People are relying on video chat apps to stay in touch like never before, so it isn’t the best time for a bug that prevents Apple users making FaceTime calls to those on older devices.
Some users are complaining that the iOS 13.4 and macOS 10.15.4 updates have rendered them unable to connect with pals and family members with devices running iOS 9.3.5 or iOS 9.3.6.
Numerous complaints have emerged on the official Apple forums, Twitter, Reddit and the MacRumors forums, where we picked up this report, in recent days.
The issue effectively leaves people using devices like the iPhone 4s, iPad 2 and iPod touch (5th-gen) out in the cold, when it comes to hooking-up through FaceTime.
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While that’s unlikely to affect a large number of people (it’s thought that less than 1% of users are on iOS 9 right now), it is possible that many people using old devices are among the vulnerable members of society relying on FaceTime to stay in touch with family members during this period of self isolation. At least two of those unfortunate scenarios are evidenced by the tweets below:
@AppleSupport updated my iPhone and iPad to iOS 13.4 yesterday and now cannot FaceTime my mother who has my old ipad3. She is in isolation due to her health and Covid19 and we have no way to FaceTime her now. Please fix this ASAP.
— Neil B (@bertrum) March 28, 2020
@AppleSupport Hey Apple, since iOS 13.4 i can‘t call an iOS 9 Device over Facetime. That‘s a real Problem at these Days because it‘s the only way for me and my 2 childs to see our 90yrs. young Mother/Grandmother. Please fix. ?
— Jonny Castaway (@jonnycastaway) March 27, 2020
Currently, it’s unclear whether it’s a bug that’s causing issue with making FaceTime calls to older hardware, or whether Apple has simply decided to cut off those devices at this stage. To do this without warning would be slightly strange, but not out of the realms of possibility.
Apple Support is currently fielding messages from affected users, so it doesn’t appear as if iOS 9 has been cut off at this stage. One support agent wrote: “Let’s take a look at this together, Jonny. What version of iOS 9 is running on the other devices? What happens when you attempt to use FaceTime to connect with them? Send us a DM.”
Have you experienced issues with FaceTime since updating to iOS 13.4 or macOS 10.5.1 in the last few days? Let us know @trustedreviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
