[timeimp]

Oh damn, they can do it just like that?

I thought FaceTime was a P2P thing... but it appears group FT requires Apple's servers?

[_bxg1]

Very few communication services are truly P2P; it's way more likely to have syncing issues and is virtually impossible without at least a handshake. Even Signal, which does have syncing issues due to being mostly P2P, requires a server for the initial handshake.

[acchow]

Especially on mobile, where you want to conserve battery life.

[fizx]

Each person only uploading one copy of video in a multiparty situation is a huge win for quality on mediocre connections.

[TrickyRick]

Skype used to be "P2P" where one party would act as the host in a group call.

[martinraag]

True for audio, not video.

[saagarjha]

IIRC, this was because of a lawsuit with VirnetX.

[snuxoll]

It never was (or only was for a short period) thanks to patent trolls.

[tinus_hn]

P2P calls and video calls are patented. I don’t think anyone offers them anymore since the Virnetx cases.

[madeofpalk]

Even for completely P2P things, you can still have server-driven feature flag, which Apple definitely makes extensive use of.