What is FaceTime? Which iPhones and iPads Support FaceTime? @
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What is "FaceTime"? What iPhone, iPad, and iPod models are compatible with FaceTime?
In marketing copy at the time it was released, Apple formally promoted "FaceTime" as:
Phone calls like you’ve never seen before. People have been dreaming about movie calling for decades. iPhone four makes it a reality. With the tab of a button, you can wave hello to your kids, share a smile from across the glove, or see your best friend laugh at your stories.
In basic terms, FaceTime permits for "movie talks" in the same way that iChat, Skype, and other programs on desktop or notebook computers had made it possible to movie conference for many years.
FaceTime also takes advantage of the dual cameras on applicable iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices so you can engage in a movie conference using both. For example, you can begin with the front mounted camera (so your counterpart can see you) and then switch over to the rear camera to showcase the counterpart what you and the device "see."
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (FaceTime)
FaceTime Inspiration & History
Readers in Europe and Asia no doubt note that mobile movie talk had been available for years prior to the launch of the iPhone Four, but the iPhone four was the very first iPhone to support Apple’s then fresh FaceTime movie call technology.
As often is the case with Apple innovations, the company made it particularly elementary to use. It’s even possible to call someone with a compatible iPhone using the traditional mobile phone functionality and switch over to FaceTime. Once you switch to FaceTime you no longer are using mobile minutes, but you cannot switch back to the mobile without ending the FaceTime session and redialing the phone number.
When this Q&A was very first published on July 11, 2010, FaceTime only was compatible with the iPhone four and FaceTime calls only could be made inbetween two iPhone four models over Wi-Fi (FaceTime over 3G was not supported until the release of the iPhone 4s and iOS six and FaceTime audio calling without movie was not supported until the release of iOS 7).
As EveryiPhone.com speculated at the time of initial publication, it was a safe bet that FaceTime functionality would be provided by future iPod touch and iPad models and maybe even the Mac. Sure enough, Apple subsequently released FaceTime for the iPad two and later models as well as the iPod touch 4th Gen and later models and the Mac (running Mac OS X Ten.6.6 "Snow Leopard" or later).
FaceTime Supported iPhone, iPad & iPod touch Devices
All modern iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices support FaceTime. Odds are good that your device supports it and the presence of the green "FaceTime" app is all you need for confirmation.
However, if you cannot locate the app, the device will not turn on, or you are not certain which iPhone, iPad, or iPad touch you have, these models can be identified externally by Model Number precisely enough to determine whether or not it supports FaceTime. The model number is listed in petite type on the back of each device toward the bottom.
The early iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models that do not support or that do not fully support FaceTime are: