In the Contact Card is Not Available for Facetime

In Contact Card Is Not Available For Facetime iPhone

When technology works, it makes our lives a lot easier and fun. And that’s probably why when it doesn’t work, it leaves us in a heap of frustration. The iPhone error message that says Number in Contact Card Is Not Available For Facetime, is a perfect example of this.

What makes this worse is the fact that the error message is hardly ever true – the contact does have Facetime – and it often happens only for a singular contact. So, you may be able to Facetime with all other contacts except that one contact for which you get this error. Or, your contacts may all be able to Facetime everyone else except you.

Many users try so many fixes including rebooting their devices, reinstalling Facetime, re-adding the contact, and switching from cellular to WIFI or vice versa. Still, the error remains.

Now, here is what you should know:

• There are more than one possible causes of this error, and different solutions work for different people. You would need to try the solutions in this article in the provided order, until you get yours fixed

This error message does NOT mean any of the following:

• That the contact blocked you – Check out this article I did on what happens on Facetime when someone blocks you, here
• That the contact is out of data
• That cellular network is poor
• That the contact’s phone has been hacked

I have stated these to save you the stress of trying several processes that will not work.

So, what exactly is this “In Contact Card Is Not Available For Facetime” error message? And how do you fix it?

I am going to provide all the answers in full detail below.

Why Does It Say In Contact Card Is Not Available For Facetime on my iPhone?

1. The Facetime App Is Glitching

This is by far the most common reason for the In Contact Card Is Not Available For Facetime error message on an iPhone. The Facetime app comes pre-installed on iPhones. This does not make it any different from an app you download from the App Store. And just like any such apps, the Facetime app runs into glitches from time to time. It’s just that these glitches are often very minor and resolve on their own.

But in the case of this error message, it is a serious glitch that requires you to perform some actions to resolve it. Let’s get started.

Fix 1 – Turn Off Facetime and Turn It Back On

This is the solution that works for most users. Remember that a glitch is just a minor, temporary malfunctioning of an application’s code or a break in its integration with other components. Turning Facetime off and on is just like restarting a system, and you know how a restart fixes lots of problems.

So, give it a go by following the steps below:

1. Open Setting on your iPhone
2. Scroll down and select Facetime.
3. When the Facetime window opens, simply toggle to the left to turn it off
4. Then, wait 10 seconds and then turn it back on
5. If you are prompted, sign into your Apple account and start enjoying Facetime again. This has worked for many grateful users and hopefully it does for you. But if it doesn’t, not to worry. Try the next fix below.

Fix 2 – Clear Facetime Cache

When it comes to troubleshooting apps and websites, one of the most important components is the cache or cache memory. The cache is a temporary memory on an application where information about you and how you use the app is stored.

This stored information is used by the application to make your experience on the app faster, smoother, and more personalized. Every time you open the app, it loads data from that cache memory.

And so, when the cache memory runs into a glitch, the application begins to behave strangely and result in errors like the “…In Contact Card Is Not Available For Facetime” issue.

How to fix? Clear the cache memory so the app can load properly afresh. In iOS, it’s called Offloading the app. Here’s how:

1. Tap on Settings
2. Next, tap on General
3. Then, tap on iPhone Storage to open memory management options
4. Next, tap on Facetime and then tap on Offload App. What this does is to offload the Facetime temporary memory
5. Tap Offload App again when prompted
6. Finally, go back to your phone’s home screen, tap on Facetime and tap on Reinstall

This is the second most reliable solution for users when it comes to this Facetime issue. Hopefully, you have it fixed here and don’t have to read further. But if that fails, then there are more proven solutions that you can try.

2. Glitch On Cellular Settings

You would think that, given the fact that Facetime and your iPhone are both made by Apple, integration would always be hassle-free. But that’s not the case.

There are indeed times when a glitch occurs in the integration between the Facetime app and the phone’s cellular network circuits. When this happens, you experience unusual behaviour such as Facetime saying that the contact is not available on Facetime. This is just a case where Facetime is unable to establish proper connectivity to Apple servers to see who’s on Facetime or not.

Fix – Restart Cellular Data Permission For Facetime

Remember that your iPhone allows you to choose which apps can have access and connectivity via cellular data. You need to restart this permission for Facetime and see if it fixes the issue for you.

To do this:

1. Open Settings on your phone and select Cellular
2. Then, scroll down and tap on Facetime to switch of its cellular data access
3. Wait 10 seconds and then switch it back on
4. You should now be able to call all your contacts on Facetime without issues.

Note that this is only relevant if you are using cellular data for connection.

If that still does not work, do not panic. There are more solutions that have worked for others.

3. Contact Display Order Is Wrong

Now, I have no intention to claim that this makes sense, but it is a real factor when it comes to fixing this issue with Facetiming a contact.

It probably has to do with how the contact is synced between Facetime and Apple ID… or something. Nobody knows. But the fact remains that you are probably seeing the error that says In Contact Card Is Not Available For Facetime, simply because the contact’s name is displayed the wrong way.

Fix – Reorder Contact Display Name

1. Open Settings on your phone
2. Then tap on Contacts
3. Select Display Order and switch from the current setting to the opposite setting. So, if for example, you currently have first name before last name, switch to last name before first name.

After doing this, try to Facetime the contact again. I promise it has worked for some users.

4. Only One Contact Method Is Selected

You will notice that the full error message says “Choose Another Phone Number or Email Address To Call ‘the contact’”.

Are you aware that you can select how Facetime can be reached? There is an option to select whether Facetime can be reached by email, phone, or both. When you have only email or phone number selected, you may have issues calling out or getting called by some contacts. The only way to remediate this is to have both options selected.

Fix – Make Facetime Reachable By Email and Phone

1. Simply go to Settings, then tap on Facetime
2. Then select to Allow iMessage and Facetime reachable by both phone number and email

Once that’s done, you should have no problems facetiming any contact, anymore.

5. Update iPhone

You probably expected this, and yes, it can be a factor. In fact, it’s the first thing Apple will check for when you contact support on this issue. So, you might as well get that done anyway.

Although this is rarely the cause, there are a few occasions where an out-of-date iPhone has resulted in the In Contact Card Is Not Available For Facetime error message.

Fix – Update iOS

To update iOS

1. Select Settings
2. Select General
3. Select Software Update
4. Click to install the available updates

After installing the updates, you should have the error fixed. If it persists, please contact Apple Support.

Things Not To Try

• Resetting your phone – This is an ill-advised overkill. You do not want to go through that process simply because Facetime is not working for some contacts. It is never an issue with the phone’s firmware, so ignore any suggestion to do so.
• Deleting and re-adding contact – This simply does not work. You are better off switching contact display, than removing the contact and adding it back. I am yet to see anyone who says re-adding contact worked for them, and it is unlikely to work for you.
• Reinstalling Facetime – There are only 2 possible issues with the Facetime app. It’s either the cache memory is corrupt, or the app’s program did not load properly. The fixes for these are detailed in this article. Uninstalling and reinstalling the app may work if you do not clear the cache or restart Facetime, but that is an unnecessary hassle.