How to fix FaceTime that's not working on your iPad Air 3

Apple’s very own video and audio calling service called FaceTime is available for any iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac devices. With an active Wi-Fi or cellular data connection, you can make audio and video calls to anyone using any of the said Apple devices. To make a FaceTime audio or video call on your iPad, just open the FaceTime app then tap the Add (+) button, enter the name, email address or number that you want to call then tap Audio or Video to start the call. You can add more names, email addresses or numbers if you want to create a group call through FaceTime.

For as long as the contact details are valid and the device is connected, FaceTime should start up and work as intended. But if for some reason, you can’t use FaceTime or FaceTime is not working on your iPad Air 3, I’ve mapped out some suggested methods to rule out software-related factors and other possible culprits. Read on to learn what to do if FaceTime doesn’t work or you can’t make video or audio call through FaceTime on your iPad Air 3 tablet.

For those who are looking for a solution to a different problem, drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common issues with this phone. Browse through the page to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you still need our help, contact us anytime through our iPad issues questionnaire.

First solution: Refresh your Internet connection.

The main requirement for using FaceTime on your iPad aside from a valid Apple ID is a stable Internet connection either through Wi-Fi or cellular data. If your device is experiencing Internet connectivity issues from slow browsing to intermittent connection to the network, then that’s more likely the main reason why FaceTime isn’t working properly. Should this be just a random network issue, then refreshing the Internet connection will solve the problem. There are many ways to refresh your Internet connection. You can start working on the very source which is the wireless router or modem. If you can access the router or modem, then turn it off and unplug it from the power source for about 1 minute. After the elapsed time, plug it back in and turn it on again. Wait until all the light indicators, particularly the signal indicator become stable. Then reconnect your iPad to the Wi-Fi network.

This process is also referred to as power cycle. It effectively eliminates random errors inflicted by random firmware crashes on the wireless router or modem.

Reboot your iPad afterwards to clear out network caches and to refresh the network system. Then retry launching FaceTime to see if the problem is gone.

ALSO READ: How to fix an iPad Air 3 that’s stuck on Apple logo [troubleshooting guide]

Second solution: Clear all background apps.

Rogue apps may also cause conflicts to FaceTime or any other apps in use. To make sure this isn’t causing the problem with FaceTime, clear all background apps on your iPad Air 3 with these steps:

  1. Navigate to the Home screen and press the Home key twice to view recent applications.
  2. Swipe up on an app’s preview to close/end individual apps.
  3. After clearing all background apps, tap the Home screen or press the Home key to go back to the Home screen.

After clearing all background apps, load FaceTime again and see if it’s already working as intended.

Third solution: Toggle Airplane Mode on and off.

Minor issues affecting wireless services like FaceTime can also be remedied by the old trick called Airplane Mode toggle. This trick has long been used as a quick solution to Wi-Fi issues, Bluetooth, cellular and GPS errors. And a lot of people have found wonders from resorting to this method. In case you’d like to give it a shot, here’s how it’s done:

  1. From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
  2. Select Airplane Mode.
  3. Then toggle the switch to turn Airplane Mode on. Wireless radios are now disabled.
  4. While Airplane Mode is enabled, reboot/soft reset your iPad.
  5. After the iPad reboots, head back to Settings-> Airplane Mode menu.
  6. Then toggle the switch to turn Airplane Mode off again.

Reconnect your iPad to your Wi-Fi network to get back online.

ALSO READ: How to Factory Reset / Hard Reset Apple iPad Air 3

Fourth solution: Sign out of your Apple ID and sign in again.

Account-related issues can also be the underlying cause. To use FaceTime, you have to be logged into your FaceTime account using a valid Apple ID and password. To clear out minor account glitches from the possible triggers, sign out of your FaceTime account then sign in again with these steps:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Tap FaceTime.
  3. Tap on your Apple ID then select the option to Sign Out.
  4. After a few moments, sign back in with your Apple ID or alternate Apple ID (if you other valid Apple ID).

Also make sure that your Apple ID shows the correct phone number.

  • To check on this, go to Settings, select your Apple ID profile and then go to Name, Phone Number, Email. Scroll down to the Reachable At section then see if the phone number in the list is correct. If not, then replace it with the correct number or email address.

After making changes, restart FaceTime on your iPad Air 3 with these steps:

  1. From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
  2. Tap FaceTime.
  3. Toggle the switch to turn the feature OFF.
  4. After a few moments, toggle the switch to turn FaceTime ON again.

When FaceTime is enabled, launch the app and do a test video/audio FaceTime call to see if the problem is gone.

Fifth solution: Disable iMessage on your iPad Air 3.

Some people who have encountered similar issues when using FaceTime were able to find temporary remedy by disabling iMessage while making FaceTime calls. Thus you may consider this as an alternative solution. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. From your Home screen, tap on Settings.
  2. Tap Messages.
  3. Navigate to iMessage then toggle the switch to turn the feature off.

You can turn iMessage back on again after using FaceTime on your iPad Air 3. Since this is just a temporary solution, you need to try other ways to permanently fix the problem with FaceTime without disable iMessage on your iPad Air 3.

Sixth solution: Turn off Restrictions on your iPad Air 3.

One of the features that can halt apps when enabled is the so-called Restrictions. This feature is used to limit certain apps or stop them from running on your device. To make sure this isn’t halting FaceTime from running, follow these steps to disable Restrictions on your iPad Air 3:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Select Screen Time.
  3. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions.
  4. Navigate to Allowed Apps and make sure that FaceTime is listed.

Alternatively, you can turn off the switch next to Content & Privacy to lift restrictions for all apps. While this isn’t a recommended setting, doing so will help you determine whether or not the problem with FaceTime is due to your iPad’s restrictions.

ALSO READ:How to fix Netflix that keeps crashing, not working on your iPad Air 3

Seventh solution: Update to the latest iOS version available.

Installing new updates can also be the key to rectifying the glitch if software bugs are inflicting it. FaceTime bugs are also addressed through an iOS update. If your iPad is able to connect to the Internet and has ample of power and memory space, then follow these steps to check and install any iOS update available:

  1. From the Home screen, tap Settings.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Tap Software update.

If an update is available, you will see a notification. Before tapping the option to download and install, back up all your important files for safekeeping. You can back up your iPhone data to iCloud beforehand and then follow the onscreen instructions to implement the new update.

Last resort: Reset network settings.

Performing resets is often deemed among the last options if the problem continues after implementing all prior methods. To rule out network-related errors that caused problems to network apps and services, performing a network reset is recommended. This reset will erase all saved Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth, APNs and other server settings and then restores the original values. Any associated errors will also be deleted and so as the emerging symptoms. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Tap Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Select General.
  3. Scroll down to and tap on Reset.
  4. Select the option to Reset network settings. Saved Wi-Fi networks and passwords, Bluetooth connections, APNs, and other relevant information will be deleted.
  5. If prompted, enter your device passcode to proceed.
  6. Then tap the option to confirm that you want to reset network settings on your iPad Air 3.

Allow the device to finish erasing the current network settings and then restores the default network values. When the reset is finished, your iPad will restart itself. As soon as it boots up, you can re-enable Wi-Fi to reconnect to your Wi-Fi network and get back online.

Test your Internet connection by launching the browser app and browsing through websites and pages. If the Internet connection is working perfectly fine, launch FaceTime and see if the problem is gone.

Still couldn’t get FaceTime to work on your iPad Air 3?

If nothing else works, check the Apple Server status for any ongoing problems with FaceTime. Just navigate to the Apple Support status page then see if the status indicator for FaceTime is green. If the indicator shows other color than green, then that denotes something is wrong and the service is temporarily unavailable.

You can also report the problem to Apple Support especially if it happens to be a post-update issue that could not be remedied by any of the aforementioned workarounds.

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