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Comment by paulie_a | Hacker News Reader

That just seems like a good idea anyways. FaceTime as a product just flat out seems stupid.

Why? I use it all the time and in terms of simplicity it beats all other video calling products.

I'll take a stab at that, although I don't think it's stupid per-se. Everyone I talk to, I talk to via WhatsApp, LINE, or FB Messenger, and generally I only use that method to talk to them, whatever else they're on. All of those have easy one-press buttons to initiate video call. Using some kind of Apple-only technology?

I mean I think most people I know are probably on an iPhone, but having to remember everyone's device to know if they can FaceTime? Ugh. I suspect I could work out how to FaceTime someone if you made me, but I'd have to work it out rather than just knowing it.

But isn't everyone being on WhatsApp or FB Messenger or whatever just elevating the device uncertainty to platform uncertainty? You still have to remember or check who is on what.

It seems like if they generally are all on iPhone, FaceTime is the one thing you could reliably call them on, and it will even tell you right in the messages app if you can FaceTime them.

> You still have to remember or check who is on what.

For some reason this comes pretty naturally to me. I guess I'm only talking to 15-20 people pretty regularly...

> it will even tell you right in the messages app

Maybe this is the disconnect. The last time I sent a message from Messages was apparently in November.

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