5 Ways to FaceTime on Your Mac
FaceTime on macOS provides a convenient way to host meetings, reach out to friends, and receive phone calls on your Mac. All you need is a Mac with your Apple ID signed in, and you can enjoy all the many features the app has to offer.
However, there are various ways to start a FaceTime call on a Mac. Some of them can be more convenient, depending on the context. Here, we’ll discuss all the direct ways so that you can determine what works best for you. Browse through and fit them into boosting your productivity.
1. Make a Hands-Free FaceTime Call With Siri
Once you figure outhow to use Siri on your Mac, you can take things further and use it to make FaceTime calls. Siri offers a hands-free way of calling someone on your Mac—so you don’t need to touch your computer or switch apps to make a FaceTime call.
Follow these steps to do it: first, make sure Ask Siri is turned on inSystem Settings>Siri & Spotlightby toggling on theAsk Siriswitch and selectingEnable.
Also, check that that theListen for “Hey Siri"is toggled on. Say, “Hey Siri, FaceTime ” to start a FaceTime video call with anyone in your contacts list.
Say, “Hey Siri, place a FaceTime audio call to ” to start a FaceTime audio call instead.
Telling Siri to “call ” will make a cellular call if your iPhone is nearby instead of a FaceTime call.
2. Launch the FaceTime App
The FaceTime app is the default way to use FaceTime on a Mac. You’ll find the icon as a white camera in a rounded green square on the Dock.
Opening the app offers two ways to place a FaceTime call: one with a meeting link and the other by calling your contacts.
After you select your desired contact from theNew FaceTimewindow, you can either clickFaceTimeto place a FaceTime video call or click the dropdown arrow next to theFaceTimebutton for a FaceTime audio call.
3. Use Your iPhone to FaceTime on Your Mac
As long as you’re signed into your Apple ID on both your Mac and iPhone, you can switch calls between them, provided they’re connected to the same Wi-Fi network. So, you could start or answer a call on your phone and then move it to your Mac—and vice versa.
Here’s how to do it:
Set up FaceTime on your iPhone and make a call. During the call, tap theaudioicon (represented by a megaphone) and select your Mac from the pop-up menu.
You can also select the notification to move the call to your Mac when it appears on your Mac.
4. Start a FaceTime Call During an iMessage Conversation
You can also start a FaceTime call with somebody you’re texting through iMessage. This is a great way to quickly change an established chat into a call.
Follow the steps below on your Mac:
5. Quickly FaceTime Your Favorite Contacts With Shortcuts
Shortcuts are a great way to compress custom chains of actions into a single process on your Mac. We’ve already coveredhow to use the Shortcuts app for macOS, but for FaceTime, we’ll show you how to set up a specific shortcut so that call your favorite contacts with a single click:
Add your shortcut to the menu bar by clicking theInfo (i)button on the right, selectingDetails, and toggling onPin in Menu Bar.
Rename your shortcut by highlighting the shortcut’s name at the top of the window and typing in whatever name is appropriate. Launch your shortcut by clicking theShortcutsicon in the menu bar and selecting the shortcut you just created and renamed.
Get creative with your combinations, and feel free to create as many FaceTime shortcuts as you like.
FaceTime Makes Calling on a Mac More Convenient
Apple didn’t have to integrate so many ways to FaceTime a person in macOS, but it did. Now, you can FaceTime in convenient ways without having to compromise with your iPhone.
Thanks to your Mac’s bigger screen real estate, managing large meetings and hosting online conferences over FaceTime is easier. And since it’s built into macOS, it’s completely free and better optimized than any third-party option.
it’s possible to do a lot more than just make video calls with FaceTime on your Mac.
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