Re: Trouble doing Mac-to-Mac FaceTime

On 2024-09-14, Connor Shannon <cshannon1898@yahoo.com> wrote:

On 9/11/24 7:38 AM, Jolly Roger wrote:

On 2024-09-10, Connor Shannon <cshannon1898@yahoo.com> wrote:

On 9/9/24 7:49 AM, Jolly Roger wrote:

On 2024-09-08, Connor Shannon <cshannon1898@yahoo.com> wrote:

I have a friend I like to do FaceTime with pretty often. We've
been having lots of trouble getting connections between our Macs,
FT keeps trying to use our iPhones. Like I'll call him in the FT
app on my MacBook and it says "Using iPhone," so I end the call
and try again.  Or I start a FT and it starts from my Mac but then
my friend's iPhone alerts him instead of his iMac.
>
Somehow we always finally end up on the Macs but does any body
know how we can do that right away and keep the iPhones from being
used on either end?

>
When someone calls you on FaceTime, all of your devices will alert
you o the call and you can answer the call on whichever device you
want. Just because your friend sees/hears the call ring on one
device doesn't mean they have to answer it on that device.

>
Hmmm, we'll check again but I'm pretty sure only the iPhone has been
rining and there hasn't been anything to answer on the Macs.

 
You probably just didn't notice the notification on the Mac.

>
We were sitting right in front of our Macs with FT open waiting for
the call!!
>

 Otherwise, check FaceTime settings on the Mac in question by opening
 the FaceTime app and choosing Settings from the FaceTime menu in the
 menu bar at the top of the screen.

>
Okay what do I do with the settings? Turn off the phone number so I
can only be called with my email address? Turn off Calls from iPhone?
Some other setting to force calls to the Mac?

The "You can be reached for FaceTime at" section should have all of the
ways you want to be reached by someone calling you with FaceTime. If you
disable the phone number in that section, you will prevent people from
being able to reach you on this device with your phone number. Same
thing goes for the email address(es) listed there. If you have some
options disabled there, and your friend called you at one of the
disabled addresses, that would explain you not seeing the call come in
on your Mac.

The "Call From iPhone" setting allows you to place and receive calls on
your Mac through your iPhone whenever your iPhone is within range of the
same WiFi network to which your Mac is connected. I have had this
enabled for many years and receive and make calls on my Macs without
issue. I can't think of a reason you should disable this.

The "Start new calls from" setting tells FaceTime to always start new
outgoing calls on your Mac from the phone number or email address you
specify.  Recipients will see calls coming from that phone number or
address.

This goes without saying, but naturally the Mac must be signed into
the same iCloud account as the iPhone for you to receive FaceTime
calls there.

>
Well it must be b'cuz I'm signed in for other Apple things and also
eventually we get a Mac to Mac connection just a lot of times not on
the first try.

Is it possible the Mac in question has spotty internet connectivity?
That would also explain the symptom you are describing.

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JR