How to Flip FaceTime Camera in iOS 12 on iPhone or iPad
How do you flip the FaceTime Camera in iOS 12? Where did the Flip camera button go in FaceTime for iOS 12? You’re probably not the only person wondering the answer to these questions.
FaceTime video chat is very popular amongst iPhone and iPad users, and a common component of many FaceTime video conversations involves flipping the camera around so that whoever you are FaceTiming with can see things with either the front or rear cameras. Switching the FaceTime camera used to be really easy and obvious with a nearly always visible Flip Camera button on screen in iOS during FaceTime chats, but iOS 12 has changed that. Flipping the FaceTime camera is still possible in iOS 12 but it is a slower process now that is hidden behind other options in the FaceTime app.
We’ll show you the steps necessary to flip the FaceTime Camera in iOS 12, on either an iPhone or iPad.
Note: the newest versions of iOS 12 have made the “Flip” button much more prominent and immediately visible on FaceTime Video screens, update to the latest iOS 12.1.1 or later release to find this easier method on your iPhone or iPad!
If you’re on an earlier version of iOS 12 then read on to learn how to find the Flip button in FaceTime.
How to Flip FaceTime Camera in iOS 12 for iPhone or iPad
Can’t find the ‘flip camera’ button in iOS 12 FaceTime? Here is where to look and how to switch the cameras at any time during a FaceTime video call:
- During an active FaceTime video chat (or during the call to initiate a FaceTime chat), tap on the screen
- Tapping on the FaceTime screen will reveal a few additional buttons like mute and hangup, but no “Flip Camera” setting, so instead tap on the three dots button that looks like “(…)”
- This will reveal an additional control panel of FaceTime buttons, including the now hidden “Flip” camera button in FaceTime for iOS 12
- Tap the “flip” button to switch the FaceTime camera
You can access the hidden Flip camera button anytime during a FaceTime video call, just remember to tap the screen first, then tap the “…” triple dot circle button, then tap on “flip”. Once you do it a few times it’ll stick with you.
The “Flip” button will switch the FaceTime camera to either the front facing or the rear facing camera, depending on which camera is actively in use. Typically FaceTime calls start off using the front-facing camera, so tapping “Flip” would switch the camera to the rear-facing camera. Of course you can tap it again to switch the cameras again and flip them at any time.
It may feel a little cumbersome to access the “Flip” camera feature in FaceTime for iOS 12, and given the frequency of flipping the camera around during FaceTime video chat, it wouldn’t be too surprising if Apple made a change to this control panel in a future iOS software update to make the “Flip” camera button more visible and more accessible. But that change may not happen to, so for now all iPhone and iPad users who regularly use FaceTime video chat will want to learn how to flip the camera in iOS 12 FaceTime calls using the method described.
Enjoy using FaceTime, and flip that camera however you want!
