How to Use FaceTime Hand Gestures on iPhone, iPad & Mac

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Expressing yourself on FaceTime has never been easier. Since iOS 17 introduced FaceTime Gestures in September 2023, users have been able to trigger a range of on-screen effects during video calls.

FaceTime effects and hand motions enable users to trigger thumbs up, thumbs down, heart, fireworks, balloons, and rain reactions completely hands-free.

In our guide we’re going to look at how to use hand gestures on FaceTime for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Key Takeaways

  • Apple first released FaceTime Gestures in September 2023 for iOS 17.
  • Gestures allow users to trigger on-screen animations during video calls.
  • There are different types of gestures including thumbs up, thumbs down, the peace sign, and more.
  • Gestures are available for devices with at least iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma 14, and tvOS 17 or later.
  • Users can access gestures via FaceTime or third-party apps like WhatsApp and Google Meet.

What Are FaceTime Hand Gestures?

FaceTime hand gesture is a feature for iPhone, iPad, and Mac where you can use hand gestures to trigger on-screen effects and 3D animations during FaceTime video calls. For instance, during a call, you can put your thumb up to activate a thumbs-up reaction or put your thumb down to set off a thumbs-down reaction.

Gestures or on-screen buttons can trigger eight reactions: hearts, thumbs up, thumbs down, balloons, rain, confetti, laser bursts, and fireworks.

It is also worth noting that FaceTime hand signals can activate reactions in other apps such as WhatsApp and Google Meet.

What FaceTime Gestures Are There?

There are many different FaceTime gestures to choose from:

Hearts
The user can hold their hands together in the shape of a heart and gestures will generate virtual hearts on the screen.
Thumbs up
The user can hold their thumb up, which will generate a “like” reaction.
Fireworks
The user can hold both their thumbs up to trigger a fireworks reaction with on-screen fireworks that pop up in the background.
Thumbs down
The user can point their thumb down to produce a “dislike” reaction on the screen.
Rain
The user can point their thumbs down to trigger on-screen rain.
Balloons
The user can make a peace gesture with their index and middle finger, and the feature will generate balloons in multiple colors.
Confetti
The user can make a victory or peace gesture with both hands to generate on-screen confetti.
Lasers
The user can make the rock-on sign by raising their thumb and pinky fingers on both hands to generate on-screen lasers (either in the form of a laser ball or laser beam).

How to Use FaceTime Hand Gestures

If you want to use FaceTime Hand Gestures, you will need a device with at least iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma 14, tvOS 17 or later. To begin, check that gestures are activated on your device.

You can do this for iOS 18 by following these simple steps:

  1. Open the Control Center.
  2. Click FaceTime controls.
  3. Make sure the Reactions button is highlighted.

The process may be different if you’re using another device or operating system (OS).

For example, to access gestures on iOS 17, you will need to:

  1. Open the Control Center.
  2. Tap Video Effects.
  3. Press the Reactions button.

You can find out more about how to use FaceTime hand gestures below.

How to Turn FaceTime Hand Gestures On/Off on iPhone and iPad

A smartphone screen displaying FaceTime features, including effects, portrait mode, studio light, and reactions options.
Source: MacRumors
  1. To turn hand gestures on or off, you first need to be on a video call.
  2. Once you’ve started a call, swipe down from the top right-hand corner of the screen to access the Control Center.
  3. Tap Effects.
  4. Select or deselect the Reactions button.
  5. This will activate/deactivate the feature for the current app.

Turning FaceTime hand gesture effects on/off may differ depending on your device or operating system.

How to Turn FaceTime Hand Gestures On/Off on Mac

Screen displaying a FaceTime call with options for sharing and control
Source: Apple

On Mac, you can activate or deactivate user reactions in the following way:

  1. Open FaceTime.
  2. Click on the FaceTime camera icon in the top right-hand corner of the Menu bar.
  3. Click on the FaceTime HD Camera drop-down menu, and click on the Reactions option. This will activate/deactivate the feature.

How to Use Reaction Buttons

FaceTime reaction gestures can also be activated manually via touch on your device. Simply hold your user tile in the video call and tap on your reaction of choice.

How to Disable FaceTime Gestures on iPhone and iPad

You can disable FaceTime gestures as follows:

  1. Load up a video call.
  2. Navigate to the Control Center by swiping down from the top right-hand corner.
  3. Tap Effects.
  4. Deselect the Reactions button. If the icon is illuminated, then reactions are on.

Deactivating reactions will disable the feature for the current app.

How to Disable FaceTime Gestures on Mac

You can disable gestures on Mac as follows:

  1. Open FaceTime.
  2. Click on the FaceTime camera icon in the top right hand side of the toolbar.
  3. Click on the FaceTime HD Camera drop-down.
  4. Clicking the Reactions option. Once again, if the icon is illuminated, then reactions are on.

4 Tools to Use for Enhancing FaceTime Hand Gestures

There are many different tools you could potentially use to improve the utility of FaceTime hand gestures:

Collaboration tools
You could use gestures in third-party meetings and collaboration apps to help better communicate with friends, family, and coworkers.
Filters and effects apps
Other apps may offer custom filters and effects that you can trigger to liven up your photos.
Gesture recognition software
In the future, you may be able to use third-party gesture recognition software to assign new functionalities to FaceTime.
Virtual reality and augmented reality apps
Someday VR and AR apps could allow to use gestures to interact with a range of virtual experiences and 3D objects.

The Bottom Line

Now you know how to use FaceTime hand gestures. While users are currently restricted to the core eight FaceTime hand motions, it’s possible that Apple will expand these further in the future.

Whether you want to use FaceTime or a video conferencing app like Google Meet or Zoom, you still have plenty of gestures to express yourself.

FAQs

What hand gestures can you do on FaceTime?

How to turn on FaceTime hand gestures?

How to turn off hand gestures on FaceTime?

How to make hearts on FaceTime? 

How to make a thumbs-up on FaceTime? 

How to make balloons on FaceTime?

How to do fireworks on FaceTime?

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Tim Keary
Technology Writer
Tim Keary
Technology Writer

Tim Keary is a technology writer and reporter covering AI, cybersecurity, and enterprise technology. Before joining Techopedia full-time in 2023, his work appeared on VentureBeat, Forbes Advisor, and other notable technology platforms, where he covered the latest trends and innovations in technology. He holds a Master’s degree in History from the University of Kent, where he learned of the value of breaking complex topics down into simple concepts. Outside of writing and conducting interviews, Tim produces music and trains in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).