Smart & Connected Life Working From Home 56 56 people found this article helpful How to Group FaceTime Yes, you can FaceTime with 3 or more people at a time by Sam Costello Writer Sam Costello has been writing about tech since 2000. His writing has appeared in publications such as CNN.com, PC World, InfoWord, and many others. our editorial process Facebook Twitter Sam Costello Updated on December 28, 2020 reviewed by Christine Baker Lifewire Tech Review Board Member Christine Baker is a marketing consultant with experience working for a variety of clients. Her expertise includes social media, web development, and graphic design. our review board Article reviewed on Apr 12, 2020 Christine Baker Tweet Share Email Working From Home The Ultimate Guide to Shopping Online The Ultimate Guide to Online Learning at Home The Ultimate Guide to Skype What to Know Easiest on iOS: FaceTime > + > Contact you want to call > Video or Audio. On Mac: FaceTime > Sign in > Select people you want to add to the call > Video or Audio. This article explains how to make a group FaceTime call two different ways, plus bonus tips for using filters and switching which person you're watching. Instructions apply to devices running iOS 12.1.4 and later or macOS 10.14.3 Mojave and newer; older iOS devices with iOS 12.1.4 and later can use Group FaceTime only for audio calls. How to Start A Group FaceTime on iPhone or iPad There are two ways to FaceTime with multiple people on an iPad or iPhone: through the FaceTime app or the Messages app. Use the FaceTime App Open FaceTime and select the Plus icon (+). In the To text field, select the Plus icon (+) to open your contacts. Browse through and select the contacts you want to add to the call. You can also manually enter phone numbers or email addresses to invite participants. Select Video to start a Group FaceTime video call, or choose Audio to make it an audio call. Use the Messages App Open Messages and select the group conversation you want to use for the video or audio FaceTime call. If there isn't a relevant group conversation to use, make a new one by composing a new text and adding the recipients to it. Send a text to this group to make it a viable starting point for a group FaceTime call. Tap the profile images or avatar icons at the top of the message. If it shows the number of people in the group without images, select that. Select FaceTime to start a Group FaceTime video call, or select audio to start a group audio call using FaceTime. If you're trying to make a FaceTime call from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac and it's not working, we've got tips on how to fix it. How to Group FaceTime on a Mac Starting a Group FaceTime call on a Mac computer is easy. Open the FaceTime app for macOS and sign in using your Apple ID. In the search field, enter the names of the people you want to add to the call. You can use their name, email, or phone number. On a version of macOS that is older than Mojave 10.14.3, you might not be able to add multiple participants to a FaceTime call. Select either Video or Audio to start a FaceTime call. Mac users can also initiate a Group FaceTime call from the Messages app for macOS using the Details screen. How to Use FaceTime Filters You can quickly and easily use filters to add a little pizzazz to your FaceTime calls. While in a call, tap anywhere on the screen, then select effects. Select the Filters icon, represented by overlapping red, green, and blue circles. Select a filter or swipe left to browse more options. The effect is applied to your image for the duration of the call. How to Switch Which Person You are Watching on FaceTime In a one-on-one FaceTime call, your image is displayed in a picture-in-picture window or tile, while the other caller is displayed in the main window. In a group call, the tile of the person speaking expands automatically, helping you to see the speaker better and follow the conversation. FaceTime knows which tile to expand by monitoring the volume input of callers. There is no way to expand the tiles of various participants manually; the user must speak or make noise for their tile to expand. Group FaceTime Alternatives Some platforms, like Windows, don't support FaceTime. If your device does not support FaceTime calls or will not start a Group FaceTime video or audio call, there are alternative apps that support group calling. Many of these alternatives work on Android, Windows, macOS, iOS, among others, and these are usually cross-platform. That means that someone with an Android tablet, for example, can call a person with a Windows or iOS device. Here are some examples: Facebook Messenger: See up to 6 people at once, but include up to 250. Google Hangouts: Group calls are limited to 10 people. Snapchat: Group calls are limited to 16 people. Skype: Group calls are limited to 50 people. Viber: Group calls are limited to 5 people. WeChat: Group calls are limited to 9 people. Zoom: Group calls of up to 100 people. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit