Despite the popularity of FaceTime, Apple has kept its voice and video calling service exclusive to its devices. That is changing with the release of iOS 15 and macOS Monterey. The company is bringing FaceTime calls to PC and Android users.
However, there are quite a few limitations here. Firstly, Apple is only bringing the ability to join a FaceTime call for Android and PC users. Secondly, the company is not releasing any dedicated FaceTime app for these platforms.
Instead, PC and Android users will be able to join a FaceTime call using a FaceTime link using Chrome or Edge browser on their device. This does require that the PC or Android device has H.264 video encoding support. The feature will work for both one-on-one and group FaceTime calls. Apple also highlights that PC and Android users don’t need to log in to their iCloud account before joining the FaceTime calls.
Bringing FaceTime to Android and other PCs is just one of the many changes that Apple has made to FaceTime with iOS 15 this year. One key new feature is Spatial Audio support which will give the feeling of the sound coming from the direction in which the person speaking from.
Other improvements to FaceTime include the ability to schedule and share FaceTime calls using FaceTime links. There’s a new grid view when on a group FaceTime video call for a better experience. With Voice isolation, FaceTime calls will now focus on your voice and minimize the background noise. On selected iPhones, users will also have the option to enable Portrait mode for their FaceTime video calls.
If you missed out on all of Apple’s announcements at the opening keynote, check out our roundup of all WWDC 2021 announcements here. Also, make sure to check out the best iOS 15 features coming to your iPhone this fall.
