How can I connect FaceTime with a non-Apple user?

HI, so apparently apple is supposed to be able to send facetime chats with non-apple users. I followed the directions on websites here

Join a FaceTime call from an Android or Windows device - Apple Support

https://allthings.how/how-to-use-facetime-on-android/

https://www.next7it.com/insights/facetime-with-non-apple-users/

But when we tried to do them, they failed every time. I send the link, my friend clicks it, I get a notification asking if I want to connect with them, I click yes. Then this happens:

We could not connect. We tried this about 8 times, failed every time. One time out of these 8 times, my friend did turn yellow instead of the red there, but it still just sat there. It didn't say error or no connection or anything. It just sat there like this until it seemed to time out and then cut off.

This was on my (m4 2024) imac, but we also tried on my iphone (iphone 13 pro).

I probably am doing something wrong but I really can't figure it out. I think both my friend and I followed the instructions, but could use some help for how to resolve this.

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]