The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased video calls because, logically, it was the closest way to be able to see each other at a delicate moment when physical distancing was not only necessary, but also mandatory. It was from that moment that FaceTime has started to emerge as the best app for video calls. In my opinion, of course, since it really wasn’t the most used.
And that’s when I started loving video calls to talk with my friends and family. As I had many contacts without FaceTime compatibility with Android and Windows, this only happened in 2021 with iOS 15, I had time to try the alternatives of WhatsApp, Google Meet, Zoom, Skype and a few others. These are all great tools for this, especially the latter. However, bad for personal chats from iPhone. And FaceTime is by no means a perfect app.
If possible, call me better via FaceTime
I’m not at the point (yet) that I prefer FaceTime voice calls, which are essentially the same as regular calls from our phones, only over the Internet. At the moment, the classics continue to seem more comfortable to me, especially since Wi-Fi calling is available on the iPhone.
However, Yes, I give full priority to FaceTime over video calls.. When I want to teach something or just see faces with a family member or friend, this is the one I choose. Several things came together here, like the fact that my closest environment that I do these conferences with has mostly iPhones whereas before it was Android which was abundant (I swear I have nothing to do with their decision to move to iOS).
Yes I recognize it When they have Android, I’m more hesitant to suggest FaceTime. In practice it works the same, although since it involves having to give them a link and them being able to enter via the web it always makes me a little more embarrassed to ask. However, I did it at some point and I’m already saying that oddly enough it happens that 99% of my favorite video call contacts already own an iPhone.
Why not WhatsApp, Telegram or another video calling app?
The first case must be that of WhatsApp because for years, and at least here in USA, it has generally been the most common application with which to make video calls. It’s normal, actually. After all, it is one of the most used applications to communicate and offers us the possibility of establishing a video call with just one touch.
However, and even if I recognize its improvement, The quality of WhatsApp is still far from that of FaceTime. Initially, I attributed the problems to a poor Internet connection on my part or that of my interlocutors. However, it is something that is repeated regularly even in the best conditions. Blurry image on both sides, sound sometimes cut or delayed… It’s just not the most optimal.
With Telegram, things are a little better, even if your problem is not so much quality. It still seems to me that it is behind FaceTime in general, but what I find is that few people use this application. In my case it is the main messaging application and I have many contacts there, but paradoxically they are not the same ones with whom I later like to make video calls.
If we’ve already talked about it Skype, Google Meet or Zoom The level is already increasing considerably. It’s not a quality issue here either. Which sometimes fails, of course, but it’s not common and can happen with FaceTime here. What happens is that these simply aren’t the best-designed apps for use on a smartphone.
Their mobile applications are well optimized and everything you want, but in the end their interface shows that they are much less intuitive and practical than even FaceTime, WhatsApp, Telegram and, if you hurry, even Instagram can be. Not to mention that as they are more oriented towards professional and educational environments, many people have them on their computer, but not on their mobile phone.
FaceTime is all about quality video calls
I could sum it up in one word: stability. FaceTime is not perfect and occasional outages have occurred at some point, I’m not going to deny that. However, this is generally not the case, standing out above all for its good image and sound quality.
Image: Apple
But if there’s anything I highlight positively about this stability, it’s that even without having the best internet connection, it works well. As I said, in other applications this hasn’t happened to me even with a good signal, so imagine how they work when there are problems or the signal is weaker than usual.
I also like other things like how convenient it is to be integrated into the system, having quick access to make a FaceTime call from each contact’s file, but also via Siri with a simple “Hey, Siri, make a FaceTime video call to…”. That’s not why I would recommend it to everyone, but it is a good additive.
What I like least about FaceTime
FaceTime offers many effects for video calls, very suitable for informal chats. See Animojis, on-screen writing or effects. However, I admit that I use them little and, in fact, the effects frustrate me. I’m referring to the appearance of balloons, thumbs up and other animations introduced a few versions of iOS ago. These cannot be disabled (and in fact, they even appear in other video calling apps unless their developers disable them).
Even if in the end the most negative thing is that This is not at all an application intended for the professional field. Not at least in USA, where many jobs still use Windows and Android. As I said before, it is possible to use it in these systems, but it is not as comfortable as in other tools. Besides the lack of habit, of course.
FaceTime could benefit from some improvements to also be more adapted to the work environment
Anyway, beyond this lack of applications in other systems, the problem with FaceTime in the professional field is that it still needs to implement certain functions. Screen sharing was added recently and is one of the most necessary, but other options are still missing, such as a chat parallel to the video call or the possibility of recording the meeting, essential for taking notes in many companies.
Anyway, since this is ultimately a personal opinion piece, I have to say that I don’t mind not using FaceTime at work either. There aren’t many meetings that I have and it’s true that on the desktop the alternatives to Google Meet and company are much more interesting than on iOS. And personally, I already say that it is by far my favorite because of its stability.
Cover image | Generated with DALL-E 3 and Photoshop
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