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Using Apple's URL Scheme Reference for FaceTime Links on a website, the link opens the FaceTime app but doesn't pass the number/email to be called or start the FaceTime call.

<a href="facetime:user@example.com">Connect using FaceTime</a>

Is this scheme still supported? Any thoughts?

Additional Info Edit: This is the actual code I'm using:

<a href="facetime:user@abc.com">Apple FaceTime</a>

This image shows the popup asking if I wish to place a FaceTime call after clicking the link:

FaceTime call from webpage URL

This image shows the open FaceTime app where nothing happens.

FaceTime call from webpage URL

FelixSFD
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Zephyr Mays
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3 Answers3

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When you click on facetime URL from a webpage it'll prompt user for permission. Auto call initiation will only work from native apps and won't work from webpages.

From FacetimeLinks Reference

When a user taps a FaceTime link in a webpage, iOS confirms that the user really wants to initiate a FaceTime call before proceeding. When an app opens a URL with the facetime scheme, iOS opens the FaceTime app and initiate the call without prompting the user. When opening FaceTime URLs on OS X, the system always prompts the user before initiating a call.

Midhun MP
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  • Right, I noticed that too. I find it does prompt me asking if I want to FaceTime the linked number/email. However, it does nothing more. You're saying it's deigned so that clicking a link from a webpage will only open the app, not pass the number/email at the same time, and/or initiate the call? IMO then it's unless to link using the FaceTime scheme from a webpage if all it does is open the app, nothing more. Is that assessment accurate? – Zephyr Mays Jan 03 '15 at 00:35
  • Btw I'm ok with the asking of permission from the webpage URL - it's the not passing the number/email to the app that has me wondering if I'm missing something. Thanks for the advice! – Zephyr Mays Jan 03 '15 at 00:37
  • @ZephyrMays: It'll pass the data unless the number contains * or # – Midhun MP Jan 03 '15 at 00:37
  • No * or # - this is the suspect HTML `Apple's FaceTime` - Any thoughts as to why that's not passing the data? – Zephyr Mays Jan 03 '15 at 01:01
  • @ZephyrMays: Let me check that, creating a sample app – Midhun MP Jan 03 '15 at 01:13
  • Thanks a lot for your help. Keep in mind that I'm just trying got create simple website links a la `by email` and `(555) 867-5309` not an app. – Zephyr Mays Jan 03 '15 at 01:24
  • any luck with passing the address to the FaceTime app and beginning the call? – Zephyr Mays Jan 06 '15 at 02:36
  • @ZephyrMays: Sorry, I forgot to mention the test result. Unfortunately it not worked. It just opened the the FaceTime – Midhun MP Jan 06 '15 at 05:42
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it's worth noting that this is an iOS 8 issue on Safari. We've been struggling with a web app we developed on iOS 7 for a little while.

This morning I thought I'd try Chrome on iOS 8 just to check and it worked perfectly. Link clicked, asked me to confirm I wanted to FaceTime the number and launched and called the the number as expected.

We still need to get this working on Safari but thought this might help focus on where the problem is occurring as up until now I was treating this as a Facetime bug and it appears it's a Safari bug.

Hope this is helpful,

Stuart

Stuart Watkins
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  • Awesome info - thanks! I'm am seeing the same behavior as well, so at least I know I'm doing it correctly. How do we go about reporting this Safari bug? – Zephyr Mays Jan 09 '15 at 16:14
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Essentially, wait for the bug fix. As I responded to your comment on my post, and for other's sake: Yes. It's a bug with iOS. I've reported it with Apple and they've currently fixed with the latest Beta of iOS. They just need to push this fix out.

Taylor
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    They have fixed the issue at this point with the latest production release of iOS. Shouldn't be a problem any more. – Taylor Apr 08 '15 at 16:23