AT&T to Expand FaceTime Over Cellular to All Customers by Year End

facetime_ios_iconIn a statement to The Verge on the future of pre-loaded apps, AT&T today revealed that it is planning to offer FaceTime over cellular to all of its customers on any data plan by the end of 2013.

For video chat apps that come pre-loaded on devices, we currently give all OS and device makers the ability for those apps to work over cellular for our customers who are on Mobile Share or Tiered plans. Apple, Samsung and BlackBerry have chosen to enable this for their pre-loaded video chat apps. And by mid-June, we’ll have enabled those apps over cellular for our unlimited plan customers who have LTE devices from those three manufacturers.

Throughout the second half of this year, we plan to enable pre-loaded video chat apps over cellular for all our customers, regardless of data plan or device; that work is expected to be complete by year end.

When FaceTime over cellular was announced alongside iOS 6, AT&T initially restricted the service to its customers that subscribed to a Mobile Share data plan. AT&T soon expanded access, first to customers on a tiered data plan with an LTE device, and then to all customers with a tiered data plan regardless of device. Only customers with a grandfathered unlimited data plan were restricted from using the service.

AT&T plans to allow its unlimited customers with LTE devices access to FaceTime over cellular beginning in June, with full access to all customers becoming available by the end of the year.

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Top Rated Comments

bb426 Avatar
150 months ago
AT&T: "And to all those who switched plans just for that feature..."
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Prof. Avatar
150 months ago
How... generous of them.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mad Mac Maniac Avatar
150 months ago
Tomorrow: "AT&T announces an end to all grandfathered unlimited data plans by year end!"
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
naeS1Sean Avatar
150 months ago
Idk...I don't use it anyway. I'm more about the texts. And even thats pushing it. I just want to be left alone, honestly...:o
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Joe-Diver Avatar
150 months ago
So,,,they're going to allow my device to work as it's designed and capable of.

Thanks.

I'm grandfathered Unlimited...on an iPhone4.....so, by the end of the year I'll finally be able to FT over cell...not just wireless. About damn time.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Flood123 Avatar
150 months ago
It would be cool if they did this with tethering. Not holding my breath though.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)