FaceTime icon greyed in Contacts, calls work

It appears that a bug has been introduced within the 26.4.x updates that affects the Contacts / FaceTime Apps. I have spent the last 24 hours attempting to debug and resolve the problem - without success.

In brief, the issue is characterised by the Contacts App contact-cards, for Users known to use FaceTime, now being shown with the corresponding FaceTime video icon/button ghosted (i.e. unavailable).

At this time there appears to be a limited workaround. A FaceTime video call can be successfully made from within the FaceTime App - by tapping the green "New" button; this will open the New FaceTime dialogue. Here you can enter the target recipient's name within the "To" field - and then selecting the corresponding recipient from the candidate list. The FaceTime video call can then be initiated - demonstrating that the target recipient is (a) signed-in to the FaceTime service, and (b) can receive FaceTime calls.

Interestingly, the problem does not appear to be universally experienced by all users that have updated their devices. By example, my wife (having also updated her iPhone and iPad to the latest version) has not yet encountered the problem. Having checked, our individual device and App settings appear consistent between our devices. We obviously have different Apple Accounts and are signed-in to Apple services using our individual account credentials; of itself, this might suggest that the problem is in some way associated with the impacted User's Apple Account.

You and others that encounter this issue need to submit a Bug Report to Apple via its Product Feedback portal:

Feedback - Apple

You might be wise to submit multiple Bug Reports to Apple - one report each for the Contacts and FaceTime App - in addition to individual bug reports for each specific affected device (such as iPhone, iPad and Mac). In submitting multiple reports to Apple, you will hopefully reach the appropriate team. Drafting the body-text your Bug Report offline - and then using cut and paste - can usefully facilitate effective and quick submission of your bug reports without the hassle of trying to type the entire report multiple times. You might also include a link to this ASC discussion thread; here is its unique URL:

FaceTime icon greyed in Contacts, calls w… - Apple Community

Here's another discussion in the same vain:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256283177

Every report counts - as until Apple receive a sufficient number or reports, it is perhaps unlikely that resources will be assigned to investigate and resolve the issue.

When submitting your Bug Report(s), please ensure that you include as much detail as possible within the body of the report - including your iPad model and installed version of the OS and the impacted Apps and Apple services; don’t rely upon the pick-list alone, as this rarely includes the full range of device models or most recent versions of iOS/iPadOS.

darrylfromwinnetka wrote:

Hello Apple,

Since your recent update 26.4.2 all my FaceTime option in contact's have been GHOSTED…. Please fix Now

This is a bad Bug/glitch!

This is a user-to-user technical community. Contributors here are all end-users, just like you. Other than the site Moderators, Apple neither monitors nor participates within this Community. As such, your comments here will not be seen or acted upon by Apple or Apple Support.

If you too are affected by this bug, please submit a Bug Report yourself - as previously directed - via the Product Feedback portal:

Feedback - Apple

Reliance upon others to submit bug reports won't get the issue resolved. Your report might be the one that causes the necessary resources to be assigned.

Don't be afraid to post repeat Bug Reports if the issue is not resolved. Also consider contacting Apple Support directly. You can contact the Support Team using the Support link at top-right or bottom-left of this page.

Alternatively, you can initiate and manage your support cases from Apple devices using the excellent Apple Support App. If not already installed, the App can be downloaded from the App Store:

https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-support/id1130498044

Am having the same problem in my M4 iMac.

Workaround for now is to double click the contacts entry to open in a new window. Facetime icon is then active.

You are very welcome. Always submit a Bug Report yourself where you can; reliance upon others submitting reports won't get the issue resolved. Your report might be the one that causes the necessary resources to be assigned.

Submitting Bug Reports to Apple is relatively straightforward. Sometimes the biggest difficulty is providing adequate detail within the character-limit imposed by the web-form. You may need to compose an effective summary - and include a link to a related Apple Support Community thread where it provides clear detail of the issue/bug.

Don't be afraid to post repeat Bug Reports if the issue is not resolved in subsequent OS updates. Also consider contacting Apple Support directly. You can contact the Support Team using the Support link at top-right or bottom-left of this page.

Alternatively, you can initiate and manage your support cases from Apple devices using the excellent Apple Support App. If not already installed, the App can be downloaded from the App Store:

https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-support/id1130498044

I'm having exactly the same issue. Thank you, Rex Ross, for the workaround!

Hello Apple,

Since your recent update 26.4.2 all my FaceTime option in contact's have been GHOSTED…. Please fix Now

This is a bad Bug/glitch!