With ‌iOS 17‌ and tvOS 17, you can make ‌FaceTime‌ calls on ‌Apple TV‌ and use your iPhone or iPad as the front-facing camera. Here's how it works and how to use it.

facetime apple tv
In tvOS 17, there's a new ‌FaceTime‌ app for ‌Apple TV‌, but to use it you need an ‌iPhone‌ running ‌iOS 17‌ or an ‌iPad‌ running iPadOS 17. That's because the ‌Apple TV‌ doesn't have a camera or microphone, so the ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌ connects wirelessly and serves as the video camera and mic during the ‌FaceTime‌ call.

What You Need

‌FaceTime‌ on ‌Apple TV‌ requires an ‌iPhone‌ XS, ‌iPhone‌ XR, and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later), ‌iPad Pro‌ 11-inch (1st generation and later), ‌iPad‌ (8th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), and iPad mini (5th generation and later) with ‌Apple TV‌ 4K (2nd generation and later) running tvOS 17 or later.

Start a FaceTime Video Call on Apple TV

  1. On ‌‌Apple TV‌, select the ‌FaceTime‌ app, then select the user whose ‌iPhone‌ you want to use as the Continuity Camera.
  2. Tap the Continuity Camera alert on your ‌iPhone‌, then tap Accept.
    apple tv facetime iphone

  3. Next, position your ‌iPhone‌ near the TV in landscape orientation with the rear camera facing you.
  4. With the ‌iPhone‌ camera in position and streaming to the ‌Apple TV‌, use your Siri Remote to select the options on the screen: choose Center Stage to keep you in the frame as you move around, Portrait to focus in on you and blur the background, and Reactions to let you trigger screen effects using physical gestures.
  5. When you're happy with the camera setup, select someone to call from the contacts list along the side of the TV screen.

When the person answers your call, they will appear fullscreen and your ‌iPhone‌ camera's stream will be minimized to the corner of the screen.

tvos 17 facetime
During the call, there are also screen options to Add another person to the call, start a SharePlay session, Mute the call, turn the Camera on/off, and End the call. Note that you can also handoff a call from the ‌‌Apple TV‌‌ to an iOS device if you need to move to another room, and vice versa.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)

Popular Stories

BMW Logo iPhone 15 Pro

Warning: BMW Wireless Charging May Break iPhone 15's Apple Pay Chip

Sunday October 1, 2023 6:14 am PDT by
If you have an iPhone 15 and drive a BMW, it might be best to avoid charging the device with the vehicle's wireless charging pad for now. Over the past week, some BMW owners have complained that their iPhone 15's NFC chip no longer works after charging the device with their vehicle's wireless charging pad, according to comments shared on the MacRumors Forums and X, formerly known as Twitter. ...
Multi Display CarPlay 1

All-New Apple CarPlay Launching Later This Year With These 5 New Features

Friday September 29, 2023 11:29 am PDT by
At WWDC 2022 last year, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, promising deeper integration with vehicle functions like A/C and FM radio, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, personalization options, and more. Apple said the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience would be announced in late 2023, but it has still not shared any additional...
Apple Watch Edition Gold 2015

Original Apple Watch is Now Obsolete, Including $17,000 Gold Model

Monday October 2, 2023 9:15 am PDT by
All first-generation Apple Watch models released in 2015 were added to Apple's obsolete products list on September 30, according to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors. As a result, these outdated "Series 0" watches are no longer eligible for repairs or other service at Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Provider locations. The list of obsolete models includes the first-generation...
iPhone 15 Pro lineup

Apple to Address iPhone 15 Pro Overheating Issue With iOS 17 Update

Saturday September 30, 2023 9:28 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an iOS 17 update to address a bug that may contribute to the reported iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max overheating issue, according to a statement the company shared today with MacRumors and Forbes reporter David Phelan. Apple also says some recent updates to third-party apps have overloaded the system and contributed to the overheating issue. The report notes that...
Apple Logo Spotlight

Mac Trade-In Changes May Indicate New Model to Launch This Month

Tuesday October 3, 2023 6:30 am PDT by
Apple may be proceeding with plans to release a new Mac model this month, according to potentially related information obtained by MacRumors. Details pertaining to imminent changes to Mac trade-ins provided to MacRumors by a verified source suggest that Apple will likely begin accepting new models for trade-in this month. Similar changes in June coincided with WWDC, when Apple began accepting...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Details: Action Button, USB-C Port, Face ID, and More

Wednesday September 27, 2023 1:34 pm PDT by
Significant changes are expected to arrive with Apple's fourth-generation iPhone SE, in terms of both design and hardware, MacRumors has learned. The iPhone SE 4, known internally under the codename Ghost, is expected to receive a new design derived almost entirely from the base model iPhone 14. According to our sources, the iPhone SE 4 will use a modified version of the iPhone 14 chassis...