Why can't I contact another Apple FaceTime user?

Question

Level 1

0 points

Why can't I contact another Apple FaceTime user?

I am trying - and failing! - to FaceTime a contact who I know uses FaceTime on his iPad to make video calls to his son in Australia. When I open my FaceTime (Ver 3.0) on my iMac (OS X Yosemite Ver. 10.10.4) I click in the 'Enter a name, email, or number' field and type in their name as it appears in my Contacts. The correct contact appears below, I double-click on the name and FaceTime tells me the contact "is not available for FaceTime".

My friend has tried to FaceTime me and has the same problem.

I have used FaceTime successfully many times so I would be grateful if someone could tell me what I am doing wrong in this case. Thank you!

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.4)

Posted on Jul 31, 2015 11:14 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Aug 1, 2015 6:46 AM in response to UN1541

Can you call other people? Can you send iMessages to this person? Can he call other people?

Reply

Answer 2

UN1541 Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 1, 2015 9:42 AM in response to Linc Davis

Thanks for your reply, Linc.

Yes, I can call other people on FaceTime and, yes, he can call other people on FaceTime.

Not sure about iMessages - can you send iMessages from an iMac?

Reply

Answer 3

Aug 1, 2015 9:43 AM in response to UN1541

Yes, you can, that's what the Messages application is for. Open it, and go to Messages > Preferences > Accounts, click + near the bottom left, and sign in with your Apple ID.

Reply

Answer 4

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Aug 1, 2015 9:51 AM in response to UN1541

Messages (Yosemite): iMessage

Reply

Answer 5

UN1541 Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 1, 2015 12:44 PM in response to stevejobsfan0123

Thanks guys. Yes, I found that I already had an account on Messages. I tried sending a message to my friend and Messages flagged up ‘Not delivered’. (I managed to have an iMessages conversation with my wife on her iPad so my Messages is working.)

Does he have to have an active iMessage account on his iPad in order for me to contact him on FaceTime?

Reply

Answer 6

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Aug 1, 2015 1:02 PM in response to UN1541

Please sign out of both FaceTime and iMessage on all your devices and sign back in. Ask your friend to do the same. If there's no change, I don't know of anything else you can do at your end to solve the problem. Apple will have to solve it.

Click the Support link at the top of this page to schedule a call from Apple Support. You might not be charged for the call if you select "Apple ID"—not the hardware model—as the product you're asking about. You should be polite but firm in asking for the charge to be waived, since the problem is not of your making.

Reply

Answer 7

UN1541 Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 1, 2015 11:13 PM in response to Linc Davis

Thanks Linc. I have signed out, as you suggested, and will ask my friend to do the same (when he's awake!).

I have various email accounts and I noticed on signing out that my FaceTime account uses a different email address to my Messages account. Could this be my problem? I will test this theory out later this morning.

Reply