FaceTime audio calls can be made over Wi-Fi or cellular data (3G / LTE) connections. While a FaceTime audio call will not use any wireless plan calling minutes, it does consume data.
The amount of data used by a FaceTime audio call varies, but it is significantly less that the amount of data used for a video call.
FaceTime gives iOS users the ability to video chat, but did you know that FaceTime can also be used to make audio-only calls? As long as both call participants have FaceTime the iPhone can make a normal phone call using the service.
Contacts with FaceTime capability will have both a video icon and phone handset icon in their contact information.
To make a FaceTime audio call tap the phone handset icon on the right.
Some wireless providers are limiting FaceTime over cellular calling to subscribers with specific data plans. Although iOS 6 provides for FaceTime over cellular, how can you tell if your iPhone has this capability?
To determine whether or not you have access to FaceTime over cellular, or you are limited to only making video calls over Wi-Fi:
On your iOS device navigate to Settings -> FaceTime -> Use Cellular Data -> ON
On newer versions of iOS the toggle is located here:
Settings -> Cellular -> FaceTime -> ON
When using FaceTime on a Wi-Fi connection your data plan is not used. Similarly, no cellular calling minutes are used during the video portion of a FaceTime call.
FaceTime calling can be used over a cellular data connection with an iPhone. Using FaceTime over a cellular data connection (3G / LTE) will use your data plan.
Five minutes of FaceTime video calling uses up to 15 MB of data.
