In 2021, with the announcement of iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS 12 Monterey, Apple opened FaceTime video calls up to Android, Windows, and other operating systems. Although Apple did not release dedicated apps for these platforms, it did allow them to join FaceTime calls.
To start a call, someone with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac will need to open the FaceTime app, tap the “Create Link” button, and share it with you on your Android device. You can then join the call and participate in the FaceTime call. Our guide on FaceTime for Android can walk you through the full process.
However, if you are looking for a more solid video conferencing service that can be started by either party, there are several great video calling alternatives that do work on Android.
A word of advice. If you happen to search the Google Play Store for FaceTime and find apps with “FaceTime” in their names, you should know that they are not official apps, and do not support Apple FaceTime. At best, you might be able to make video calls with them, but at worst you’ll find yourself installing some sketchy app, or even malware.
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Instead of trying your luck with those apps, there are some solid video calling apps available for Android. No, they don’t let you connect with Facetime users. But, you can use them to make video calls to people using iPhones, Android phones, and even other platforms. They just have to have the same app installed on their device.
Zoom: If there is one go-to video calling service for both work and home, it’s Zoom. It’s not the most polished application, but there’s a high chance that at least one person in each household has used it for school, work, or communicating with others. Zoom is available for Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, iPad, and Linux. Google Duo: Google Duo is available for Android, iPhone, iPad, and through a web browser on Windows, Mac, Chromebooks, and Linux. It supports one-to-one and group video calls, and you can make them over Wi-Fi or cellular data connections. Google Duo also offers a couple of neat features. Knock Knock lets you see the video of the person who’s calling you, even before you answer the call. You can also leave a video message (much like a voicemail) when someone can’t answer your call. Google Meet: Although aimed primarily at paid Google Workspace users, Google Meet is a great group video conferencing service. It does offer some user-friendly features such as virtual backgrounds. Google Meet is available through web browsers on Windows, Mac, Chromebooks, and Linux, and there are apps for Android, iPhone, and iPad. Facebook Messenger: Did you know that you can make video calls using Facebook Messenger? You can, and you can use the feature on pretty much any operating system. There are dedicated Messenger apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android, but you can also use Messenger right in your desktop web browser to make video calls from Windows, Mac, or Linux. WhatsApp: Facebook-owned WhatsApp isn’t incredibly popular stateside, but it’s one of the most-used messaging apps globally. If you’re looking for an all-in-one messaging service for texting, audio calls, and video calls, this should be your family’s top pick. WhatsApp is available for Android, iPhone, iPad, Windows, Mac, and the web. Skype: Owned by Microsoft, Skype was one of the first video call apps to become mainstream. Since then, it’s only gotten better. Skype is available for Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Linux, and Android. Viber: Viber is a feature-rich app that you can use for video calls and a variety of other purposes. It has millions of users worldwide and is available for a variety of platforms like iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Mac, and Linux.
And yes, you’ll need to take the extra step of making sure that the people you want to call have the right app installed. But once that’s done, you’ll be able to place video calls to just about anybody, no matter what platform they use.
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