It’s Christmas morning or a birthday and now another family member has a shiny new iOS device (iPhone, iPod, iPad) and you want to use FaceTime to be able to video call each other.  I ran into the same issue and found it difficult to find any resources online that clearly explained how to make this work.  So, to clarify the issue, we want to link all of our iPads/iPod Touches to a single iTunes account (for app and media sharing), but then, how do we make use of FaceTime and iMessage?  Here’s how to make it happen:

1.  Your FaceTime and iMessage ID is typically an email address.  By default, these are linked to the same email address you use for your Apple ID  So, our first step is to log into our Apple ID account management and add email addresses to our account: https://appleid.apple.com.

2.  On the main screen of your Apple ID management, you’ll see all email addresses associated with your account.  Simply scroll to the bottom and add a unique email address for your new devices.  (I created a new GMail account for our new iPod Touch.)

After you’ve set up the address you’ll have to verify it by checking that account and clicking the link in the email that Apple sends you.

3.  On your iPad/iPod Touch, go to Settings –> FaceTime.  Scroll to the bottom and touch Add Another Email.

Enter the email address you added to your Apple ID.  Once verified, it’s ready to use.  However, there’s one more step.

4.  Touch the old/original email address and choose Remove This Email.

Now, you have multiple iOS devices, on a single iTunes/Apple ID account, with separate FaceTime contacts.  These steps are almost identical for doing the same with iMessage.  As long as your devices are on WiFi, you can FaceTime and iMessage family members easily.  Just start the app and “call” or “message” the email address you set up on the device.  It’s also helpful to add the contact address to your Contacts app if they’re not there already.

-Lucas