Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways FaceTime video messages work like voicemail for missed video calls.Live Voicemail lets you leave audio messages from FaceTime audio.Missed FaceTime messages appear in the recipient's call history.My editor told me the other day that she had spent the weekend showing two people how to use an apparently little-known FaceTime feature: video messages. That got me wondering whether my husband or my parents knew how to leave one when someone doesn't answer a FaceTime video call. Spoiler alert: They didn't, so I showed them how it works.Also: Your iPhone RCS chats with Android are encrypted in iOS 26.5: How to verify E2E is enabledIt's basically voicemail, but with video and only for FaceTime users. If you use FaceTime audio, there's a related feature called Live Voicemail. Confused yet? Don't worry. My family was, too, at first. Here's how to use both. How to leave a FaceTime video message What you need: FaceTime video messages only work with FaceTime-compatible Apple devices. Apple says they can be received from saved contacts, people the recipient has called, and people suggested by Siri. Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Let the call ring until the other person doesn't answer. When it times out, FaceTime shows the option to record a video message. It appears only after a FaceTime video call goes unanswered, not before the call is placed.