Take Control of FaceTime and Messages (Version 1.1)

Master Apple's video, audio, and text messaging tools!
Version 1.1, updated Septembrer 28, 2022

Dig into FaceTime, Messages, and Phone from the basics through the most advanced and interesting features available, including screen sharing, group calls, and sending rich messages in Take Control of FaceTime and Messages. This comprehensive book will answer every question, and reveal useful features you never knew existed.

FaceTime, Messages, and Phone form the core of Apple’s video, texting, and call tools for owners of iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches. As FaceTime and Messages have expanded features, they’ve become more complicated to master and use exactly the way you want. How they interact with the phone network and the Phone app can be a blurry line, too. In this book, Glenn Fleishman lays out your options to best understand, use, and customize FaceTime and Messages for your needs and conversations. Start by mastering (or reviewing) the basics of each app, then move into group calls and texts, using rich media, maintaining your privacy, and adding whimsy to conversations. Covers iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS.

The book covers all three apps (and the many ways they interact) extensively, showing you

How to master the basics of the FaceTime, Messages, and Phone apps
Essential settings and preferences for these apps, including how to pick your primary address or phone number and manage location sharing, and maintain your privacy
Ways to share your screen (or let someone share theirs with you) in both FaceTime and Messages, and when to use which
How to insert the text of a sign or other printed material in a message, or even dial a phone number by pointing your iPhone at a printed number
How to have fun and get creative with Memoji, Message Effects, Camera Effects, stickers, and hashtag images
How Apple secures live audio, video, and texting
Strategies and tools to identify and block unwanted phone calls and messages
You'll learn about FaceTime capabilities such as

How to use FaceTime for audio or video calls with one person or a group of up to 32 people
Why you might want to use a FaceTime Link, and how it can extend FaceTime to Windows and Android users
How to work with audio input and output devices in FaceTime
How to use enhanced audio (Mic Mode) and video (Portrait Mode) effects in FaceTime calls on supported devices
How to use the Eye Contact feature on iPhones and iPads, which simulates eye-to-eye contact even when you're not looking at the camera
How to use SharePlay, which lets parties carry on a FaceTime conversation while enjoying synchronized video, audio, or screen sharing (and even how to transfer SharePlay to an Apple TV)
How to convert a FaceTime audio call to a video call
Find out things you never knew about Messages, including

Why some conversations in Messages use iMessage (blue bubbles for individuals, gray bubbles for businesses) while others use SMS/MMS (green bubbles), and the differences between them
All about advanced Messages features, such as nested replies and person-to-person Apple Pay
Why Messages isn't just for text, but also for audio messages, Digital Touch effects, animations, and more
Ways to keep track of shared links and media across apps with Shared for You
The privacy tradeoffs of Messages in iCloud
Simple ways to create events and reminders from Messages conversations
What to do when group chats get out of control—managing notifications, using mentions, and understanding the differences between SMS and MMS chats
Make better use of the Phone app

How to make phone calls (including emergency calls) from your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch
What the "verified" label on incoming phone calls means