Apple Fixes FaceTime on Older Versions of OS X, iOS 6 Still Not Working

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facetime_ios_iconApple tonight released an update for FaceTime on OS X [Direct Link], which resolves connections issues and is recommended for all FaceTime users currently running OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. The connection issues are presumably related to the problems reported last week which affected both older versions of OS X and iOS 6 versions of FaceTime.

Apple, however, has not yet addressed the problems with FaceTime that are in iOS 6. While it is encouraging that Apple released an update for FaceTime for OS X 10.6, Apple support's recommendations for iOS 6 users has been to upgrade to iOS 7. One user has quoted Apple support as saying that the only fix for iOS 6 is to upgrade to the latest version of iOS 7, with no current plans to release a fix on iOS 6 or iOS 5.

According to Apple's updated FaceTime troubleshooting page, users who are still having trouble with the application are recommended to update to the latest version of iOS or OS X.

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Top Rated Comments

mw360 Avatar
mw360
148 months ago
Welp I guess no more FaceTime for me. It was fun while it lasted guys ✌

In the UK at least, you can still connect and use a 100 year old pulse dialling telephone.

With Apple we're supposed to grateful if something still works after 3 years. Progress :rolleyes:
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spyguy10709 Avatar
spyguy10709
148 months ago
As an iPod Touch 4 owner, this really sucks. The iPT4 never got an upgrade to iOS 7, and was heavily marketed as an inexpensive way to FaceTime. Thanks, Apple! :mad:
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BBCWatcher Avatar
BBCWatcher
148 months ago
In terms of iOS devices, the earliest devices to support FaceTime are the iPhone 4, iPod touch 4th generation, and the iPad 2.

The iPhone 4 and iPad 2 can be updated to iOS 7.x, and that's a solution. The iPod touch 4th generation cannot, at least not unless Apple changes its mind and gets an iOS 7.x out the door for that device. It appears to be the only FaceTime-capable device unable to upgrade to iOS 7.x.

As I write this, Apple is still selling refurbished 4th generation iPod touch devices in many of Apple's online stores around the world. These devices are prominently advertised as supporting FaceTime. In many countries Apple's failure to fix FaceTime would be illegal especially given these continuing sales direct from Apple.

I think Apple is going to fix FaceTime on the 4th generation iPod touch and rather quickly. I don't think Apple wants the lawsuits they'd probably lose. It'd also be at least the polite thing to do to add FaceTime Audio to the 4th generation iPod touch to set a common, baseline service level. Or at least figure out how to produce a more sensible error message ("You are trying to contact a person with a device that does not support FaceTime Audio. Would you like to try FaceTime Video instead?") on iOS 7+ devices attempting to contact 4th generation iPod touch users via FaceTime Audio.

Live by the cloud, die by the cloud. If you go into the utility business, Apple, you better act like a (premium) utility. And it's not as if there aren't competitors on Apple's own platforms. Microsoft with Skype, notably -- and Microsoft would be delighted to welcome FaceTime refugees.

Steve Jobs himself did not tolerate this sort of fumbling with MobileMe, and I'm sure he wouldn't tolerate these FaceTime failures either.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ouimetnick Avatar
ouimetnick
148 months ago
It got an update to iOS 6 (and bug fixes through February 2014). A lot of people didn't think it would make it that far. It only has 256MB RAM, and no device supported by iOS 7 has less than 512MB of RAM.

The original iPad has similar hardware and runs quite a bit faster, but was dropped at iOS 5.1.1.

Thats also not a valid excuse. Who was cheap and put only 256MB of RAM in the iPad and 4th gen iPod touch? Yup, Apple did!:rolleyes:

Those devices even when they ran iOS 4 (not even the max OS allowed) still sucked when using tabs in Safari. Constantly reloading, some sites wouldn't load with out Safari crashing thanks to the lack of RAM.

Apple could have doubled it to 512MB like the iPhone 4 for pretty much nothing.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dave.UK Avatar
Dave.UK
148 months ago
So does this apply to devices that cannot upgrade to iOS 7 or is it just those devices that can run iOS 7 but users have chosen not to upgrade? If it's the former they for sure need to fix it. If it's the latter you're probably screwed. But staying on iOS 6 indefinitely is pointless IMO because the ship has sailed and you're not getting an iOS 6 style UI back. So if iOS 7 bothers you that much then I guess it's off to Android or Windows Phone for you. Or you keep the phone you have and don't upgrade.

If someone wants to stay on ios6, then good for them. A software upgrade dosent automatically mean better to everyone. Its the magical word "choice".
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
apolloa Avatar
apolloa
148 months ago
Hahaha, so Apple makes the software itself, makes the hardware itself, and it still breaks.
Have the ios team all fallen apart without Forstall?

As its Apple we will never know.

----------

It's really time users running iOS 6, update to iOS 7.
Yes, yes that's right, its time all those people threw their iPod Touches in the bin and upgraded :rolleyes: how dare they keep them and complain about something that worked perfectly fine last week is broken this week.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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