Apple pulls Group FaceTime from iOS 12 and macOS Mojave, will re-add it later this fall

Shawn Knight

Posts: 15,253   +192
Staff member
What just happened? Apple didn't specify why Group FaceTime was being pulled from iOS 12 and macOS Mojave but if we had to guess, Cupertino probably needs more time to iron out bugs and fine-tune the user interface (it looks somewhat clunky from what we've seen thus far).

Apple is removing Group FaceTime as a launch feature in iOS 12 and macOS Mojave, the company said on Monday, and will instead add it as part of a software update later this fall.

Apple unveiled Group FaceTime during its WWDC keynote in June and has included it in every beta release of iOS 12 and macOS Mojave since. The feature allows up to 32 people to chat together in a single FaceTime audio or video session.

It’s unclear why Apple decided to postpone the feature’s launch but it’s not uncommon for Apple to delay features like this.

As MacRumors highlights, Apple held back key features like Apple Pay Cash, Messages in iCloud and AirPlay 2 until well after the release of iOS 11. Apple Pay Cash didn’t arrive until December as part of iOS 11.2 while the two other features didn’t drop until iOS 11.4 in May.

If Apple sticks to its word, we could see Group FaceTime launch as part of the first or second major iOS 12 update. iOS 12 is expected to launch sometime in September and coincide with the arrival of the next wave of iPhones.

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