What dictates if "Facetime" is offered for a contact on an IPad?

[NeilF]

So, I'm setting up an IPad for a friend, and she simply wants to be able to Facetime her kids who now live over in Australia.

In her contacts she has her two children's telephone numbers which are both IPhones. But, neither offered "Facetime".

I added my son to her contacts, just with his (IPhone) phone number, and that did offer "Facetime".

I then added an email address of one of her kids to their contact details, and bingo, up popped a "Facetime" option.

So what dictates if "Facetime" is offered?

 

[VaderDSL]

So, I'm setting up an IPad for a friend, and she simply wants to be able to Facetime her kids who now live over in Australia.

In her contacts she has her two children's telephone numbers which are both IPhones. But, neither offered "Facetime".

I added my son to her contacts, just with his (IPhone) phone number, and that did offer "Facetime".

I then added an email address of one of her kids to their contact details, and bingo, up popped a "Facetime" option.

So what dictates if "Facetime" is offered?

Your friends kids might not have their mobile numbers registered with Apple as being a valid way to be reached via Facetime.

In settings > facetime you can set different ways to be reached via imessage and or facetime. For example I have 3 e-mail addresses as a valid contact for myself, 1 spam address, 1 personal address and 1 work address plus my mobile number. The only 2 contacts that I have chosen to register with facetime are my mobile number and personal e-mail. That way if someone adds my work e-mail they don't get the option of imessage or facetime. But people (friends and family) who have my mobile number and my personal e-mail address as a contact on their device will get the facetime/imessage option. At least this is my understanding.

 

[NeilF]

So if I find out what the two kids have set on their devices as regards Settings > Facetime, and ensure that (telephone no./email address) is listed in my friend's contact information for them?

 

[VaderDSL]

So if I find out what the two kids have set on their devices as regards Settings > Facetime, and ensure that (telephone no./email address) is listed in my friend's contact information for them?

Int heory yes. I believe that if you ever reset your Apple ID password it removes your phone number or disassociates it from the facetime/imessage server, so if they've ever reset their passwords they may just need to re enable their number.