Do FaceTime Calls Show Up on Phone Bill?

Introduction 

In today’s digital world there are new and exceptional ways for connecting with each other. Communication has also evolved significantly in the previous years providing options like video calls to communicate. Apple has also developed certain features that help users to communicate and share their thoughts with each other using the app FaceTime.

Through this app users can make video calls with each other through their iPhone, iPad and macbook. A common question which is related to FaceTime is if their FaceTime call shows up on the phone bill or not. This article will explore in detail about what FaceTime is, how it works and its effects on the phone bill.

The main difference between FaceTime and other traditional calls is that FaceTime relies on internet connection. Traditional phone calls use our SIM networks while FaceTime uses mobile data or Wi-Fi. 

FaceTime Calls and Its types

There are two types of FaceTime calls that a person can make.

FaceTime Video Calls: In this call, the people can see each other on the screen and do communication while continuing their activities. Video call requires stable internet connection.

FaceTime Audio Calls: In this call we can just hear other people but cannot see them. It is just like a traditional phone call but requires an internet connection. 

As I said earlier, FaceTime calls use mobile data or internet connection, so it requires a stable internet connection. When we make a FaceTime call the signal is not transmitted on our mobile carrier but rather it is transmitted on the internet connection. If we understand this point, it is easy to understand how it affects our phone bill. 

If our mobile is connected to a Wi-Fi network then the FaceTime call will use this Wi-Fi. It means that the cellular data will not be used by the FaceTime call and the phone call will not appear on the phone bill. 

But if you are using a cellular network for making a FaceTime call, then your mobile data will be used. So the FaceTime call will not show on the phone bill but the data used in the call will be added to the total data usage. 

Do FaceTime Calls Show Up on Phone Bill?

FaceTime calls do not show up on a phone bill like the regular calls. So, the simple answer is no. The reason for this are: 

Regular Voice Calls

The regular voice calls are done through the mobile carriers so the call time, date and number is recorded by mobile carriers. These calls are available on the phone bill because they are tracked by mobile carriers. Phone calls that are made simply by mobile without any internet connection can be easily tracked and recorded on the phone bill because they are done through the SIM we are using. All the calls we made through our mobile carriers are on our phone bill. 

FaceTime Calls

FaceTime calls are different because they use internet connection rather than the phone carrier network. So it means the call will not appear on the phone bill because it is not using the phone network. However if you are making the call with the cellular data then the amount of data spent on the call will be added to your monthly data usage. So it may show on your phone bill as a part of your monthly data limit. FaceTime calls normally do not show on the phone bill if they are done through Wi-Fi.

Data Usage in the FaceTime Calls

As I said before, FaceTime doesn’t appear on phone bills but they use data which can affect the data monthly plan and increase charges. 

Video calls on FaceTime use a great amount of data because they are using both audio and video. A general facetime video call uses 3 MB of data per minute but it is dependable on the internet connection or using Wi-Fi or cellular network depending on your choice. 

The audio calls on FaceTime use much less data than video calls. Generally audio calls on FaceTime use 0.5 MB per minute. It is a better option than video calls if someone is worried about excessive data use. 

Making Data Plans

It is important to keep track of your data to know about how much data you are using. If someone often makes video calls at face time then the add up amount of data can be a bit longer for example,30 minutes of video call means 90 MB of data usage.

This can add up to extra charges on your bill which could be difficult for you to manage. So it is important to keep the data plan from the starting of the month to balance your schedule throughout and to not pay extra charges. 

WiFi vs Cellular Data

It’s better to use Wi-Fi to make FaceTime audio or video calls. If someone uses Wi-Fi for the FaceTime video calls or audio calls then the data charges will not be counted. It is a good option to avoid extra data charges and to save data if you often make long video calls. 

Factors That affect a canceled FaceTime call 

There are several factors that play a three role in determining whether the cancel facetime call shows up on some other person’s phone or not. 

The first factor is network speed. If someone uses high speed data then the chance is high that the other person will receive a call. Because in this case the phone starts ringing quickly because of the good data connection which means if you even cancel the phone call then the other person will receive just as a missed call. But if you wait too long before and the person’s phone starts ringing , then the call will show up as a missed call or as a notification on someone else’s phone on their phone log. 

Another factor is dependent on the iPhone model or software. There are some new models with advanced technology that can process calls faster than their old models. When you call someone there is a brief delay before another person receives your call. If you cancel the call or and that during that time then the other person does not see any notification or missed call about your call. But if you wait too long before and the person’s phone starts ringing , then the call will show up as a missed call or as a notification on someone else’s phone on their phone log. 

The other place is the person you are calling is talking to another person on the phone or if their phone is in airplane mode. In this case the cancel call does not go through to their phone because their phone is not ready to receive any call which means that your call will not be received and even will not be marked as a missed call. 

Conclusion 

If our mobile is connected to a Wi-Fi network then the FaceTime call will use this Wi-Fi. It means that the cellular data will not be used by the FaceTime call and the phone call will not appear on the phone bill. But if you are using a cellular network for making a FaceTime call, then your mobile data will be used. So the FaceTime call will not show on the phone bill but the data used in the call will be added to the total data usage.