Group FaceTime won't be available for initial iOS 12 or macOS Mojave release

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iOS edited August 2018
Apple's Group FaceTime feature apparently isn't ready for prime time, and won't be available to the general public when iOS 12 is made available to customers in the fall.




The much-touted feature has been present throughout the beta, but for reasons unknown will now not be included in the initial public release which is expected in September alongside new iPhones.

The company released the information as part of its notes to developers in today's release of the latest beta. It says the feature "has been removed from the initial release of iOS 12 and will ship in a future software update later this fall."





When it finally rolls out, users will be able to have video calls with up to 32 participants, a feature competitors have had for years. A carousel along the bottom shows all participants, while those talking are brought into the majority of the screen. Individual windows can be brought full-screen as well.

Calls can be answered right on the Apple Watch, before jumping over to the video FaceTime call on an iPhone or iPad.

The feature is designed not just for iOS 12, but for macOS Mojave as well. The Mac version of FaceTime on Mojave lacks camera filters, video stickers and the face tracking Animoji and custom Memoji features available to iOS clients.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 34
    SmeirdSmeird Posts: 1unconfirmed, member
    So next year then !
    SpamSandwich
  • Reply 2 of 34
    libertyforalllibertyforall Posts: 1,416member
    Why does the Mac alway suck the hind tit with features to iOS?!  Mac was the FIRST platform, and should be leading or at least on feature-parity w/iOS devices.  You know, Apple should really accelerate the iOS apps on macOS execution, that is what should really ship this fall w/Mojave!  Doing so would give Mac a much-needed infusion of fresh apps!  

    Also tired of Apple carrot & stick w/promised features they delay endlessly.  Promise only what you can realistically deliver on time and the ones you can't state they will be in a .5 release version or somethings at WWDC...
    racerhomie3
  • Reply 3 of 34
    appletimappletim Posts: 14member
    Can someone tell me why FaceTime hasn't supported multiple video participants for years? I mean, FOURTEEN FREAKIN' YEARS AGO, iChat AV 3 allowed for video conferencing with up to four people! And here we are in 2018, with exponentially more computing power and bandwidth, and FaceTime still doesn't support this.
    igohmmmlibertyforall
  • Reply 4 of 34
    8thman8thman Posts: 19member
    BUMMER.
    What Android "competitors" are referred to? Are they built-in apps?? 


    edited August 2018
  • Reply 5 of 34
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,482member
    libertyforall said:
    Why does the Mac alway suck the hind tit with features to iOS?!  Mac was the FIRST platform, and should be leading or at least on feature-parity w/iOS devices.  You know, Apple should really accelerate the iOS apps on macOS execution, that is what should really ship this fall w/Mojave!  Doing so would give Mac a much-needed infusion of fresh apps!  

    Also tired of Apple carrot & stick w/promised features they delay endlessly.  Promise only what you can realistically deliver on time and the ones you can't state they will be in a .5 release version or somethings at WWDC...
    You have a solution to your trauma. You have a checkbook. Use it to switch platforms. 
    magman1979StrangeDaysRayz2016
  • Reply 6 of 34
    libertyforalllibertyforall Posts: 1,416member
    lkrupp said:
    libertyforall said:
    Why does the Mac alway suck the hind tit with features to iOS?!  Mac was the FIRST platform, and should be leading or at least on feature-parity w/iOS devices.  You know, Apple should really accelerate the iOS apps on macOS execution, that is what should really ship this fall w/Mojave!  Doing so would give Mac a much-needed infusion of fresh apps!  

    Also tired of Apple carrot & stick w/promised features they delay endlessly.  Promise only what you can realistically deliver on time and the ones you can't state they will be in a .5 release version or somethings at WWDC...
    You have a solution to your trauma. You have a checkbook. Use it to switch platforms. 
    Yea, that's a mixed bag, mostly not appealing either.
    SpamSandwich
  • Reply 7 of 34
    maciekskontaktmaciekskontakt Posts: 1,169member
    lkrupp said:
    libertyforall said:
    Why does the Mac alway suck the hind tit with features to iOS?!  Mac was the FIRST platform, and should be leading or at least on feature-parity w/iOS devices.  You know, Apple should really accelerate the iOS apps on macOS execution, that is what should really ship this fall w/Mojave!  Doing so would give Mac a much-needed infusion of fresh apps!  

    Also tired of Apple carrot & stick w/promised features they delay endlessly.  Promise only what you can realistically deliver on time and the ones you can't state they will be in a .5 release version or somethings at WWDC...
    You have a solution to your trauma. You have a checkbook. Use it to switch platforms. 
    That is your suggested solution and that is not solution really. The orignal writer simply expressed concern and you are recommending some vicious non-solution. I suggest stop applying that technique. It is as arrogant as Microsoft crowd years ago I remember. Start giving sensible advice. Frustration is not the only reason to leave platform. Actually it should push innovators to get focused and deliver.
    avon b7rogifan_newgatorguy1STnTENDERBITSurahara
  • Reply 8 of 34
    fluffheadfluffhead Posts: 55member
    Arriving at WWDC 2019!
  • Reply 9 of 34
    magman1979magman1979 Posts: 1,271member
    libertyforall said:
    Why does the Mac alway suck the hind tit with features to iOS?!  Mac was the FIRST platform, and should be leading or at least on feature-parity w/iOS devices.  You know, Apple should really accelerate the iOS apps on macOS execution, that is what should really ship this fall w/Mojave!  Doing so would give Mac a much-needed infusion of fresh apps!  

    Also tired of Apple carrot & stick w/promised features they delay endlessly.  Promise only what you can realistically deliver on time and the ones you can't state they will be in a .5 release version or somethings at WWDC...
    Why is it when Apple delays a feature because it's too buggy and not ready for prime time, people like you scorn them, and when they push out a feature before it's ready, you scorn them too?

    Just no satisfying you people!

    I say let them take however long it needs to take to make the feature great and reliable, live up to the Apple mantra of putting out reliable software like they used to, and let people like you keep whining in the basements...
    StrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 34
    rogifan_newrogifan_new Posts: 4,297member
    magman1979 said:
    libertyforall said:
    Why does the Mac alway suck the hind tit with features to iOS?!  Mac was the FIRST platform, and should be leading or at least on feature-parity w/iOS devices.  You know, Apple should really accelerate the iOS apps on macOS execution, that is what should really ship this fall w/Mojave!  Doing so would give Mac a much-needed infusion of fresh apps!  

    Also tired of Apple carrot & stick w/promised features they delay endlessly.  Promise only what you can realistically deliver on time and the ones you can't state they will be in a .5 release version or somethings at WWDC...
    Why is it when Apple delays a feature because it's too buggy and not ready for prime time, people like you scorn them, and when they push out a feature before it's ready, you scorn them too?

    Just no satisfying you people!

    I say let them take however long it needs to take to make the feature great and reliable, live up to the Apple mantra of putting out reliable software like they used to, and let people like you keep whining in the basements...
    How about not announcing things if they’re not ready for prime time? It’s almost a year later and we still don’t have AirPower. That’s embarrassing. If it was any other company people here would be calling it vaporware.
    cecil444tallest skilavon b7gatorguy1STnTENDERBITSasciidamonfsvanstrom
  • Reply 11 of 34
    cecil444cecil444 Posts: 40member
    I’m all for Apple holding off on releasing a product/feature until it works the way it should, but they HAVE GOT to get out of the bad habit of announcing products/features and then delaying them ad nauseum. It makes them look sloppy, not to mention it makes the initial announcement smell like vaporware. 
    rogifan_newSpamSandwichdamonf
  • Reply 12 of 34
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Of course it won’t. Apple’s known for previewing features years ahead of actually releasing them now.

    appletim said:
    …exponentially more… …bandwidth… 
    In what fantasy world do you live?
    edited August 2018
  • Reply 13 of 34
    rezwitsrezwits Posts: 844member
    Smeird said:
    So next year then !
    Yep, Fantasy Football, next year 2019 :neutral: would have been nice this year, 10 people FaceTime! (probably wouldn't have made the cut this year anyway tho)  unless b4 September 10th-ish...
  • Reply 14 of 34
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,825member
    Not to be paranoid!! Will be Christmas IOS feature gift.
  • Reply 15 of 34
    kimberlykimberly Posts: 418member
    lkrupp said:
    libertyforall said:
    Why does the Mac alway suck the hind tit with features to iOS?!  Mac was the FIRST platform, and should be leading or at least on feature-parity w/iOS devices.  You know, Apple should really accelerate the iOS apps on macOS execution, that is what should really ship this fall w/Mojave!  Doing so would give Mac a much-needed infusion of fresh apps!  

    Also tired of Apple carrot & stick w/promised features they delay endlessly.  Promise only what you can realistically deliver on time and the ones you can't state they will be in a .5 release version or somethings at WWDC...
    You have a solution to your trauma. You have a checkbook. Use it to switch platforms. 
    A chequebook for @libertyforall and a dictionary for @lkrupp ; :D
  • Reply 16 of 34
    dewmedewme Posts: 4,754member
    Whew! This gives me more time to find 31 other people who all want to FaceTime with me all at the same time. 

    What will we talk about... ?

    Seriously though, if Apple can pull this off in an easy to use and high performance way for general consumer use, I will be very impressed. I've used Skype for Business with large numbers of participants and at times it was a total clown show, minus the laughs and creepy makeup, even over a high bandwidth connection.

    Better to wait and make it work right from the get-go rather than to fail with a mediocre half swing, or with heavy caveats like limiting groups to a small number, like 5 or fewer.
    hexclockStrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 34
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,042member
    I suspect the delay is a backend issue, in order to serve up 32 people on call, means that Apple is passing the video threw a video server which determine who is talking and servers up their video and audio. To due this right Apple has to cancel out all the background sound so that the audio and video are not switching back and forth all the time.

    In the Demo Apple did everyone was quite and they all were in offices so they did not have to deal with lots of background noise of voices. The fact Apple is pulling this off is great but it is a very complicated problem to solve and do it well so people will use it.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 34
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Never mind.
    edited August 2018
  • Reply 19 of 34
    hexclockhexclock Posts: 1,114member
    libertyforall said:
    Why does the Mac alway suck the hind tit with features to iOS?!  Mac was the FIRST platform, and should be leading or at least on feature-parity w/iOS devices.  You know, Apple should really accelerate the iOS apps on macOS execution, that is what should really ship this fall w/Mojave!  Doing so would give Mac a much-needed infusion of fresh apps!  

    Also tired of Apple carrot & stick w/promised features they delay endlessly.  Promise only what you can realistically deliver on time and the ones you can't state they will be in a .5 release version or somethings at WWDC...
    The answer is simple. The iOS base dwarfs the Mac base. So they focus on the phone first, which is fine. If a delay means the feature works good, then so be it.
    I really have no problem when announced features are added in a point update.
    StrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 34
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,403member
    rogifan_new said:
    magman1979 said:
    libertyforall said:
    Why does the Mac alway suck the hind tit with features to iOS?!  Mac was the FIRST platform, and should be leading or at least on feature-parity w/iOS devices.  You know, Apple should really accelerate the iOS apps on macOS execution, that is what should really ship this fall w/Mojave!  Doing so would give Mac a much-needed infusion of fresh apps!  

    Also tired of Apple carrot & stick w/promised features they delay endlessly.  Promise only what you can realistically deliver on time and the ones you can't state they will be in a .5 release version or somethings at WWDC...
    Why is it when Apple delays a feature because it's too buggy and not ready for prime time, people like you scorn them, and when they push out a feature before it's ready, you scorn them too?

    Just no satisfying you people!

    I say let them take however long it needs to take to make the feature great and reliable, live up to the Apple mantra of putting out reliable software like they used to, and let people like you keep whining in the basements...
    How about not announcing things if they’re not ready for prime time? It’s almost a year later and we still don’t have AirPower. That’s embarrassing. If it was any other company people here would be calling it vaporware.
    We're talking about FaceTime conferencing. It was announced as part of iOS 12, but they did not say specifically when. If it it's 12.1 or .2 or whatever, that's still iOS 12.

    You complain when Apple remains silent, you complain when they announce future features. You complain when something is buggy, and you complain if they hold it to get it right. Seeing the common theme here? You like to complain.
    watto_cobra
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