FaceTime is coming to Windows and Android, but will you use it?

Facetime Icon Iphone X Hero
Facetime Icon Iphone X Hero (Image credit: Windows Central)

Apple held its annual WWDC conference this week, and many Windows fans and users looked across the aisle at Microsoft's competitor. While the biggest pieces of news are iOS 15, iPadOS15, and macOS Monterey, there were several other announcements from Apple. The one that affects Windows users the most is the fact that FaceTime will no longer be exclusive to Apple hardware.

After years of being behind Apple's walled garden, FaceTime will make its way to Windows and Android through the web. Some features will remain exclusive to iPads, iPhones, and Macs, but the ability to use FaceTime on hardware from a non-Apple company at all is the headline.

After the announcement, I saw a mixture of reactions across the web. Some were excited to be able to use the service on Windows and Android devices, while others didn't care at all. This comes down to a few factors, the biggest of which may be geography.

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While FaceTime is popular in the United States, it's not nearly as much of a factor in other countries. In many areas where Android reigns supreme on the mobile side of things, FaceTime isn't that big of a deal.

FaceTime also has more competition than ever from the likes of Zoom, WhatsApp, and Microsoft Teams, though the latter is used more for work than chatting with friends and family.

Some around the web asked why anyone would use an exclusive communication platform like FaceTime when Zoom or WhatsApp are available on every major platform.

Our question for you this week is, do you care about FaceTime coming to Windows and Android through the web? Please let us know in the poll above and share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Sean Endicott
News Writer

Sean Endicott is a News Writer at Windows Central, where he covers Windows 11, Surface hardware, Microsoft 365, AI, apps, and the broader PC ecosystem. Since joining the site in 2017, he has written well over a thousand articles across the Microsoft landscape, covering breaking news, analysis, and feature reporting.

He writes Windows Wrap, a weekly column covering the biggest stories in Windows and the PC industry, and what they mean for the platform going forward.

Before joining Windows Central full-time, Sean worked in journalism and media production after earning a First Class degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. Outside of tech, he is an award-winning American football coach based in Nottingham, England, and was named BAFCA Youth Coach of the Year in 2024.