How to Turn Off FaceTime on iPhone, iPad, and Mac - MacRumors
Skip to Content

How to Turn Off FaceTime on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

by

There's a serious bug affecting FaceTime right now, which lets someone who calls you hear the audio on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac even if you don't answer the call.

There does not appear to be any way to avoid getting these unwanted calls, short of turning off FaceTime. Luckily, it's easy to do.

facetimehowtodisable

How to Turn Off FaceTime on Your iPhone and iPad

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down to ‌FaceTime‌.
  3. Click on the toggle next to "‌FaceTime‌."

This will turn off ‌FaceTime‌ on your specific device, but you will need to deactivate ‌FaceTime‌ on all of your iPhones and iPads to avoid unwanted spy calls if you use ‌FaceTime‌ connection methods other than a phone number.

How to Turn Off FaceTime on macOS

  1. Open up the ‌FaceTime‌ app.
  2. Click on "‌FaceTime‌" in the menu bar.
  3. Select "Turn ‌FaceTime‌ Off."

You can also choose "Preferences" and deselect "Enable this account to deactivate ‌FaceTime‌.

With ‌FaceTime‌ disabled, no one will be able to secretly ‌FaceTime‌ call you to listen to your audio. With ‌FaceTime‌ enabled, anyone can exploit a Group FaceTime bug to place a call to you that will allow them to listen to your audio even if you don't accept the ‌FaceTime‌ call.

Top Rated Comments

100 months ago
I'm still on iOS 10. Looks like I'm still enjoying the best iOS version.
Some would stay that would be iOS 6. ;)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
100 months ago
The big downside to this is most people will probably turn off FaceTime and never turn it back on, even after the bug is fixed.

I like being able to call people with FaceTime audio, because the sound quality is far better than a cellular call. This may prove less reliable in the future.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arn Avatar
100 months ago
This doesn’t work between my wife’s iPhone 8 (11.4.1) and my ip7+ (12.1.3) both devices must have to be on iOS 12.
I think that's b/c Group FaceTime was an iOS 12 feature.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
-BigMac- Avatar
100 months ago
How to turn off Facetime.

Click “Turn off Facetime”.

The more you know;)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AZMecha Avatar
100 months ago
I'm still on iOS 10. Looks like I'm still enjoying the best iOS version.
Not :p:p:p
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
100 months ago
[doublepost=1548735503][/doublepost]Of if you get a call from anyone you dont trust, just power off your phone immediately.
Seems like overkill. If someone was actually worried about a FaceTime attack of this kind, easy enough to decline the call and that ends the whole thing right there.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....