In a world full of changes and challenges, users are abandoned by not paying attention.
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Editor’s note: As the epidemic spreads worldwide, more and more people are forced to stay at home. In this context, the demand for online video chat is starting to soar: meeting online with colleagues, talking with close people, and so on. However, it is strange that FaceTime, launched by Apple, has been tepid at the moment when the usage of various video call products has surged. Why? According to his own experience, the author tells 5 reasons in detail. This article is from Medium, author Numeric Citizen, the original title is “Five Reasons Why Apple ’s FaceTime is Losing the Battle Against Coronavirus”.
FaceTime ’s group chat interface | Picture from Medium
Why should I write this article?
Before isolation, my wife will meet with her friends once a month, and each time they meet, they will choose different occasions and do something different. thing. As the epidemic worsened, we were all isolated at home, and this tradition was forced to end.
After five weeks, they thought of a way to meet online. Five people agreed to meet online on Tuesday night.
All five of them use an iPhone, so at first they decided to use the FaceTime feature that comes with the iPhone. Then when it was time to meet, my wife set up an iMessage group and clicked the FaceTime icon. Later, several of his friends appeared on the screen.
Then her friends began to complain that they wanted to use iPad video but the tablet did not support it. Another person began to wonder why someone had not connected yet. The third person complained why they could only see everyone ’s last nameThe initials, the avatar can’t be seen … Everyone started to get confused. In the end, it took them 45 minutes to solve these problems. In the end, they decided to abandon FaceTime and switch to Zoom. The process of using Zoom is relatively smooth.
FaceTime should not be like this!
Undoubtedly, Apple has been doing very well in protecting consumer privacy. But it failed to design a simple and secure video communication software to compete with Skype and Zoom.
Opening a video conference has always been tricky, because everyone is used to different software. In this case, it is very important to choose a software that everyone can use easily. Facebook launched Messenger is difficult to have competitors, because almost everyone now has a Facebook account, as long as you have an account, you can use Messenger to open videos. Very simple and efficient. Zoom is the latest service software emerging, and it is also very simple to use.
In online meetings, these four links are the most important | Pictures from Medium
When choosing a video communication software, these processes must be taken into account: just click “Call” to contact the other party; simple and convenient handling of calls; you can add or delete someone in the group chat; Hang up the phone. Apple’s FaceTime has too many problems in these links. In addition, FaceTime currently only supports the iOS system, and it also shuts out a large number of Android users.
Recommended reading: Apple is going to open a window on iOS high airtight wall
In recent updates, Apple has focused on Memoji (personalized custom emoticons) and special effects, and has not improved the most fundamental problems exposed by FaceTime. Today, Apple is paying the price for this negligence.
1. FaceTime is not suitable for multiplayer online video
When Jobs released the iPhone 4 generation in 2010, he mentioned that the embedded FaceTime service joined the Open Mobile Alliance. Later, Apple’s FaceTime technology was accused of infringing VirnetX’s patent. Apple lost the lawsuit and compensated huge sums of money. Later, it was difficult to promote the FaceTime service in the Open Mobile Alliance without infringing on patents. Ultimately, this service can only be implemented on Apple devices and iOS systems.
Recommended reading: Apple ’s 10-year patent battle is lost, or VirnetX will be compensated with USD 503 million
In other words, FaceTime is not available on the client or Android system. Many families either have to switch to Apple and use FaceTime, or they can only choose other online video platforms.
2. Setting and post-management are too complicated
If you are a new Apple user, setting your own ID will not be too complicated for you. As long as you register a phone number, you can enjoy the FaceTime service (see Apple’s relevant terms for details). However, when you have multiple Apple devices, multiple Apple accounts, and multiple registered mailboxes, there may be problems.
Specifically, when you want to make a call with FaceTime, you need to enter the other party ’s phone number or email address before connecting to the other party. This is explained on Apple’s website: “Add your information to the ID so that friends and family can use iMessage, FaceTime, Game Center, etc. to find you.” That is, it is possible to talk to others by binding the mailbox / mobile phone.
FaceTime settings page | Picture from Medium
But if you check your ID, you will find that your ID may be bound to multiple mailboxes. Of all the bound mailboxes, which one is the one that activated the FaceTime service? This can easily cause confusion. In addition, if everyone binds multiple mailboxes under the ID, and only one mailbox can get through FaceTime, this greatly increases the chance of “popping” when calling the other party. This confusion will eventually lead to FaceTime being abandoned .
In addition, if you want to use other Apple devices to answer FaceTime, you need to do more complicated settings. If you do n’t have the right settings, you may not be able to receive online calls from others. If you log in with different IDs on different devices, the call to the iPhone may not be displayed on your Mac at all. You can’t set it uniformly with iCloud. Why can’t FaceTime be set uniformly with iCloud? This is puzzled to me.
FaceTime cannot be set in iCloud | Picture from Medium
3. FaceTime does not set up Enterprise Edition
FaceTime today does not have a dedicated enterprise version to meet the company ’s needs.
For example, FaceTime cannot set a blurred background, which is a disaster for social animals who hold online meetings at home.
In addition, a FaceTime conversation cannot be regarded as a “virtual meeting room”, because you cannot open a meeting halfway and invite others to join. Only the initiator of FaceTime has this right. The identity of this “sponsor” cannot be transferred to others.
Last participant cannot share the screen yet. Of course, not sharing the screen can be seen as a result of Apple ’s protection of the user ’s privacy. Just because of this, FaceTime is too inconvenient as an office software.
Recommended reading: Why did Zoom suddenly rise, How to balance security and simplicity?
4. Unreachable calls
According to point 2 above, you will most likely never be able to make a call. At this time, you need a series of complicated steps to diagnose the problem and debug.
You can use the phone or email to reach a person, but in the end you use a mailbox or a phone, which mailbox do you want to use? It all depends on what the person you contacted is bound in the ID.
Also, it is ridiculous to call a person by mail instead of a phone number. Many people do n’t understand the operation principle of FaceTime, so they respect it.
FaceTime can be reached by email, which is difficult for many users to understand | Picture from Medium
Finally, you ca n’t guarantee that everyone who uses an Apple phone has an Apple ID, and ID is a prerequisite for using FaceTime.
Based on the above obstacles, you may never be able to contact FaceTime with the person you want to contact.
5. There is a problem with the design of FaceTime
For Apple, design is always its signature. Unfortunately, the design of FaceTime is very bad.
After opening the FaceTime app, you will see many useless designs. For example, I have never been able to understand what it means to display “Last Call” in a semi-confusing interface, which is very unsatisfactory and cannot give users a good visual experience. Especially the thought that such an interface is actually displayed on the iPhone is even more disappointing.
FaceTime also mixes calls in the app with recent calls in the phone, which is also confusing. It stands to reason that Apple should come up with a better way to distinguish FaceTime’s call records from mobile phone cartoon records.
Finally, FaceTime now supports publishing various Memoji and dynamic stickers in group chats. In the workplace, this effect seems too outdated. In addition, the FaceTime chat interface uses a card-like effect, presented in the form of a waterfall. In other words, for the member who is speaking, the video area will be automatically enlarged. Imagine how much of this video area can be tiring in a fierce conversation. Some people even feel physical discomfort because the size of the video interface changes back and forth, which is one of FaceTime ’s worst experiences. (It is said that the next release of iOS 13.5 will turn off the function of changing the size of this video interface).
Conclusion
Because the most important functions lack operability, and because the ID management is too complicated and chaotic, FaceTime failed to stand out in this outbreak Indispensable online video platform. Today, FaceTime still mainly supports one-to-one video dialogue, which is consistent with the positioning of FaceTime when it was first launched, but the times have changed.
We may have to wait until iOS is upgraded to version 14 or later to see Apple make changes to FaceTime.
It was just then, everything was late.
Translator: Michiko