We’ve come a long way from the days when ‘FT’ was simply an abbreviation for a unit of measurement. Today, it can mean a variety of different things—one of the most popular being ‘FaceTime.’ Keep reading to learn more about this popular FT meaning and what else it can stand for.
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What Does FT Mean?
As mentioned earlier, ‘FT’ is short for ‘FaceTime.’ But where did it come from? We can trace the origin of ‘FaceTime’ back to June 2010, when Apple introduced the video call app on the iPhone 4.
FaceTime is only on Apple products, like iPhones, iPads, and Macs. If you are using social media platforms and apps like Snapchat and Facebook Messenger, you’d use video call or VC instead.
Examples:
- “She didn’t answer my FT, so I just sent a text.”
- “I’ll FT you when I need help with my homework.”
- “I will FT you from the concert when I get there.”
- “We were on FT for hours last night.”
- “FT me so I can show you something.”
When and How to Use FT?
You can use ‘FT’ whenever you mean ‘FaceTime.’ However, you should only reserve the abbreviation to conversations with friends and family and never in formal communications with your boss or client.
For example, you might use it when texting a friend and say something like, “Hey, wanna FT later tonight?” It wouldn’t be appropriate to write, “Let’s schedule an FT meeting to discuss the project details” in a work email.
Expert Tip: Should you capitalize FT? Technically, you should since it is an abbreviation. But in casual conversations via chat or text messages, you can skip the capitalization.
How to FT With Someone?
As mentioned earlier, ‘FT’ is only for Apple devices (iPhone, MacBook, iPad). If you have one, here’s how to FT:
- Open the FaceTime app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
- Tap the “New FaceTime” button and enter the person’s name, phone number, or email.
- Press the “Video” button to start the FaceTime call.
- Wait for the other person to answer, and enjoy your video chat.
Of course, if you have an Android device, you won’t be able to ‘FT.’ The good news is that you can use Snapchat or Messenger instead. Again, they are not technically ‘FaceTime,’ but they do offer video calls.
In Snapchat:
- Open the Snapchat app and go to the “Chat” tab (the speaking bubble icon at the bottom).
- Tap on the person you want to video call.
- Press the video camera icon located at the top right corner.
In Messenger
- Open the Messenger app on your phone or go to Messenger on a computer.
- Open a chat with the person you want to call.
- Tap the video camera icon at the top right.
Other FT Meanings
‘FaceTime’ doesn’t fit the context of the conversation? No need to panic! There are other FT meanings:
Featuring
Even when you don’t consider yourself a music lover, you have probably noticed that some songs have ‘ft’ or ‘feat’ after the song title. It just means that another artist is ‘featured’ in the song. So, in this context, ‘FT’ means featuring.
Feet / Foot
Another popular meaning of ‘FT’ is ‘feet’ or ‘foot.’ You may have seen people write their heights out like “5’10” ft.” Or in school, your teachers may have had you record measurements in “ft.”
In this context, ‘FT’ is in lowercase and appears after a number.
Full-Time
Did you see an online job post with ‘FT’ in the description? They are not asking you to ‘FaceTime’ because in this context, the FT abbreviation means ‘full-time,’ as in full-time work. FT and PT (part-time) are part of the “work rota” abbreviations.
Financial Times
Financial Times or FT is a news agency focused (as you might have probably guessed) on business reporting. They do, however, cover other topics such as technology, climate, and politics.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it! If you see ‘FT’ online, it is short for for ‘FaceTime.’ However, if a video chat doesn’t fit the context, always know that there are other possible FT meanings!
Hopefully, you found this article helpful and have some new ideas for how to use FT in your writing!
