Apple Saw Record Number of FaceTime Calls On Christmas

As people stayed away from travel and celebrated the holidays from their homes this December, Apple saw the highest volume of FaceTime calls ever on Christmas.

macbook air facetime camera
Apple CEO Tim Cook shared the tidbit during today's earnings call covering the first fiscal quarter of 2021, but he did not give specific numbers on how many ‌FaceTime‌ calls were placed.

Online video communication services like ‌FaceTime‌ and Zoom have seen major growth over the course of the last year as people aim to stay in touch with loved ones, friends, and coworkers while social distancing.

Cook also said that Apple saw a record number of device activations during the last week of the quarter as people received Apple products as gifts, and there were new retail records driven by the performance of the online Apple Store.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

Apple iPhone 16e Feature

Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued. The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Feature Aluminum Frame Instead of Titanium Frame

Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models. In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

Here Are the New Apple Products We're Still Expecting This Spring

Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring. There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category. M4...
Generic iOS 18

Here's When Apple Will Release iOS 18.4

Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch. All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
apple c1

Apple Unveils 'C1' as First Custom Cellular Modem

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:08 am PST by
Apple today announced its first custom cellular modem with the name "C1," debuting in the all-new iPhone 16e. The new modem contributes to the iPhone 16e's power efficiency, giving it the longest battery life of any iPhone with a 6.1-inch display, such as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16. Expanding the benefits of Apple silicon, C1 is the first modem designed by Apple and the most...
Apple Northbrook

Apple Store Permanently Closing at Struggling Mall in Chicago Area

Tuesday February 18, 2025 8:46 pm PST by
Apple is permanently closing its retail store at the Northbrook Court shopping mall in the Chicago area. The company confirmed the upcoming closure today in a statement, but it has yet to provide a closing date for the location. Apple Northbrook opened in 2005, and the store moved to a larger space in the mall in 2017. Apple confirmed that affected employees will continue to work for the...

Top Rated Comments

Apple_Robert Avatar
53 months ago
How in the world is people sharing Christmas using FaceTime political?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dpcanon Avatar
53 months ago
I worked on Christmas Day(ICU nurse) and helped make a bunch of FaceTime and duo calls. With covid, we’re not allowing visitors so that was the only joy the the patients could have.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
53 months ago

Ignore my ignorance but how do they even know this? Privacy much?
Probably a simple counter:

begin
if start_of_day then set facetime_calls = 0;
set facetime_calls = facetime_calls +1;
end;
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
53 months ago

Considering we had to share Christmas with our sister over FaceTime because she was self-isolating, this doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.
We had to do the same. It is the first time that our family was not together for Christmas, and it felt terrible (and really odd).
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Minxy Avatar
53 months ago
I don't mean to be pedantic but... shouldn't the headline be 'Apple saw record number of FaceTime calls at Christmas' or 'On Christmas Day'?

I'm ready to be told i'm wrong!

[HEADING=2][/HEADING]
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mcfrazieriv Avatar
53 months ago
Wonder what percent of those calls weren't actually showing face.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)