5 Best Fixes for Portrait Mode Not Working in FaceTime on iPhone

For many iPhone users, FaceTime is the default app for video calls to friends and family. To improve your experience, Apple added the feature of SharePlay in FaceTime to watch content with your loved ones. Now if you are taking calls from work on FaceTime, you can always enable Portrait Mode to isolate yourself and hide your surroundings.

But some users complain of being unable to use portrait mode in FaceTime on their iPhones. If you have also encountered this issue, this post will share the best solutions to fix Portrait Mode not working in FaceTime on iPhone.

1. Check if Portrait Mode Is Enabled

If you can’t blur the background in your FaceTime calls, we recommend checking whether Portrait Mode is enabled for FaceTime. This feature is not enabled by default and you need to enable it manually from the Control Center. Here’s how.

Step 1: Open FaceTime on your iPhone.

Step 2: While keeping FaceTime open, swipe down from the top-right corner.

Step 2: Tap on Effects at the top-right corner.

Step 3: Select Portrait.

You tap the three horizontal dots next to Portrait to change the level of background blur for FaceTime calls.

Step 4: Close Control Center and check if the problem is solved.

2. Move Slightly Far From iPhone Camera

If Portrait Mode is still not showing up during FaceTime calls, we suggest moving a little farther from the camera. The depth sensor on your iPhone’s front camera needs to detect a certain separation between the background and foreground to apply the background blur effect. So stay a slightly farther from your iPhone camera to activate the Portrait mode during FaceTime calls. Plus, if you have more than 3 people in the frame during the call, achieving the background blur might be difficult.

3. Activate FaceTime Again on iPhone

If the Portrait Mode is still not working in FaceTime on your iPhone, you activate FaceTime again. This is one of the most effective solutions, especially when FaceTime stops working completely on your iPhone. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

Step 2: Scroll down and tap on FaceTime.

Step 3: Tap the toggle next to FaceTime to disable it.

Step 4: Wait for a minute and tap the toggle again to re-enable this feature.

Step 5: Close the Settings app and open FaceTime to check if the problem is solved.

4. Force Quit and Relaunch FaceTime

Another basic yet effective solution if the problem remains unsolved is to force quit and relaunch FaceTime on your iPhone to give it a fresh start.

Step 1: From the home screen of your iPhone, swipe up and hold to reveal the background app windows.

Step 2: Swipe right to look for FaceTime. Then swipe up to remove FaceTime.

Step 3: Open FaceTime app again and check if Portrait Mode works during calls.

5. Update iOS Version

If none of the solutions work, the last option is to just update the version of FaceTime. You can do that by installing any pending iOS updates on your iPhone. Here’s how to check the pending iOS updates.

Step 1: Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

Step 2: Scroll down and tap on General.

Step 3: Tap on Software Update.

Step 4: If an update is available, download and install it.

Step 5: After the installation is complete, open FaceTime and check if the problem is solved.

If you are still facing issues with Portrait Mode in Facetime, we suggest visiting an Apple Store to get the front camera of your iPhone checked by experts. There can be internal damage or malfunction in the depth sensor which is causing this issue.

Use Portrait Mode in FaceTime

These solutions will help if Portrait Mod is not working in FaceTime on your iPhone. You can also use Portrait Mode when taking FaceTime calls outdoors. But if you receive an unexpected FaceTime call, you might not want your caller to hear your conversation while on another call. In that case, you can mute the person on FaceTime.