It's Bad News: Apple Doesn't Allow FaceTime Over 4G In New iPad
by Joe White
March 15, 2012
Although the new iPad can benefit from super-fast 4G download speeds, Apple still isn't allowing users to make FaceTime calls when connected to a cellular data network, The Verge has discovered.
The website notes that attempting to initiate a FaceTime call when connected to a 4G network produces a pop-up message, just as it does with 3G iOS devices, prompting users to hook-up to a Wi-Fi network in order to make the call. The website adds:
[I]t's doubly frustrating as Verizon's LTE plans for the new iPad include Wi-Fi hotspot functionality at no extra cost. In other words, you could easily initiate a Wi-Fi hotspot from your new Verizon LTE iPad and use it to successfully make a FaceTime call from an iPhone — likely with little to no degradation in video quality as compared to a Wi-Fi connection, since LTE is so fast. More to the point, using the device as a Wi-Fi hotspot seems just as likely to rack up data as a FaceTime call, which has been estimated to use around 3MB per minute.Already, Apple has removed the 20 megabyte cap on cellular data network-powered iOS app downloads, allowing users to download music, video or apps of up to 50 megabytes in one sitting - a move prompted by Apple's adoption of 4G LTE technology. Apple has yet to comment on the above matter, though as The Verge notes, the restriction most likely comes from AT&T and Verizon. Jailbreak tweaks might soon be able to help us out - already, you can download FaceBreak, which allows users to make FaceTime calls over a 3G data network. Once the new iPad is jailbroken, a similar tweak will most likely become available. Tomorrow's the big day - let us know if you've preordered a 4G iPad in the comments below.
