pboettiger

Q: Facetime Video Icon Greyed Out

I just set up FaceTime on my Mac and all my contacts shown have "greyed out" video icons that won't engage when I click on them to initiate a video call.  I usually FaceTime on my iPhone but was thinking it would nice to do this on my Mac with a bigger screen.  Any suggestions?

MacBook Pro, iOS 9.3.2, El Capitan

Posted on Jun 4, 2016 4:06 PM

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Q: Facetime Video Icon Greyed Out

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  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jun 4, 2016 10:34 PM in response to pboettiger
    Level 10 (208,037 points)
    Applications
    Jun 4, 2016 10:34 PM in response to pboettiger

    Is the camera working?

  • by pboettiger,

    pboettiger pboettiger Jun 5, 2016 11:28 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Mac App Store
    Jun 5, 2016 11:28 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Yes.  The green light is on and I can see myself, etc in FaceTime.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jun 5, 2016 11:47 AM in response to pboettiger
    Level 10 (208,037 points)
    Applications
    Jun 5, 2016 11:47 AM in response to pboettiger

    Do you synchronize your contacts with a network service such as iCloud or Google?

  • by pboettiger,

    pboettiger pboettiger Jun 5, 2016 12:59 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Mac App Store
    Jun 5, 2016 12:59 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Yes, I think iCloud.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jun 5, 2016 1:10 PM in response to pboettiger
    Level 10 (208,037 points)
    Applications
    Jun 5, 2016 1:10 PM in response to pboettiger

    Please read this whole message before doing anything.

    This procedure is a diagnostic test. It won’t solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

    The purpose of this test is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account. Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”

    While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your documents or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this behavior; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.

    Test while logged in as Guest by signing in to FaceTime and iCloud, and activating iCloud Contacts. Same problem?

    After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.

    *Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault in OS X 10.7 or later, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The "Guest User" login created by "Find My Mac" is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.

  • by pboettiger,

    pboettiger pboettiger Jun 5, 2016 2:44 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Mac App Store
    Jun 5, 2016 2:44 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Thanks so much for the detailed reply.  I'll give this a shot and get back to you when time permits.  Thanks again.

  • by pboettiger,

    pboettiger pboettiger Jun 5, 2016 3:01 PM in response to pboettiger
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Mac App Store
    Jun 5, 2016 3:01 PM in response to pboettiger

    .  I think I just figured out what was wrong.  I thought the video icon should have been a link but if I doubled clicked on the contact name it initiated the FaceTime video call right away.  Sorry for the confusion and thanks again for offering help.