How to turn FaceTime volume down Mac

If you’re making a FaceTime call, you may need to stop the audio briefly for you or someone else. Here’s how to mute someone on FaceTime.

FaceTime is a great way to make audio and video calls if you’re an iPhone or Mac user. Sometimes during a call, you may want to mute the call or pause your video for a moment. It could be because you need to speak to another person you’re with and don’t want the person you’re calling to hear. Or you might need to briefly turn off the sound for the call, so it doesn’t disturb people around you.

Whether you want to mute yourself or the person you’re calling, here’s how to mute someone on FaceTime.

How to Mute Yourself on FaceTime

If you want to mute yourself on FaceTime, you can do this easily from your iPhone or Mac. While muted, the person you are calling won’t be able to hear you until you unmute yourself again.

To mute yourself on FaceTime on your iPhone:

1. During your FaceTime call, tap the screen of your iPhone.
2. On the menu that pops up, tap the Microphone icon.
   
   
   
   The Microphone icon will change to gray, and the person you are calling will no longer be able to hear you.
   
   
3. To unmute yourself, repeat the steps above. The Microphone icon returns to white.
   
   

To mute yourself on FaceTime on your Mac:

1. During your FaceTime call, move your cursor over the call window.
2. Click the Microphone icon.
   
   
   The icon will change to white, and the person you are calling will no longer be able to hear you.
   

3. To unmute yourself, repeat the steps above. The Microphone icon returns to gray.

How to Pause Your Video on FaceTime

If you want the person you are calling to be able to still hear you but want to pause the video for a moment, you can also do this easily through your iPhone or Mac.

To pause your video on FaceTime on your iPhone:

1. During your FaceTime call, tap your iPhone screen.
2. Tap the Video Camera icon.
   
   
3. The icon will turn gray, and the person you are calling won’t be able to see you.
   
   
4. To turn your video back on, repeat the steps above. The Video Camera icon turns white again.
   
   
5. You can also pause the video by pressing the side button on your iPhone. This will turn off your iPhone’s screen and pause the video, but you’ll still be able to hear each other.

To pause your video on FaceTime on Mac:

1. During a FaceTime call, move your cursor over the FaceTime window.
2. Click the Video Camera icon.
   
   
   The icon will change to white, and the person you are calling will no longer be able to see you, but you will still be able to hear each other.
   

3. Click the Video Camera icon again to turn your video back on.
4. Alternatively, you can achieve the same effect by pressing Cmd+M to minimize the FaceTime window. When the window is minimized, your video will be paused, but you will still be able to hear each other.
5. To resume the video, click the FaceTime icon in the dock to bring the FaceTime app back up.

How to Mute Someone Else on FaceTime

There is no direct way to mute the person you’re calling through the FaceTime app. However, there are some workarounds that can achieve the same effect.

To mute someone else on FaceTime using your headphones:

1. If you’re making a FaceTime call on your iPhone, you can stop the other person’s sound by plugging your headphones into your iPhone.
2. You may still be able to hear the call coming faintly from your headphones, but the volume will be very low.
3. When you want the call to continue as normal, simply unplug the headphones from your iPhone.

To mute someone else on FaceTime using volume controls:

1. If you’re using FaceTime on your Mac to make your call, you can mute the other person by turning off the volume on your Mac using the Mute key.
   
   
   You won’t be able to hear any sound coming from your Mac, including the person you’re calling.
2. To hear the other person again, tap the Mute key to unmute your Mac.
3. Note that this method doesn’t work on iPhones. You can turn down the volume of your iPhone, but during a FaceTime call, your iPhone won’t let you turn the sound completely off.

To mute someone else on FaceTime by asking them to mute themselves:

1. The final way that you can mute someone else on FaceTime is to ask them directly to mute themselves.
2. If they’re willing to, they can follow the steps listed above to mute the call from their device.
3. When you’re ready to carry on the call, ask them to unmute themselves, and the conversation can continue as normal.

More FaceTime Tips and Tricks

Knowing how to mute someone on FaceTime is a useful trick to learn. We have some other FaceTime tips and tricks that are worth knowing, too.

For example, did you know that you can FaceTime with Android and Windows users? You can also record FaceTime calls on Mac or iPhone. If you’re just getting started with the popular video calling app, check out our guide on how to use FaceTime.

Apple, FaceTime, Hero, iOS