Upadate: Facetime will be available over 3G on the new iOS 6 update for the iPhone 4s and iPad 3- you will be charged by your carrier if you use Facetime on your 3G- the price is yet to be determined when the iOS 6 update is released.
Facetime is an application by Apple that lets you make video calls between Apple devices. You can make Facetime calls over the iPhone, iPad 2, iPod touch, the new iPad and the Mac. Facetime only works on Apple devices.
Is Facetime free?
Apple confirmed that Facetime is free; it is used over Wi-Fi and will not cost you any money,
Is Facetime free internationally?
Yes, it is free, as long as the person you are calling has a Wi-Fi connection you are good to go, from anywhere in the world
Does FaceTime have a carrier charge?
Facetime is used of Wi-Fi so it won’t cost you anything on your carrier. You can also change a voice call to a Facetime video chat.
Will Facetime work with old Apple devices?
Yes, it works but only the phone with the Facetime application (iPhone 4s) can initiate the conversation.
Facetime Over 3G
Apple will probably make Facetime available through 3G in the future; Steve Jobs did mention that Apple was working on making it available. Apple and the mobile carriers will have to negotiate a price for video calls, if they do indeed make it available on 3G.
The problem with Facetime over 3G is the quality of the video calls, it probably won’t be as good as Wi-Fi. In addition, video is going to use a lot more bandwidth and therefore cost you more.
Overall, I think it would be better to have the option, as Wi-Fi is not always readily available, particularly outdoors. Anyway, for now Facetime is completely free so have fun!
[Image credit via Flickr-AndyRobertsPhoto]
