The Internet gives people unprecedented opportunities. Today, more than ever, we can turn to the Web for any information and get it instantly: in the hands of mankind is the world's largest collection of music, films and books. We are always up to date with the latest developments and store documents in the form of computer files. But, most importantly, the Internet erases the boundaries and distances between people, allowing you to communicate online, regardless of location, which is why instant messengers and VoIP calling services, such as Skype or Face Time, are so popular on the Web.
Face Time: what is it?
Face Time is a technology that allows you to establish video or audio communication between electronic devices that support it (meaning Apple gadgets).
The technology was first demonstrated by Steve Jobs during the presentation of the fourth generation iPhone. Right on stage, he showed how video chat works using the front and main cameras of the phone. At the same time, Steve said about Face Time that this is the highest quality and safest way to contact family and friends. In the future, this technologymigrated to other devices of the company, including iPads of the second generation and older, Mac computers with a FaceTime camera installed, and iPod touch players.
The feature of this service is the unprecedented quality of video and audio.
Initially, this service allowed making calls only using Wi-Fi, which was extremely negatively perceived by the public, given the fact that 3G coverage was developed at the time of launch. Later, in 2012, at the presentation of the fifth generation iPhone, Apple announced that Face Time would work via mobile Internet.
Another important moment in the development of technology was the advent of audio calls, presented in 2013 with iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks.
How to set up Face Time?
This service requires an iCloud account. To create it, it is enough to register an Apple ID, which is done by all users without exception to activate the device. You can create an account in iTunes or when you turn on the gadget for the first time.
On Mac computers, creating an account is enough to enable FaceTime later on. On iOS, the setup process includes one more step. How to set up Face Time on iPhone? This service must be activated on the phone. To do this, go to "Settings" > FaceTime and use the power switch.
To establish a connection with a specific subscriber, you need to know his phone number (ifattached) or Apple ID. Also, Face Time pulls data from your address book: those users who already use Face Time will appear in the corresponding application and will be available for a call.
Opportunities
At the moment, the service allows you to establish a connection between two devices using Wi-Fi, as well as 3G and LTE networks.
Face Time uses H264 and AAC (Apple Audio Codec) standards to ensure the best communication quality, as well as RTP and SRTP data encryption methods to ensure maximum user security.
The service operates free of charge, and customers pay only for Internet traffic.
Restrictions
Unfortunately, as is often the case at Apple, this technology has a number of limitations. These include:
- A maximum of two devices can participate in a conversation.
- Long connection times (to be fixed in 2016).
- Unable to switch from video to audio call.
- Prohibited for use in a number of countries (Russia is not one of them).
Because of these shortcomings, one can often hear criticism of Face Time that it is just a miserable copy of Skype. At the same time, many users do not take into account the high quality of communication and full encryption, which is not available in most other services.
Instead of a conclusion
Now the reader has become aware of another useful and convenient service from Apple. After reading this material, you should notquestions remain regarding Face Time: what it is, how to set up the service and how to use it. So, it's time to move from theory to practice and call someone close right now, because it's completely free.
