This is why you won’t get FaceTime for Android

Jealous of your iPhone-owning friends being able to FaceTime with each other? Wondering how you can put FaceTime on your Android phone? Want to find the Android equivalent of FaceTime?

We’ll discuss all of these topics and more in our FaceTime for Android guide.

What is FaceTime?

First, we must consider what FaceTime is and how it works.

FaceTime is Apple’s video and audio calling service. It was launched in 2010 for iOS and in 2011 for Mac. It’s a free service on all compatible Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, and iPod touch. Anyone with these devices can call anyone else on a compatible device as long as they have a phone number or email address. Using a Mac, you can even share your screen via FaceTime.

While FaceTime is a video calling app, FaceTime Audio only supports voice calls. This provides an alternative to phone calls if you have a limited plan. Also, FaceTime only supports conversations between two people. You will have to look elsewhere for group chats

The reason FaceTime is so convenient is because it comes preinstalled on every iPhone. You must sign in or register an Apple ID when you set up iPhone, so a video call with someone you know who owns an iPhone is just a tap away. You don’t have to fiddle with creating new accounts or downloading another app.

Can I use FaceTime on Android?

FaceTime is a proprietary app (the opposite of open source), which means it’s not available for use everywhere. Since Apple created FaceTime, it decides which devices it will work on. Unsurprisingly, given Apple’s design philosophy, FaceTime is only available on Apple devices.

You won’t be able to find FaceTime for download in the Google Play Store or Microsoft Store. If you don’t have a compatible Apple device, that means you’re out of luck and need to use an alternative video calling app.

Luckily, you’ll find plenty of FaceTime alternatives that work great on Android.

What is the Android version of FaceTime?

Let’s take a look at some of the best FaceTime-like apps you can use on Android. If they don’t work for you, you will find many similar apps.

Google Hangouts

There have been a few confusing changes to Google Hangouts. later, but it’s actually a great chat app. It combines not only FaceTime video calling functionality, but also Apple’s iMessage functionality into one app. It comes preinstalled on almost every Android phone and you can easily use it for video and audio calls.

Open the Hangouts app on your phone to get started. Click the icon A plus», floating in the bottom right corner and you can start a text chat or video call with any of your contacts who also use Hangouts. If you have an email address or phone number associated with their Google account, you can start a conversation or call them here.

why is there no face for android

In a text conversation, you can press the buttons at the top of the screen to start a video or audio call. Unlike FaceTime, Hangout supports up to 10 users at the same time. And because hangouts are available on both iOS and the web, you can chat with anyone, Apple device or not. Learn our Tricks for Google Hangouts Google Hangouts Tricks that for some nifty secrets.

Download: Google Hangouts for Android | iOS | Internet (free)

Google Duos

For some reason, Google decided that perfectly functional Hangouts video calls weren’t enough. So he created a brand new video calling app called Duo. This app has a simplified interface with a focus on one-on-one calling like FaceTime.

Duo has a few differences from Hangouts. It’s optimized for poor connections, so you should experience a serious challenge even in below average network conditions. Duo also uses phone numbers for contacts, making it easier for your friends to get on board as they don’t need to sign up for a Google account.

In 2017, Google updated Duo to only support audio calling. It also has a feature called «Knock Knock» that lets you watch a few seconds of live video when someone calls you. Finally, Duo calls are encrypted. which is a welcome addition.

Overall, Duo is the closest app to the Android version of FaceTime. It’s a no-frills solution that isn’t as much as Hangouts but this simplicity appeals to some. Duo is also available for iOS, so if your iPhone-owning friends don’t mind installing another app, they can easily talk to you.

Download: Google Duo for Android | iOS (free)

Skype

Good old Skype is the original video calling app. While it works just fine, there’s not much reason to choose it from Hangouts or Duo, unless all of your friends use Skype only. The older apps are better integrated with Android, and Skype requires you to use a Microsoft account. In addition, the recent redesign redesign redesign adds a lot of bloated nonsense that you probably don’t care about.

If you use Skype, follow our tips for the best experience.

Download: Skype for Android | iOS | Internet (free)

Calls between Android and iPhone

So what’s the best solution if you want to «FaceTime» your iPhone-owning friends while you have an Android phone?

Google Duo is your best bet. It’s easy to set up, so if you’re trying to video chat with a relative who isn’t tech-savvy, they don’t have to do much to get started. Linking your Duo account to a phone number also eliminates the extra step of signing up for a Google or Microsoft account. And Duo doesn’t get bogged down in a lot of unnecessary features.

If you want to chat with Android users, Duo is still the best choice! Google is starting to enable it by default on new Android phones. Let’s hope Duo becomes the default video chat app for Android users soon, just like FaceTime on iOS.

The only downside to Duo is that you can’t call people using the desktop. To do this, you must keep Hangouts nearby.

Will we ever see FaceTime for Android?

Most likely, Apple will never release a version of FaceTime for Android.

Apple really broke new ground by making Apple Music available on Android, which was its first true Android app (apart from the «shift to iOS» debacle). ). But that’s just to make more money from Android users — Apple Music doesn’t have a free tier.

FaceTime is different. It’s a free service and part of the «magic» of using an Apple device. The availability of FaceTime on Android or other platforms will make it cheaper for the work he creates to make his own devices work in harmony. FaceTime can move from video chatting between Apple devices to a different video calling app.