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Apple gadget users may soon have the freedom to make FaceTime video calls using both Wi-Fi and 3G mobile connectivity, if clues placed in the current version of software are anything to go by.
At present, the latest version of Apple’s iOS operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch is version 5.1.1. It features FaceTime – Apple’s own Skype-style video calling solution for Apple devices only – but as has been the case since its introduction in 2010 along with iOS 4 and the iPhone 4, it will only work when a device is connected to Wi-Fi.
Several people have begun to notice prompts within iOS 5.1.1 that hint at Apple making FaceTime using 3G a possibility. One example involves the user connected to a FaceTime call and attempting to disable 3G connectivity from within the Settings menu. A message appears: “Disabling 3G may end FaceTime. Are you sure you want to disable 3G”.
Of course, disabling 3G will have no affect on the FaceTime call, since the device is connected via Wi-Fi, which is the only way FaceTime can work. So why are our Apple devices telling us that disabling 3G can end a FaceTime call? This could be a mistake or it could be a preparation towards allowing FaceTime over 3G.
Apple’s late CEO Steve Jobs introduced FaceTime in 2010, explaining that it would only work via Wi-Fi and that “we (Apple) need to work a little bit with the cellular providers to get ready for the future”. Rival devices were already to make video calls over 3G, most notably Android.
FaceTime calling over 3G has been possible for a long time for those brave enough to Jailbreak their device. Once Jailbroken, software packages such as ‘Facebreak’ allow the user to make video calls using FaceTime wherever they are, provided they have a 3G signal. This alone is one of the most popular draws of Jailbreaking for some.
Apple is set to reveal iOS 6 next month at its WWDC event in San Francisco, where we may see the company announce FaceTime calling over 3G along with a new mapping solution in favour of Google Maps.
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Via: Slashgear
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