Like several other iPhone 3GS owners, I was smitten with jealousy when I saw the FaceTime feature first on the iPhone 4. The obvious question was – Is there a way to bring FaceTime like capabilities on the iPhone 3GS? And that's precisely what a group of iPhone hackers called iPhoneIslam have managed to do – get FaceTime up and running on an iPhone 3GS — albeit with one-way video transmission, so you can chat with FaceTime contacts and see their faces, but they can't see you. The "FaceIt-3GS app is now available in the Cydia store, and allows users to enable FaceTime in the iPhone 3GS's Settings app.
How to Enable FaceTime on iPhone 3GS
Installing the FaceIt-3GS app on your iPhone 3GS is quick and easy. Simply, follow these steps.
- Launch the Cydia app and add http://apps.iphoneislam.com repository (Manage->Sources-Edit-Add)
- After the repository has been added, tap on the search tab and search for FaceIt-3GS
- From the search results, tap on FaceIt-3GS to install it
- Reboot your iPhone 3GS
And you should be all set! Use the Settings -> Phone option on your iPhone 3GS to turn FaceTime on/ off.
Interestingly, the iPhoneIslam team was originally working on getting FaceTime enabled on iPhone 4 (FaceTime Hacktivator) as it's banned in certain middle-east countries including Saudi Arabia and UAE. The "FaceIt-3GS" app modifies the native settings on your iPhone 3GS to enable FaceTime calling as it works on the iPhone 4. While the tool has several limitations, some FaceTime-like capabilities are much better than no FaceTime for iPhone 3GS users.
The FaceIt-3GS app works only on jailbroken iPhone 3GS devices and allows users to accept FaceTime calls from an iPhone 4, newest-generation iPod touch, or Mac, and view the sender's video stream. If you were looking for a FaceTime alternative that could use the rear-facing camera on your iPhone 3GS, you'd be disappointed that it's not one of the available features in FaceIt-3GS.
Here is a video of the FaceIt-3GS app in action. Of course, the next logical step is to somehow use the rear facing camera on the iPhone 3GS for FaceIt-3G and I hope iPhoneIslam can pull it off. (Gaurav Kheterpal)







