Need to start a video conference in the RingCentral mobile app?
The smartphone that you hold in your hand is a supercomputer. In fact, it has more processing power than all the servers that NASA used to land its first manned mission on the moon.
And when it comes to who’s who of smartphones, nothing beats the iPhone in terms of hardware, performance, and features. It offers arguably the best user experience when you’re calling, texting, and video chatting with your friends and colleagues.
With the sudden rise of remote work culture caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, video conferencing has become an integral part of our everyday jobs.
It’s quickly becoming the best way to communicate and collaborate with our teammates.
In this post, we’ll look at two different ways to make video conference calls on an iPhone—one way that you’re used to (but that can cost you money and has a limit on how many people can be on your call), and one way that you might not know about yet.
- How to make video conference calls the usual way
- How to make video conference calls using RingCentral Video
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How to make a video conference call the usual way on an iPhone
One of the most common ways people make video calls on an iPhone is by using the FaceTime app (Apple’s patented product).
You don’t have to worry about downloading FaceTime since it’s one of the many default apps in the iPhone’s App Store.
Using the Group FaceTime feature, you can conference with 31 other people at once. Way easier than the hassle of trying to get everyone in a room at the same time.
Here’s the quick step-by-step process of how to do video conferencing on an iPhone using the FaceTime app.
Step 1
Go to the FaceTime app and add your contacts, their phone numbers, or their email addresses to add them to a conference call:
(Note: FaceTime app is only supported on Apple devices and on iOS 12.1.4 or later, so make sure all your participants are using at a minimum, an iPhone 6s, iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, or iPad Mini 4.
If your participants have earlier models of those devices that support iOS 12.1.4, they can still join the Group FaceTime call but only as audio participants:
Step 2
Finish adding all the people you want in the conference call:
(Remember, you can add up to 31 people at once, a total of 32 people including you—the host.)
Step 3
Tap on Video to start your FaceTime video call!
Video conferencing on iPhone is pretty simple through the FaceTime app, but it hits a roadblock when you need to have more than 32 people in a meeting.
FaceTime also requires that all your participants own a relatively new Apple device, which isn’t always possible.
So, let’s look at an alternative.
If you need to host meetings for larger teams on a recurring basis, or want to make it so that even people who don’t have Apple devices can join your call, then you can try a video conferencing software like RingCentral Video (which comes included with RingCentral Office®️).
How to use RingCentral Video to make video conference calls on an iPhone
There are several benefits to using RingCentral Video over the FaceTime app on an iPhone:
- You can have up to a whopping 200 participants
- Your participants don’t need the latest Apple devices to join the video conference
- You can access other useful features like screen sharing and annotation
Now, let’s look at how to make a video conference call on the RingCentral app:
Step 1
Download the RingCentral app (it’s free!) on your iPhone. Create a new account or sign in if you already have an account:
Step 2
Once you’re in the app, tap ”Start” icon at the top of the screen:
Step 3
Invite a few participants:
Step 4
Once you’re in a video call, you can add more participants by tapping the “participants” icon at the bottom of the screen:
Step 5
Send the conference invitation to your participants via text or email—or just send them a link!
And that’s it! You’re all set.
Ready to start making video conference calls on your iPhone?
Whether you’re just using FaceTime or RingCentral Video, you’ve got a few options for making video conference calls using just your phone. No fancy cameras, no expensive mics. Go on, give it a try!
🕹️ Get a hands-on look at how RingCentral works by booking a product tour:
💰 You can also use this calculator to see roughly how much your business could save by using RingCentral to support your team’s communications with clients, customers, and each other.
Originally published Apr 10, 2020, updated Feb 02, 2022