The claim: Apple plans to start charging users for FaceTime

A June 16 Threads post (direct link, archive link) claims a popular video-calling app will soon come with a price tag.

"Apple is really about to start charging us to use the FaceTime feature, wild," reads the post.

The post was liked more than 200 times in four days.

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Our rating: False

Apple made several announcements at an early June conference, but there was no mention of a charge for FaceTime. Nothing on Apple's website or any credible news reports support the post's claim.

No evidence Apple to start charging FaceTime users

There is no evidence Apple plans to start charging for FaceTime, its free video-calling app that lets users talk face-to-face using Wi-Fi or a cellular data connection. No credible news reports support the post's claim, and nothing similar is mentioned in any of Apple's news releases or guides for using the app.

Apple's iPhone User Guide notes that FaceTime over a cellular data connection could indirectly "incur additional charges" for users exceeding their provider's data limits. However, users can set their phone to only use FaceTime on Wi-Fi to avoid that possibility.

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In early June, Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference featured several announcements, including Apple Intelligence, which integrates artificial intelligence across the technology company's devices, as USA TODAY previously reported. There is no mention of a charge being introduced for FaceTime in news coverage of the event.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment. USA TODAY also reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

PolitiFact also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

  • App Store, accessed June 20, FaceTime
  • iPhone User Guide, accessed June 20, Make FaceTime calls on iPhone
  • iPhone User Guide, accessed June 20, Get started with FaceTime on iPhone
  • Apple, accessed June 20, Newsroom
  • Apple, accessed June 20, Use FaceTime on Mac
  • Apple, June 10, Introducing Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system that puts powerful generative models at the core of iPhone, iPad, and Mac
  • USA TODAY, June 10, Apple WWDC 2024 keynote: iOS 18, AI and changes to photos among what's coming

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