HT204380: Use FaceTime with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Learn about Use FaceTime with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
sbkevin

Q: how do I specify whether I want Facetime to use e-mail or phone number when I call from contact?

How do I specify whether I want Facetime to use e-mail or phone number when I call from contact?

I have some contacts who are in international locations, and want to know it will use e-mail.

iPhone 5, iOS 7

Posted on Oct 15, 2013 1:51 PM

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Q: how do I specify whether I want Facetime to use e-mail or phone number when I call from contact?

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  • by YYZ ON,

    YYZ ON YYZ ON Feb 2, 2014 5:43 PM in response to sbkevin
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    Feb 2, 2014 5:43 PM in response to sbkevin

    Workaround "Solution" to Ambiguous Face Time Call:  How do you know if you are calling his email or phone number?  There is a workaround to the iOS7 braindead default of not distinguishing which is which:

     

    Let “John” be the caller, and let “Michael” be the receiver:

     

    The "Caller"

     

    John should create 2 Contact Names for Michael:  Enter the following, say:

     

    Michael FaceTime E-mail

    Just enter the email in the contact information for example:  michael@hotmail.com  LEAVE everything else blank in the contact information database blanks.

     

    Michael FaceTIme Phone

    Just enter the phone number in the contact information for examle, 416-111-1212 LEAVE everything else blank in the contact information database blanks.

     

    When this is done, John has now two contact names for Michael:

     

    Michael FaceTIme E-mail

    Michael FaceTime Phone

     

     

    Sounds silly, but this is your way to distinguish which one John, as a caller will decide to use to call Michael.

     

    If John wants to capture and play safe by contacting him no matter how (either by email or number), create another Contact name and call it say,

     

    Michael Facetime Both

     

    Enter the phone number and email address in the contact information. 

    When John taps facetime, Facetime automatically signals to both identification (phone number and address) Michael will receive the call no matter what.  If he has an iPad associated with the email, and an iPhone associated with the phone number, both will ring simultaneously.

     

    Now, John has three choices in his contacts to contact Michael

     

     

    Michael FaceTIme E-mail

    Michael FaceTime Phone

    Michael FaceTime Both

     

    The "Receiver":

     

    On Michael’s end:  The receiver also has a control on whether he wants to be contacted by email or number by FaceTime:

     

    If he wants to be contacted only on a oarticular iDevice (iphone, ipad, ipod) , he should uncheck the phone number/email option in the General / Settings / You Can Be Reached At:

  • by YYZ ON,

    YYZ ON YYZ ON Feb 2, 2014 5:38 PM in response to WiseJD
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 2, 2014 5:38 PM in response to WiseJD

    I disagree - that is the CONTROL for the RECEIVER'S END.  He is asking how he wants to CONTROL which ID he wants to call meaning, he wants to have the CONTROL as a caller on his end - that is, he wants to choose whether he is calling by email or phone number.

  • by Fremeny,

    Fremeny Fremeny Apr 9, 2014 7:22 PM in response to YYZ ON
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 9, 2014 7:22 PM in response to YYZ ON

    I tried the work-around with different contact cards but it still doesn't work. This is SOOOO frustrating as it's the only way I've enjoyed communicating with my 80-year-old mother out of state. We finally got her using the iPad and we can't even use it for the intended purpose anymore. She'll NEVER understand how to use an iPhone so getting her one is not an option. I hope this gets fixed before it's too late for me to SEE my mother at the same time I talk with her--Argh!

     

    This was the worst-ever upgrade decision by Apple.

  • by Ossiepossie,

    Ossiepossie Ossiepossie Jun 11, 2014 9:48 AM in response to sbkevin
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 11, 2014 9:48 AM in response to sbkevin

    I use the following workaround to use email address for FaceTime (FaceTime uses phone numbers by default): Temporarily remove phone number(s) from contact, add to FaceTime favorites (thus using email), re-add phone numbers to contact. In your FaceTime favorites you can now FaceTime your contact through his/her email address. Check on the contacts page in FaceTime whether the star (indicating the contact is added to your favorites) is next to his/her email address, not phone number (s)

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