facetime
Calls made using Apple's video chat program, FaceTime, are encrypted end-to-end and -- with the right setup -- are HIPAA compliant, according to a statement from the company obtained by ZDNet.

This matters because any products for healthcare purchased with federal funds must be HIPAA-compliant. HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was a large health-care bill passed in 1996, that, among other things, instituted wide requirements and guidelines surrounding patient privacy and confidentiality.

Keeping Protected Health Information, or PHI, safe and secure is essential for healthcare providers and FaceTime meeting those requirements allows hospitals to not only purchase iPads with federal funds, but it allows doctors to use FaceTime to confer with colleagues about patient issues and to talk directly to patients remotely.

However, to be truly compliant, hospitals need to have the proper wireless network. The WEP encryption protocol isn't strong enough and Apple recommends WPA2 Enterprise for secure communications:

iPad supports WPA2 Enterprise to provide authenticated access to your enterprise wireless network. WPA2 Enterprise uses 128-bit AES encryption, giving users the highest level of assurance that their data will remain protected when they send and receive communications over a Wi-Fi network connection.

In addition to your existing infrastructure each FaceTime session is encrypted end to end with unique session keys. Apple creates a unique ID for each FaceTime user, ensuring FaceTime calls are routed and connected properly.

FaceTime is available on the iPhone 4, iPad 2, fourth generation iPod touch and Macs running Snow Leopard and Lion. Video chats are available between any and all of these devices.

Apple has aggressively promoted the feature since it was released.

Top Rated Comments

nagromme Avatar
180 months ago
A famous sales aphorism is "Sell the sizzle, not the steak."

Emotion is Apple's sizzle. It's not about the specs -- it's about what you can do with it.
I agree that emotion/style are sizzle, not steak.

But what too few tech companies realize is: a list of specs is ALSO only sizzle. What you can DO with the product, and how well, and how easily, is the steak!

Look at cameras that list high megapixels (sizzle) but take poorer pictures (no steak). Or Android tablets that claim Flash (sizzle) even though it doesn’t work well, while there are almost zero truly excellent tablet-scale apps to use (no steak).
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jlgolson Avatar
180 months ago
That video is so emotional.
A famous sales aphorism is "Sell the sizzle, not the steak."

Emotion is Apple's sizzle. It's not about the specs -- it's about what you can do with it.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
applesith Avatar
180 months ago
That video is so emotional.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mattdm Avatar
180 months ago
This really doesn't make any sense.

If the connection is really properly end-to-end encrypted, the wifi network security doesn't really matter. It could be an open network and still be okay. That's the point of encryption, after all.

On the other hand, if network-level encryption is important, no amount of encrypting one endpoint network is going to help at all if the connection then goes across the Internet through who-knows-what backbone providers and whatever Internet provider the end user has.

Or if they're saying that the connection is secure as long as it stays on a single secure network, that's barely interesting.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AmpSkillz Avatar
180 months ago


never used facetime on any of my 4 iDevices ^^
Awww... hang in there buddy :(

----------

Great, but I wouldn't normally share my phone number with patients, in order to protect my family's privacy, and most docs I know have similar opinions. Of course, there are always exceptions, depending on the circumstances.

i think its more for a physician to consult the patient in the hospital from his device to the hospitals device when he is not on site, not necessarily for you to facetime a patient at home

sort of why they mention the hospital wifi encryption which patients would not have access to
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spillproof Avatar
180 months ago
Great, but I wouldn't normally share my phone number with patients, in order to protect my family's privacy, and most docs I know have similar opinions. Of course, there are always exceptions, depending on the circumstances.

No need. FaceTime can be called using an email address.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
top stories 2025 07 12

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, iOS 26 Beta 3, and More

Saturday July 12, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
The iOS 26 public beta release is quickly approaching, while developers have recently gotten their hands on a third round of betas that has seen Apple continue to tweak features, design, and functionality. We're also continuing to hear rumors about the iPhone 17 lineup that is now just about right around the corner, while Apple's latest big-budget film appears to be taking off, so read on...