Early yesterday morning Apple released a couple of updates for iOS. Usually you would expect that all we would see is an update to iOS 7. In this case, apparently Apple found something that affected iOS 7 and iOS 6 regarding FaceTime calls. All the release notes say is that it fixes an issue where FaceTime calls would fail. Perhaps it was a carrier related issue considering the problem seems to span two major versions of iOS.
There’s no sign from Apple’s notes whether the problem affected wifi or cellular FaceTime calls, but hopefully this will sort it all out. I myself rarely use FaceTime. When compared to texting, it seems very inefficient, however if you have a family or significant other who is far away, it can be very nice to see their face. For a friend of mine, that is about the only way he communicates with his wife and three kids while he is traveling.
Here are the very sparse specifics, from Apple’s release notes, explaining what each update does. Both updates are available directly on the devices using Over The Air Update and through iTunes. Don’t forget to back up your device!
Version 7.0.4:
- Bug fixes and improvements, including a fix for an issue that causes FaceTime calls to fail for some users.
Version 6.1.5:
- released for iPod touch 4th gen to fix FaceTime issues.
And, if you happen to need a reminder as to which device models are compatible with iOS 7, here it is:
- iPhone 5s / 5c / 5 / 4S / 4
- iPad Air / iPad 2 / new iPad
- iPad mini / iPad mini with Retina Display
- iPod touch 5th gen