Can you FaceTime with multiple people at the same time?

No. Facetime is one-to-one only. If you wish to conference with several people, you'll need to use one of the third-party services such as Skype (for which, I believe, you have to pay if you want multiple people in a video conference).

Regards.

I have found that Google+ hangout works with multiple people. I was testing it today and it appeared that you could not initiate the call from an iPad or iPhone, but you can join in if someone else starts the hangout.

Why did Apple take away multiple video chat capability. They had it at one time!?

Taser_This wrote:

Why did Apple take away multiple video chat capability. They had it at one time!?

Facetime has never had multiple video chat capabilities. You're thinking of iChat, which is a Mac-only application.

Yes, I realize the multi-party conferencing was in iChat on the Mac. But that capability on the Mac now appears to be gone in Mountain Lion, unless I have missed something? If so, it is odd that capability that provided this valuable embedded level of utilility just disappears, particualrly when Apple made such a big deal of it when it was added to iChat originally.

Am in correct that iChat is not longer in OSX, nor any Apple provided multi-party video chat?

You are not correct. Messages has replaced the iChat application in Mountain Lion and most if not all of the functionality is still there, including multi-person video chat. It still will not work with FaceTime on an iOS device, though.

Regards.

I have been away from using iChat and messages for a while. I am now updating and adding 2 iPads, and my mothers iMac to be able to share screens and video chat.

iChat did have the ability to carry out multiple person calls. Apple has now changed or removed that feature. Selecting video in Messages, now starts Face time for video. Face time is one to one only.

Additionally, screen sharing and video between 10.8.2 and older 10.6. does not work either.

I suspect that with some searching there may be an app that can do what used to be built in.

Does anyone know of such an app?

Thanks

Re: "Selecting video in Messages, now starts Face time for video. Face time is one to one only."

Apple "Messages" supports two different types of video conferencing. It's become more than a little confusing. If you (or the person on the other end) ONLY have accounts set up for Apple's "iMessage" service (associated with your Apple ID and "iCloud") you may see the video symbol, but when you click on it you will be connected via FaceTime which is limited a 1-to-1 video conference.

However, if you have set up an AIM account in Messages (you may already have an AIM account ID if you once used iChat for video, audio and screensharing) and the person at the other end also has an AIM account you will be connected via AIM and will be able to do screen sharing and multi-person video conferences just like the old iChat, i.e. you'll have iChat Theater features, up to 4-way conferencing, etc.

It can get very confusing if, for example, you've signed up for AIM using a .me or .cloud email address. But once you have it set up and learn to recognise the way Messages switches between AIM and iMessage all the old iChat features work just fine in Messages.

dlo, thanks good info. The remaining question I would have is,so you know if one or several of the parties can use FaceTime and the others use iChat (on OSX 10.7 for instance) on a multi-person conference, using AIM?

re: can one or several of the parties can use FaceTime and the others use iChat (on OSX 10.7 for instance) on a multi-person conference, using AIM?

No, that is not possible. Messages/ iChat supports multi-person conferencing. FaceTime does not.

Thanks.

I think the issue for me is more generic than I posed, that being can iChat on 10.7.x have multi-conference video with users on 10.8.x systems.

In my prior note I perhaps should not have specifdied FaceTime.

I only have 10.7.x machines. Some colleagues have 10.8.x. Messages is presenst on those 10.8.x platforms?

Can I use iChat, and they use Messages, if it is present on their machines, so we can all multi-person confererence?

Taser: Yes, iChat on Lion OS X 10.7 (and earlier) interoperates with Messages on OS X 10.8 for the purpose of multi-person video conferences.

dlo, thanks. Shall give it a try!

Maybe apple could OEM Vidyo Inc. technology. That's nice one. It does not need the MCU to provide multiparty. Google is already OEM ( Hangout product) .

Tomas.

http://www.apple.com/feedback