PSA: iPhone 4's FaceTime won't use your voice minutes
By Chris Ziegler 
posted June 21st 2010 6:20PM
posted June 21st 2010 6:20PM
posted June 21st 2010 6:20PM
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Get real. No other vendors will adopt this silly "standard."
@junktrunk
Yes they will, because it provided dramatically better quality than you can get today (which is why people don't make 3G calls, well that and the expense) and requires no signup, setup, buddy lists or any other aggravation.
@(Unverified) id wait for microsoft video kinect... talking to other WinPho users and 360 users? deal
@junktrunk
Why would it use up minutes? Mobile to Mobile is free and so is using your own wifi, correct?! They make the standard seem like they are giving you a deal but in all actuality its free but everyone who has FaceTime is using an iPhone 4 on AT&T (at least in the USA). This may be more exciting for other countries that have iPhones on 3-4 different carriers. The real answer will come once they implement this on other platforms then see if its free then!
BREAKING NEWS: There have been reports that some has broken into Steve Jobs's Beach Side Condo and ransacked his rooms. Leaving Behind his stilled Boxed Ipad, 2 Iphone 4's and a Zune HD. Items reported missing by Mr.Jobs are as qouted "My 7 Black turtle necks (one for everyday of the week), 2 Acid wash jeans (size 26 wast), and 1 pair of old grey new Balance 498. Without these missing Items Mr.Jobs is not able to leave his home.
If you have any information on these missing articles of clothing please contact the Local Authorities. You will be rewarded with a free Brochure of the Iphone 4 and $3 dollars off Itunes your next Itunes purchase.
Interesting. I would like this tech. to work with other cell phones with front facing cams though...
Of course its not going to use up minutes, how are iPad 2g wifi users and iPod touch 4g users going to be charged?
I would hope so. I'd be pissed if it did when its only via WiFi. If it was over 3G, thats a different story. But still, I rather not have to pay using that..
It's using WiFi only , so it can't use voice minutes surely?
And on proper voice calling (that stuff from 2004) video minutes were always billed separately, despite there not being much difference between the connection (much like how tethering is the same as internet on the device itself /rant)
What! Is this really a news story?
I'd have thought it pretty obvious that a wifi app wouldn't use your voice minutes. What next? a news story that a wifi app doesn't use your AT & T data allowance?
Must try harder.
@weststander
my guess is that chris wants us to make fun of someone.
@weststander
You must not be an AT&T customer. They charge us for EVERYTHING, including the data you use with their MicroCell (which connects to your wifi). They claim its because the data eventually travels over their network, but for some reason they don't allow you to charge them for the same data while it's still on your network.
That and $20 for the permission to tether. That's right, $20 just for permission to tether, not for the actual data. Do you really think it's beneath these guys to try to charge you for using your own wifi network?
Ah, "juic[y]" and "Facetime" in the same sentence. What foresight!
That's probably an oversight on AT&T so expect them to fix it and get charged for voice AND data for Facetime calls
ATT to ATT (mobile to mobile) is already free, so it wouldn't have mattered if this used up minutes.
It can't be this easy. They'll probably charge for data even though it's wi-fi.
WHY WOULD IT CHARGE... THINK ABOUT IT FACETIME IS ONLY IPHONE 4 TO IPHONE 4 IM NOT A ROCKET SCIENTIST BUT I THINK THATS MOBILE TO MOBILE HUH
@Rev3nge
Shhh ... not so loud.
On one hand this surprises me, because I thought FaceTime continued the cellular call while simply streaming the video over the wifi. If the iPhone is indeed switching the entire call from 3G to wifi, then AT&T is giving a semi-nod to the ability to seamlessly switch voice calls from cellular to data.
On the other hand, as people have said, FaceTime only works with other iPhone users, which means you will most likely be making a call from an AT&T user to an AT&T user, which is free anyways.
What about T-Mobile users who use the iPhone sans 3G? Can they use FaceTime? If so this would be a case where you could avoid using voice minutes in a situation where you normally used them.
If FaceTime allows switching a call from 3G to wifi, why not allow regular voice calls to do the same?
obviously... its wifi only
absolutely iPhone 4 Facetime will make people more fun and [url=http://hdconverterformac.com/article-avchd-video/avchd-to-iphone-4-converter-mac.html]enjoy hd video[/url] with iPhone 4 camera.
lOl @ Steve Jobs' face. =D
This is clearly a big deal when setting up a FaceTime call to someone out of country - the set-up call alone could cost a significant amount of $$$.
So - can you set-up a FaceTime call, over WIFi of course, without making any cellular call at all?
Why does this need to be told?
Oh right, Iphone users.