Chert is Vapi for FaceTime. Build and deploy interactive AI video agents that can answer and place FaceTime calls with just a few lines of code. Deploy agents for remote support, field service, telehealth intake, guided onboarding, or anything that's easier to show than explain. Try it live: FaceTime an agent right now and show it something.
Hey everyone! I'm Gary, co-founder of Chert (YC P26).
Chert is launching Vapi for FaceTime. In a few lines of code, you can deploy an AI agent that answers and places FaceTime calls, sees what the user shows their camera, and responds in real time.
Here's why we're fired up about this: every voice agent shipping today is blind. It can only handle what a customer can describe, so the second a problem is visual (e.g. "which cable goes where?", "what's this error on my screen?"), a human has to jump in. The most natural fix is video.
Now any builder can put an agent on the single most trusted and already-installed video channel: FaceTime. Remote support that can actually see the problem. Telehealth intake that reads the room. Onboarding that walks you through it live. This is the interface AI has been missing.
Choosing FaceTime as the surface is the part I keep thinking about. Most voice agents ship on a phone number or an in-app widget, and both carry a tax: the number reads as spam, the widget needs a download.
I build voice AI that calls aging parents at Callie Care, and the constraint that governs everything is that the person on the other end will not install anything or learn a new interface. FaceTime is one of the few places where that is already solved, so the "sees what the user shows their camera" part is more interesting to me than the code-in-a-few-lines part. Half of what an adult child asks over the phone is really "show me the pill bottle."
Gary, two questions. On an agent-placed call, what does it look like on the recipient's lock screen, a normal contact or something visibly automated? And where does your round trip latency land on a live call, since past roughly 800ms people start talking over the agent and the whole illusion drops.
voice agents are blind is a great line 😄 telehealth intake feels like the killer one
This looks like a really practical way to bring AI agents into iMessage workflows. Congrats on the launch!
What's your end-to-end latency on the vision loop? That's usually the problem and killer for live video agents, especially when you put it on a conversational channel like FaceTime.
@garygao Congrats on the launch! The voice agents are blind framing instantly clicked for me.
How do you handle privacy and consent for the video stream, especially for regulated use cases?
FaceTime is pretty US/Apple-centric, isn't WhatsApp the bigger market globally?
Can this be used for KYC or identity verification on a video call? Feels like a pretty cool and interesting use case
About Chert on Product Hunt
“Vapi for FaceTime: AI video agents in a few lines”
Chert launched on Product Hunt on August 16th, 2026 and earned 214 upvotes and 28 comments, placing #5 on the daily leaderboard. Chert is Vapi for FaceTime. Build and deploy interactive AI video agents that can answer and place FaceTime calls with just a few lines of code. Deploy agents for remote support, field service, telehealth intake, guided onboarding, or anything that's easier to show than explain. Try it live: FaceTime an agent right now and show it something.
Chert was featured in API (98.6k followers), Developer Tools (518k followers) and Artificial Intelligence (476.6k followers) on Product Hunt. Together, these topics include over 207.4k products, making this a competitive space to launch in.
Who hunted Chert?
Chert was hunted by Garry Tan. A “hunter” on Product Hunt is the community member who submits a product to the platform — uploading the images, the link, and tagging the makers behind it. Hunters typically write the first comment explaining why a product is worth attention, and their followers are notified the moment they post. Around 79% of featured launches on Product Hunt are self-hunted by their makers, but a well-known hunter still acts as a signal of quality to the rest of the community. See the full all-time top hunters leaderboard to discover who is shaping the Product Hunt ecosystem.
Want to see how Chert stacked up against nearby launches in real time? Check out the live launch dashboard for upvote speed charts, proximity comparisons, and more analytics.
Garry Tan
Hey everyone! I'm Gary, co-founder of Chert (YC P26).
Chert is launching Vapi for FaceTime. In a few lines of code, you can deploy an AI agent that answers and places FaceTime calls, sees what the user shows their camera, and responds in real time.
Here's why we're fired up about this: every voice agent shipping today is blind. It can only handle what a customer can describe, so the second a problem is visual (e.g. "which cable goes where?", "what's this error on my screen?"), a human has to jump in. The most natural fix is video.
Now any builder can put an agent on the single most trusted and already-installed video channel: FaceTime. Remote support that can actually see the problem. Telehealth intake that reads the room. Onboarding that walks you through it live. This is the interface AI has been missing.
Try it right now: FaceTime +1 310 279 2297 and check out https://www.trychert.com/facetime
Would love any feedback or thoughts!