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

95 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
95 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
95 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
95 months ago
How to turn off Facetime.

Click “Turn off Facetime”.

The more you know;)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AZMecha Avatar
94 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)
95 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

Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching in September With These 10 New Features

Monday April 20, 2026 7:13 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not launching until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component will be moved under the...
Apple TV Thumb 3

Here's What's Coming in the 2026 Apple TV

Thursday April 23, 2026 12:08 pm PDT by
There are a lot of folks waiting for a new version of the Apple TV because the set-top box hasn't been updated since 2022. There is an update coming this year, but people will need to wait a bit longer because Apple is holding the next Apple TV until the new version of Siri comes out this fall. Design Apple TV design updates don't happen often, and that's not changing in 2026. The next...
Sad iPhone 18 Feature

Leaker: Apple to Downgrade iPhone 18 in Two Ways

Wednesday April 22, 2026 8:02 am PDT by
Following the emergence of a rumor that Apple is planning to downgrade the iPhone 18 to cut costs, further detail has emerged suggesting that display and chip specifications will see downgrades. Earlier this week, the leaker known as "Fixed Focus Digital" said that the iPhone 18 features "certain manufacturing downgrades" that bring it more into line with the low-cost iPhone 18e model. The...