No FaceTime Audio - OS X 10.9.2

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icerabbit Author

Level 3

803 points

No FaceTime Audio - OS X 10.9.2

I read that with 10.9.2 " FaceTime audio calls are now supported in OS X "

In my case they are not.

When I fire up FaceTime on my mac mini, it says:

No Camera Available

To Use FaceTime, Connect A Camera

We can try to FaceTime to the mac mini, but nothing happens, it just sits there dead.

When I try FaceTime > Preferences nothing happens. It just grays out that part of the menu.

Really sad Apple once again did not properly test this. How hard is it to try this out on a current system without a camera?

Posted on Feb 25, 2014 6:18 PM

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Answer 1

Feb 26, 2014 8:08 AM in response to icerabbit

I tend to use my Mac laptop with a monitor plugged in and the lid closed. Facetime audio is long overdue on the Mac - but useless in this scenario.

I agree - it seems odd that they implemented Facetime with a requirement to have a camera, even if you just want to use audio.

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Answer 2

derlukee

Level 1

5 points

Feb 27, 2014 7:52 AM in response to icerabbit

I had the same problem and and I thought, this is insane. You have to go in the messaging app and click the little phone icon then the app start a audio call without video!

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Answer 3

Mar 1, 2014 11:42 AM in response to derlukee

Not sure what your post is about, but clicking the phone icon in Messages doesn't work to get Facetime Audio working on a Mac Mini — not on mine anyway .

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Answer 4

icerabbit Author

Level 3

803 points

Mar 1, 2014 12:16 PM in response to derlukee

What are you talking about, DerLukee?

I don't even have a phone icon in messages. My Messages app on my mac is completely blank. Through its preferences you can verify that you have a microphone and sound, but there is absolutely nothing in the messages app on my mac that indicates you can do an audio call.

Maybe something is lost in translation?

Again, we are talking about Facetime on Mavericks on a mac system without a camera/isight... built-in or external, like a mac mini or mac pro. And because there is no camera, the user is locked out of using Facetime.

My mac will ring anytime a Facetime call comes (app open or not) but you can't do anything. Not make calls. Not receive calls. And nothing I see in and around Messages solves that.

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Answer 5

derlukee

Level 1

5 points

Mar 1, 2014 2:18 PM in response to icerabbit

Sooo, I have also a Mac Mini and if you click in the message app on a contact, there is a little phone icon next to the name. This will start a Facetime audio call! Really! Even in the contact app is a little phone icon which will also initiat a Facetime audio call.

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Answer 6

Mar 1, 2014 2:21 PM in response to derlukee

Weird. I've tried on two Minis (both on the latest Mavericks update) and although I see the phone icon in Messages (and in the Contacts app), clicking it launches FaceTime which promptly throws up a message about needing a camera.

Do you have a webcam installed by any chance?

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Answer 7

derlukee

Level 1

5 points

Mar 1, 2014 2:54 PM in response to octothorpe

I have a 2012 i5 Mac Mini. Heres a screencast I made.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3043205/Facetime%20audio.mov

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Answer 8

Mar 1, 2014 2:56 PM in response to derlukee

Do you have a webcam installed?

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Answer 9

derlukee

Level 1

5 points

Mar 1, 2014 3:01 PM in response to octothorpe

No. If I go to the Facetime app I get the message which tells me I need a camera. I think the first couple times when I clicked at the phone icon it launches also the Facetime app. Really weird.

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Answer 10

Mar 1, 2014 3:05 PM in response to derlukee

And then at some point it switched from launching Facetime to working correctly? So weird.

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Answer 11

icerabbit Author

Level 3

803 points

Mar 1, 2014 6:22 PM in response to icerabbit

Derlukee made me poke and prod around some more to see what happens.

On the mac side:
Facetime = nothing but connect camera screen

Messages = completely blank

Contacts = my regular address book, shows myself as capable with facetime video & audio

On the iphone side:

FaceTime myself = rings on my mac, but can't do anything

iPhone, Contacts, FaceTime Audio to myself ==> I get an answer / decline screen on FaceTime app on the mac! Just like derlukee showed.

So, it actually can work.

What happens however, is whenever somebody FaceTimes me, it typically is video, the mac rings and you can't do anything.

I don't get the option to receive video and answer with audio. (one-way video, two-way audio)

Nor have a fallback to two-way audio.

On the mac, you can't iniate FaceTime to anybody (like call back a missed call) from within the app. Unlike how it works on the iPhone or iPad.

Now my FaceTime icon is stuck with a red (1) on the dock? No way to clear it.

Guess I'll have to try FT from my contacts list, as my messages is completely blank.

Double check if anything else suddenly works.

So thanks, Derlukee. I've got it partially working.

Still seems like a half baked attempt from Apple though.

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Answer 12

Mar 7, 2014 8:11 AM in response to icerabbit

So in other words what you're saying is that on a Mini without a camera:

- incoming FaceTime Audio calls can be answered

- outgoing FaceTime Audio calls cannot be made

- incoming FaceTime video calls fail without defaulting to audio-only

I tried clicking that Audio call button in Contacts a bunch of times, and it never does anything but launch the FaceTime Video app and show that same error:

No Camera Available

To Use FaceTime, Connect A Camera

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Answer 13

icerabbit Author

Level 3

803 points

Mar 7, 2014 8:26 AM in response to octothorpe

You are correct, octothorpe.

Thas is a nice concise summary of my experience.

I have been at my mini desktop, with an iPad and iPhone nearby.

My wife can call me on FaceTime video, all three (mac mini, ipad, iphone) will ring, but I cannot answer the call on FaceTime desktop. No controls. Locked out with the connect camera on screen.

If my wife goes into her contact list, looks me up, clicks on the FaceTime handset icon, all three will ring, and I can answer the audio call in FaceTime desktop.

I cannot iniatiate anything from FaceTime desktop. It is just black with the error message.

I have sent some feedback to Apple about this, but bugs, features and enhancement requests work in mysterious ways, some stuff gets fixed in a point or sub-point release. Other stuff I have been waiting 5 years for. Anyhow. I hope other people will look up the Apple Feedback page and send them a note to allow mixed communication, lift the camera requirement or fix that error; and allow FaceTime to function like skype.

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