notifications)
And check Do Not Disturb too!
Hope these tips help remedy the situations.
SK
Using FaceTime I can’t hear the caller but they can hear me ? I have tried all the suggestions.
Hi Glynis,
Sorry to hear about your issues with FaceTime. Unfortunately, this is a common problem–without one universal root cause.
Let’s first check your microphones to ensure the problem is not hardware related:
First, try putting the iDevice on speakerphone when making a call. If people are not able to hear you, get Apple service to look into the issue and possibly replace the microphone.
If people are able to hear you while using the speakerphone, try a factory reset. Do this either via the settings menu (Settings > General > Reset) or by putting your phone into DFU mode and connecting it to a computer with iTunes. Using iTunes is the preferred method. Make sure you backup your device via iTunes or via iCloud before attempting any reset.
Keep us posted,
Liz
Hi, I have a problem on an iPad mini. when I make a call or receive a call I can hear the other person but they can’t hear me at all and I already tried the tips on top and nothing works ! Is there anything else I can do to fix this problem ? Btw it rings when I call.
I’m using iOS 11.2.6 Thanks
Ipad4 facetime will only work immediately after turning on. Otherwise the ringtones stop working and cannot hear contact, but they can hear me. Have tried all relevant fixes, but none have worked. Installed skype as an alternative but the same problem occurs. Tried uninstalling but that makes no difference to the problem. Cannot update to version 11 ios as this only applies to ipad5 and later. Guess Apple want everyone to buy later models instead of fixing problems with older models!
I am using the IPad Pro as does my Sister.
I have issues when FaceTiming with my sister that she can’t here me and can’t see me, but on my site a hear and see hear clearly. Or in the middle of facetiming it says it is reconnecting the whole time. We then changed to IPhone and both had no problems anymore.
Hi Claudia,
Sorry, you and your sister are experiencing problems with FaceTime. From your description, the problem sounds like it is on your sister’s side and that her iPad Pro is having trouble connecting to a stable internet connection. Usually, a reset to the network fixes these issues. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings–this removes any stored WiFi passcodes but does not impact your data, texts, or other personal info.
After resetting the network, restart the device and then try FaceTime again.
SK
Thanks for sharing the Ft sound back information.
I use Facetime on an iPad Mini. I have contacts with email addresses but neither the video nor Call symbols are highlighted for use. Other contacts with emails are fine and can be called. Any idea what is wrong with the contacts without active symbols to call?
I also had a problem with the ringer notifying of an incoming FaceTime call.
After much experimenting I found my alarm icon on my control panel was set to off. Touched the icon, it turned from red to black, and the problem was solved.
Hope this helps.
HI Rit,
Awesome catch and tip! Thank you for sharing. We’ll add it into the article. I’m sure quite a few people benefit from this excellent tip!
SK
I rebooted iPad, problem fixed thanks.
When FaceTiming my brother my image is rotated 90 degrees
I get no sound when someone FaceTimes me. I see that the answer to this problem was to go to Settings, General, then “use side switch to”. I don’t have that option on my iPad. What else can I try?
I keep getting asked my Ipad and IPhone Apple ID. When I put in id and password I get a message on both that says. Activation failed. Try again. This is something new that never happened before.
FaceTime connecting problem on my iPad mini please help l followed your suggestions but no use
Hi Vedula,
We are sorry to learn of your problems with FaceTime. If using FaceTime on iOS 10, please take a look at our iOS 10 FaceTime article with tips specifically for iOS 10 users.
If these tips do not help, please provide a description of your exact problem so we assist you better.
Cheers,
Liz
i have an ipad and on Facetime they can’t hear me but I can hear them. very frustrating. can you help?
Hi Anna,
Sorry to hear about your FaceTime problems. Try the suggestion below and let us know if this helps or if you still have issues.
Edit your friend’s contact and change the listed phone number from “mobile” to “work:” FaceTime always tries calling the number marked as “mobile” or ‘iPhone” first and only if it doesn’t find one it tries an email address. So give this a try and see if FaceTime uses the email address and you successfully establish a call. Also make sure your friends’s settings are NOT set to ‘silent’ or ‘do not disturb’
Cheers,
Liz
Sir when I tried to connect through FaceTime it shows
Connecting but fails. I followed your advise but the problem remains the same please advise
Hi, my facetime gives an error ” unable to connect to the server” when I try to log in. I use ipad mini.
Hi Prachi,
Boy, this must be frustrating for you! First, try signing out and then back into FaceTime via the Settings app (Settings>FaceTime>Apple ID)
If that doesnt do the trick, you now can delete the FaceTime app and then download and install again via the app store.
Some users reports that changing the DNS Setting to Google’s public DNS; 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4 has fixed the FaceTime problem. This usrs The Google Public DNS
Keep us posted.
Cheers,
Liz
Forgot to mention: I am on iOS 10.2 in a iPad Mini Wi-Fi only.
My FaceTime audio disappears. The people on the other end can hear me, but I hear nothing, not even while FaceTime is ringing to the other party. I can hear Siri. I can also hear music, but when I go to Settings/Sounds I hear not sounds as I try each one out. My sound always come back after a hard boot, but this keeps happening out of the blue, again and again, everyday.
Hi there. My problem isn’t that the audio won’t work at all, it’s that the audio randomly cuts out completely and briefly comes back on. What should I try doing?
Just want to mention on the sentence that starts with “The problem is” there is a typo. It is the words you your. “The problem is that on your You are”. Other than that, your article is good info.
Thank you Ralph. Lesson of the day “Never start work without the first cup of coffee”. Thank you for keeping us honest! We appreciate the feedback.