How to FaceTime without Wi-Fi using cellular data in 4 easy steps

Step 1: Check how much cellular data you can use with your plan

Before you hop on FaceTime using your cellular data, you should make sure your plan can handle it. If you’re in your home country, you may have a mobile plan with a network carrier like AT&T or Verizon that includes a set amount of cellular data per month. You can check how much data is included in your plan by logging in to your network carrier’s website, through its app, or by contacting its customer support. 

If you’re traveling abroad and want to make a FaceTime call, it’s absolutely crucial that you check whether your plan includes a set amount of data that you can use internationally. Otherwise, you may incur surprise (and, most likely, extremely steep) international roaming charges. But instead of going through this hassle, you can purchase a set amount of prepaid data on an eSIM or SIM card (e.g., 10 GB) and monitor your data usage through your phone’s settings. FaceTime eats up a lot of data, so if you want to use the app on the go, you might be better off investing in an unlimited data plan for your trip. 

If you’re curious about other apps that use a lot of data, check out our in-depth article on what uses data on a cell phone.

Step 2: Enable your cellular data for FaceTime

On your iPhone or iPad, go to the “Settings” app and tap “Mobile service” or “Cellular” (the name will vary based on your device’s language settings). 

Scroll down until you see a list of all the apps you can use with your cellular data. Find “FaceTime,” and make sure the switch beside it is toggled on. 

You should also turn off your Wi-Fi to avoid brief interruptions in case you accidentally connect to a nearby Wi-Fi network (this might happen if you’re walking around a city with free public networks, for instance). 

In your “Settings” app, tap “Wi-Fi” and toggle the switch to the off position. 

Step 3: Make sure FaceTime is turned on via your device’s settings

You’ll also need to make sure that FaceTime is enabled via your device’s settings because otherwise, you won’t be able to use the app — whether it’s via cellular data or Wi-Fi.  

On your iPhone or iPad, open the “Settings” app and scroll down until you find “FaceTime,” then tap it. Make sure the switch has been toggled on.  

Under the “You can be reached by FaceTime at” section, ensure that you’ve entered the correct phone number or Apple ID email. This step is especially important if you’re using a temporary phone number from a SIM card or eSIM while you travel, as you might miss FaceTime calls if you’ve entered the wrong number.   

Step 4: Make a FaceTime call using cellular data

Now that you’ve enabled all the right settings, it’s time to make a FaceTime call! 

Start by opening the FaceTime app and then tap “New FaceTime.” 

Next, either enter the phone number or Apple ID email of the person you’d like to call, or simply type their contact name if you have it saved in your phone. 

If you would like to make a video call, tap the “FaceTime” button. If you’d only like to make an audio call, tap the phone icon at the bottom left. 

And that’s it! If you’ve followed all four steps in this article, you should be able to make a FaceTime call using your cellular data without Wi-Fi. 

How to monitor your data usage during FaceTime calls

The last thing you’ll want is a surprise bill from your network carrier after you’ve lost track of time on a FaceTime call using your mobile data. To avoid this unsavory situation, you can monitor how much data you’ve used from FaceTime via your Settings app. 

1. Go to “Settings” then “Mobile service” or “Cellular” (depending on your device’s language settings). 

   

2. Scroll down until you see how much data you’ve used from FaceTime during your “current period” (the current billing cycle for your mobile plan).  

Please keep in mind that when you travel outside of the country, using FaceTime via your mobile data may cost extra — also known as incurring international roaming charges. You can avoid these exorbitant fees by purchasing a prepaid eSIM data plan from an app like Saily. 

If you’re unsure of how much data you’ll need for audio or video calling on FaceTime, you can get a better idea by reading the article on our blog. 

Optimize settings for better FaceTime calls

Nothing’s worse than when you’re just getting into some juicy gossip with a long-distance friend and in the next moment, your screen turns into a mosaic of pixels in place of their face. You can minimize the chances of this happening by changing a few settings to make your FaceTime calls run smoother. 

• Turn off low data mode in your device’s settings. Yes, keeping this setting on does help you save more of your precious data, but it also increases the likelihood of a blurry FaceTime video call. 

• Close apps running in the background. Not only will this save you data, but it can help with video quality when you’re FaceTiming using your mobile data. On an iPhone or iPad, you can do this by swiping halfway up from the very bottom of your screen. This will display all of the apps you currently have open — all of which are using data. To close them, simply swipe up on each one. 

• Keep your software up-to-date. Sometimes, neglecting that latest iOS update might cause slowdowns in video and audio quality. Make sure you keep your software up-to-date through your Settings app. 

Troubleshooting issues when using FaceTime via cellular data

If your FaceTime call isn’t working over cellular data, start with these steps: 

1. Make sure you’ve turned off your Wi-Fi. If you’ve enabled both your cellular data and Wi-Fi, your device will usually prioritize connecting to the Wi-Fi network (unless you’ve enabled “Wi-Fi assist” in your settings — a feature that automatically switches to your cellular data when you have a weak Wi-Fi connection.) To avoid interruptions, it’s best to turn off your Wi-Fi. 

2. Check that you have enough data left in your plan. You should be able to check how much mobile data you have on your plan through your network carrier’s website or app. 

3. Ensure that you’ve entered the right contact information. If you want to make or receive a FaceTime call using your Apple ID, make sure the email address listed in your FaceTime settings is correct.

4. Confirm that the person you’re calling has an Apple device. FaceTime is exclusive to Apple users. As long as the person you’re calling has an iPhone, iPad, or a Mac computer, they should be able to receive your call. 

How to FaceTime without Wi-Fi: Final takeaways

The magic of mobile data is that you won’t have to rely on a nearby Wi-Fi connection to use FaceTime. 

• Start by checking that you have enough cellular data to make or receive a FaceTime audio or video call. Remember that the FaceTime app uses a lot of data, and if you’re on a limited data plan, you’ll want to use it sparingly. 

• You’ll need to make sure that FaceTime is enabled in your cellular data settings and that you’ve entered the correct contact information to be reached at. 

• You can monitor your data usage through your Settings app to make sure you don’t exceed your data limit. 

• Turning off “Low data mode,” closing apps running in the background, and keeping your iOS software up-to-date can improve the quality of your FaceTime calls. 

• If you want to use FaceTime over your cellular data while traveling, you may want to get a prepaid eSIM data plan through an app like Saily to avoid incurring steep international roaming charges.