How to Pause FaceTime on iPhone & iPad (iOS 14)

FaceTime on iOS 14 doesn’t have a dedicated “pause” button that freezes your video for everyone. Instead, you can temporarily mute your microphone, turn off your camera, or switch to a different app—all of which effectively “pause” your part of the call. This guide shows you the quickest ways to do each, and what to do when you want to resume.

What You’ll Need

An iPhone or iPad running iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 (the steps are the same on both).
An active FaceTime call (audio or video).
For muting or camera off, you don’t need anything else—the controls are built into the call screen.

Step-by-Step

Start or join a FaceTime call as you normally would. The controls appear at the bottom of the screen (on iPhone) or in the top-right corner (on iPad).
To mute your microphone (audio pause): Tap the microphone icon (a small mic). When it’s crossed out, the other person can’t hear you. Tap it again to unmute.
To turn off your camera (video pause): Tap the camera icon (a video camera). Your video feed will freeze on the last frame for the other person, and they’ll see a “Camera Off” label. Tap it again to turn your camera back on.
To switch to another app while keeping audio (background pause): Swipe up from the bottom (iPhone) or press the Home button (iPad with a Home button) to go to the Home Screen. The call continues in the background—you can still hear and talk, but your video is paused. To return, tap the green or purple bar at the top of the screen.
To put the entire call on hold (for everyone): If you want to pause the whole call, you can’t do it from FaceTime directly. Instead, end the call and call back later. Or, if you’re on an iPhone, you can use Call Waiting to put the FaceTime call on hold while you take another call—but this only works if you have another incoming call.
To mute notifications during the call: Open Control Center (swipe down from the top-right corner on iPhone X or later, or swipe up from the bottom on older iPhones/iPads) and tap the bell icon to enable Do Not Disturb. This silences notifications so they don’t interrupt your call—it doesn’t pause the call itself.

Common Mistakes

Muting vs. camera off: Muting only stops audio; your video still shows. Turning off the camera only stops video; audio still goes through. If you want to be completely invisible and silent, do both.
Expecting a “Pause” button: There isn’t one. Many people look for a dedicated pause control and don’t realize the camera-off button is the closest thing.
Hitting the red end button by mistake: The red button ends the call entirely. If you just want to pause, use the mic and camera icons—not the red one.
Thinking backgrounding pauses the call: When you leave the FaceTime app, the call continues. Your video freezes, but audio keeps going. If you want to stop the audio too, you must mute or end the call.

Tips

Use the green bar: When you leave a FaceTime call, a green (or purple) bar appears at the top of the screen. Tap it to return to the call instantly.
Keyboard shortcut: On iPad with a connected keyboard, you can press Command + Shift + M to mute/unmute (if supported). On iPhone, there’s no keyboard shortcut.
Check the other person’s view: When you turn off your camera, the other person sees a still frame of your last moment. To avoid an awkward frozen face, turn off your camera before you do something silly.
Use Do Not Disturb while on call: This prevents notifications from popping up over the call, which can be distracting. It doesn’t pause anything, but it makes the call feel cleaner.

Troubleshooting

The mic or camera icon doesn’t respond: Force-quit FaceTime and restart it. Swipe up from the app switcher to close FaceTime, then reopen it and start the call again.
The other person still hears you when muted: Make sure the mic icon is crossed out, not just greyed out. Also, check that your iPhone’s mute switch (on the side) isn’t on—that silences the ringer, not the mic, but it can confuse people.
You can’t hear the other person after backgrounding: Sometimes the audio route changes. Check that the volume is up and that the call is still active (green bar). If not, tap the bar to return to the call.
Camera won’t turn back on: Close other apps that might be using the camera (like a camera app). If that doesn’t work, restart your device.
Call drops when you switch apps: This can happen if you have a weak connection. Try moving closer to your Wi-Fi router or switching to cellular data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pause a FaceTime call so the other person sees a frozen screen?
Yes, turning off your camera does exactly that. The other person sees a still frame of your last moment, and a “Camera Off” label appears.

Does muting my microphone pause the video?
No, muting only stops audio. Your video continues to stream normally.

Can I pause FaceTime for both of us?
No, there’s no built-in “hold” button. You’d need to end the call and call back later, or use Call Waiting if you have another incoming call.

What happens if I leave the FaceTime app?
The call continues in the background. Your video freezes, but audio keeps going. You can return by tapping the green or purple bar at the top of the screen.

Why is there no pause button in FaceTime?
Apple designed FaceTime to be a live, real-time communication tool. A pause button would break the live aspect, so they offer mute and camera-off instead.

Does the other person know when I mute or turn off my camera?
Yes, they see a muted icon or a “Camera Off” label on their screen.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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