Apple Appears Set to Support FaceTime Over 3G in iOS 5, But Will Carriers Follow Suit?

facetime cellular dialog box
9 to 5 Mac reports that one of its readers has passed along a screenshot of an iOS 5 dialog box suggesting that Apple is preparing to support FaceTime video calling over cellular networks with the new operating system set for release this fall.

FaceTime Unavailable

Turn on cellular data or use Wi-Fi to use FaceTime.

FaceTime has officially been limited to Wi-Fi on iOS devices since its debut last year, although users have been able to work around that limitation using either jailbreaking solutions or MiFi connectivity.

Official FaceTime support over cellular networks will almost certainly require individual carriers to also be on board in much the same way that carriers have needed to support Internet tethering and other features that have the potential to significantly increase demand on their networks.

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Neutral)
Related Forums: iPad, iPhone

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
Tim Cook WWDC 2018

Report: Tim Cook to Step Down as Apple CEO 'as Soon as Next Year'

Saturday November 15, 2025 2:40 pm PST by
Apple is preparing for Tim Cook to step down as CEO of the company "as soon as next year," according to the Financial Times. The company's board of directors and senior executives "recently intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins," the report said. While the report said that Apple is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, it went on to ...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket Now Available to Order, But Already Selling Out

Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's 2026 Mac Plans

Friday November 14, 2025 3:23 pm PST by
Most of Apple's Macs are slated to get M5 chips across 2026, and there's a possibility we'll even see the first M6 chips toward the end of the year. Updates are planned for everything from the MacBook Air to the Mac Studio. MacBook Air (Early 2026) The MacBook Air will be one of the first Macs to get a 2026 refresh, with an update planned for the first few months of the year. The MacBook...
best early black friday deals

Best Black Friday Apple Deals Live Now - Save on AirPods, iPads, and Apple Watches

Saturday November 15, 2025 1:45 pm PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
walmart new ornametns

Walmart Black Friday Deals Begin Today With Low Prices on Headphones, TVs, and More

Friday November 14, 2025 7:55 am PST by
Walmart's Black Friday sale has officially kicked off today, with an online shopping event that's also seeing some matching deals in retail locations. There are quite a few major discounts in this sale, including savings on headphones, TVs, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Walmart. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 3

Monday November 17, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3. AirDrop Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts. iOS 26.2...

Top Rated Comments

Žalgiris Avatar
189 months ago
The situation with mobile internet in the US is really pathetic. Data plan for this, tada plan for that, want to tether pay more, more, more. For Christ sake it's data and if i bought 5 GB of data i don't give a damn and i will use it as i please (on a phone, on a computer, for video chats, for downloads, for what i need).
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bkj216 Avatar
189 months ago
Given how many issues Apple tends to have with carriers, how long until they just branch off and offer their own service?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KindredMAC Avatar
189 months ago
FaceTime should be offered over 3G since you can FaceTime on an iPad2 hotspotted to an iPhone 4 already...

Ridiculous....
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Consultant Avatar
189 months ago
Carriers should be fine. They already support other VoIP and video chat apps on iPhone over 3G.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0815 Avatar
189 months ago
Facetime will never be a success without working on 3G - either people can reach me anytime or it is pointless ... so I hope this is true - especially that now that I gave up hope for a true iPad client of Skype due to the Microsoft ownership.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
diamond.g Avatar
189 months ago
Why would FaceTime need carrier approval when Skype, Fring, NimBuzz, etc already allow video chats over 3G?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)