FaceTime is a great way to make video calls with other Apple users for free, but figuring out how long you’ve been chatting can be a bit tricky.
When you’re on a regular FaceTime audio call, the call timer is right there on the screen, just like a normal phone call.
However, video calls are handled differently. To keep the video display clean and distraction-free, the call duration isn’t shown during the call itself. It’s a nice viewing experience, but it can be annoying if you like to keep an eye on how long you’ve been talking.
So, the big question: can you even see how long a FaceTime video call lasts while you’re on it? Well, if you’re using iOS 13 or a later version, the answer is no, not while you’re actually on the call.
In older iOS versions, if you switched to the home screen during a call, you’d see a green bar at the top of your screen, showing the call time and giving you a quick way to return to the call by tapping it.
But with iOS 13, Apple changed that. The status bar got a makeover, becoming smaller and less noticeable. The large green bar is gone, replaced with a tiny indicator, and the call duration is no longer visible.
So, if you can’t see the duration during the call, how can you check it? Well, the only way to do it is after the call has ended.
Method 1: Viewing Call Duration After the Call
This is the most straightforward and reliable way to check how long your FaceTime video call lasted.
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After you’re done with your FaceTime call, open the Phone app.
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Go to the Recents tab and find the FaceTime call you just finished. Then, tap the ⓘ (information) button next to it.
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You’ll see the call details appear, and the duration will be listed among the other information.
It’s a bit of a bummer that you can’t see how long a FaceTime video call is while you’re actually on it, but checking the call duration afterwards in the Phone app is the only way at the moment.