It happens to all of us.
You’re just about to FaceTime a friend when you realize that your battery is running woefully low.
Now you’re left to struggle with charging your phone whilst making your FaceTime call- and we all know how impossible that can be!
If you use FaceTime and charge your phone at the time, you may have noticed that your phone battery does not seem to increase.
In some cases, your phone battery percentage may actually decrease!
Facetiming can lead to a drainage of your battery percentage because the video-calling app is very CPU-intensive.
To charge your phone effectively, it is recommended that you do not use your phone actively while it is charging. For the most optimal recharging, put your phone into Airplane Mode!
However, you’re here because you want to learn how to charge your iPhone while using FaceTime.
So, In this article we will do just that: Welcome to our Concise Guide on How To Make Your Phone Charge While On FaceTime!
We’ll tell you exactly how to optimize your phone charging, as well as how to make sure that your phone is charging while you are talking to your loved ones.
Let’s go!
Can You Charge Your Phone While On FaceTime?
The simple answer is yes; you can charge your phone while you are using FaceTime.
However, there are some questions you may have about this practice.
For example:
Will your battery health worsen if you charge your phone while on FaceTime?
And will the phone take a longer time to charge if you do so while using FaceTime?
FaceTime requires lots of your phone’s energy to function correctly.
As a result, you will find that it consumes the battery of your phone quickly.
So, if you plug your charger while on FaceTime, the battery energy of your phone may be used as quickly as it is being put in!
Smartphones usually demand more power than they possess, and iPhones in particular require more and more energy with each new iteration released.
Despite this, these new versions are not released with upgraded power adaptors optimized for the new phone’s increased energy requirements.
You can still charge your phone while on FaceTime; however, the charging quality will vary depending on a couple of factors.
These include the wattage of your power adapter, and the version of your iPhone.
Therefore, if you have an iPhone 7 or newer, you may need to buy a higher-wattage power adapter to increase your battery charging effectiveness.
If you are already using a high-powered 12W adapter with an iPhone 7 or newer, then there are several other possible causes for any charging issues that you may be experiencing:
- The cable of your power adapter may be broken: If you have been using the same power adapter for a long time, then there is a possibility that the internal wires have become worn.
The section where the cable is broken may not be apparent initially, but some scuffs on the surface of the cable can be an indication that the wires underneath the thread are no longer intact.
Be careful, as this can also result in electric shocks while charging!
- The power brick is not working correctly: If you have dropped your power brick, it could have become damaged and as a result no longer function optimally.
While the chances of this happening are low, it is still a possibility to consider if you have recently dropped the charger.
- There is a fault with the phone itself: Apple has included a battery management system in the iPhone operating system (iOS) that optimizes the power consumption of the apps running on it.
If you discover that the battery management system is not working correctly, the best thing to do would be to have your phone repaired.
Why Does My Phone Not Charge While On FaceTime?
Your phone may not charge while you are on FaceTime if you are using a low-wattage power adapter.
Apple used to ship power adapters with all their iPhones until the iPhone 12. However, these power adapters used to be of 5W power only.
When you are on FaceTime and have your phone plugged in with a charger, you may notice that the charging icon is showing as usual.
However, the battery percentage may not increase even after being plugged for a fair amount of time.
If you are met with this situation, then you are probably using the 5W power adapter which was included in the iPhone box!
5W power adapters are sufficient for charging if you do not use your phone very often and regularly put it into Airplane Mode.
However, if you constantly use your phone even while you are charging the battery, then you will need to buy an upgrade to replace your low-end charger.
How Many Watts Are Enough?
(Side note: We are a member of the Amazon Associates program. From time to time we’ll link out to and recommend products in articles that we feel would truly be valuable to readers.
If you do end up buying after clicking through these links, we may receive a tiny bit of commission from the Big A. This will all then go back to creating more valuable content for this site. Win-win!)
A 5W power adaptor is not powerful enough to charge your phone while using FaceTime simultaneously, as the app is very energy-demanding and eats up a lot of battery power.
To compensate for this battery drainage, it is, therefore, better to use an original 12W Apple power adapter.
Apple offers a 12W USB power adapter that you can purchase from an authorized Apple store, through their official website, or via other stores.
(They do not ship these 12W power adapters inside iPhone boxes, as they evidently would like to sell these more powerful options separately. Sadly, no company wants to sell additional products for the price of a single one!
It is a great way for Apple to maximize their profits, although it will leave you with an adapter that is perhaps not best suited to your new device.)
In your power adapter, a power measurement of 1 Watt = 1 J/Sec applies- meaning that a higher wattage adapter will charge your phone in a much shorter time.
12W chargers use 2.1 amps for 12 watts of power energy, instead of only 1 amp for 5 watts of power as found on basic iPhone chargers.
As a result, you will find that a higher wattage charger is especially beneficial for charging your phone while on FaceTime.
Your phone will take less time to fully charge while using FaceTime, and will be even quicker if you do not use the phone at all while charging.
Apple iPad USB power adapters are also entirely compatible with iPhones, and they come with a power rating of 12W.
How Do I Make My Phone Charge Faster On FaceTime?
During and after the pandemic, our lives have been changed as we adjusted the amount of time we spend safely at home.
Plenty of people now find themselves working from home with little regular social interaction.
It is therefore important to ensure that we make use of our phones to socialize and remain in contact with our family and friends.
As you spend more and more time on FaceTime, you may find that you need to charge your phone almost constantly.
So how can you make your phone charge faster while using FaceTime?
As detailed above, the iPhone power adapters that come with the phone are not powerful enough to charge your device while you are on FaceTime.
To rectify this, you can purchase another more suitable power source- namely, Apple-manufactured 12W power adapters.
These are laptop power adapters which Apple assures are safe to use with your iPhone. A jump from 5W to 12W will significantly improve your battery charging speed.
If you are using a device from the iPhone 13 series, then you will be able to charge your phone at a much quicker rate even while on a FaceTime call!
You can temporarily charge iPhone 13 at 27W, and this will charge your phone from 0 to 100 in about 86 minutes.
Apple offers a wide range of power adapters that you can purchase separately.
If you do not have access to a higher wattage power adapter, you can also buy a 30W USB power adapter which is compatible with iPhone 8 or newer models.
Please keep in mind that the charging speed or the wattage received with each model will vary.
The iPhone has a limited charge cycle, and you can only charge it so many times before you will need a new battery (or perhaps a new device altogether).
You can therefore reduce the fixed charge cycle of your phone if you charge your phone a lot while using energy-draining apps such as FaceTime.
In Summary
After reading this article, you will know now that a higher wattage power adapter is the best option if you want to successfully charge your phone while using FaceTime.
We recommend using an original 12W power adapter for any iPhone model you might have, as it is less expensive than a 30W power adapter yet still much more potent than the 5W version you may already possess.
However, it can still harm your phone and battery health in the long run if you charge and simultaneously use an energy-intensive application such as FaceTime.
While it isn’t strictly prohibited to charge your phone while on FaceTime, you should avoid doing so whenever possible.
Instead, leave your phone alone and don’t use it at all while it’s charging, then take it off the power cable once you’re ready to jump on a call with your friends and family!
Apple has been the dominant pioneer of the mobile tech world for the past two decades. Learn more about what makes their iPhone an icon not just in the present day, but for the ages to come as well!