Phone Calls

Make a call

Making a call on iPhone is as simple as choosing a number in your contacts, or tapping one of your favorites or recent calls. Or just ask Siri to "call Bob Jones."

Add favorites. With Favorites, you can make a call with a single tap. To add someone to your Favorites list, tap . You can also add names to Favorites from Contacts. In Contacts, tap Add to Favorites at the bottom of a card, and tap the number to add.

Delete a name or rearrange your Favorites list. Tap Edit.

Return a recent call. Tap Recents, then tap the call. Tap to get more info about the call, or the caller. A red badge indicates the number of missed calls.

Dial manually. Tap Keypad, enter the number, then tap Call.

  • Paste a number to the keypad: Tap the screen above the keyboard, then tap Paste.
  • Enter a soft (2-second) pause: Touch the "*" key until a comma appears.
  • Enter a hard pause (to pause dialing until you tap the Dial button): Touch the "#" key until a semicolon appears.
  • Redial the last number: Tap Keypad, tap Call to display the number, then tap Call again.

Use Siri or Voice Control. Press and hold the Home button, say "call" or "dial," then say the name or number. You can add "at home," "work," or "mobile."

For best results, speak the full name of the person you're calling. When voice dialing a number, speak each digit separately-for example, "four one five, five five five...." For the 800 area code in the U.S., you can say "eight hundred."

When someone calls

Tap Answer to take an incoming call. Or if iPhone is locked, drag the slider. You can also press the center button on your headset.

Silence a call. Press the Sleep/Wake button or either volume button. You can still answer the call after silencing it, until it goes to voicemail.

Decline a call and send it directly to voicemail. Do one of the following:

  • Press the Sleep/Wake button twice quickly.
  • Press and hold the center button on your headset for about two seconds. Two low beeps confirm that the call was declined.
  • Tap Decline (if iPhone is awake when the call comes in).

Respond with a text message instead of answering. Tap Message and choose a reply or tap Custom. To create your own default replies, go to Settings > Phone > Respond with Text, then tap any of the default messages and replace it with your own text.

Remind yourself to return the call. Tap Remind Me and indicate when you want to be reminded.

Keep it quiet

Want to go offline for a while? Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen to open Control Center, then turn on Do Not Disturb or Airplane Mode.

Block unwanted callers. On a contact card, tap Block this Caller (you can see a caller's contact card from Favorites or Recents by tapping ). You can also block callers in Settings > Phone > Blocked. You will not receive voice calls, FaceTime calls, or text messages from blocked callers. For more information about blocking calls, see support.apple.com/kb/HT5845.

While on a call

When you're on a call, the screen shows several call options.

Use another app while on a call. Press the Home button, then open the app. To return to the call, tap the green bar at the top of the screen.

Respond to a second call. You can:

  • Ignore the call and send it to voicemail: Tap Ignore.
  • Put the first call on hold and answer the new one: Tap Hold Call + Answer.
  • End the first call and answer the new one: When using a GSM network, tap End Call + Answer. With a CDMA network, tap End Call and when the second call rings back, tap Answer, or drag the slider if the phone is locked.

With a call on hold, tap Swap to switch between calls or tap Merge Calls to talk with both parties at once. See Conference calls, below.

Note: With CDMA, you can't switch between calls if the second call was outgoing, but you can merge the calls. You can't merge calls if the second call was incoming. If you end the second call or the merged call, both calls are terminated.

Conference calls

With GSM, you can set up a conference call with up to five people (depending on your carrier).

Create a conference call. While on a call, tap Add Call, make another call, then tap Merge Calls. Repeat to add more people to the conference.

  • Drop one person: Tapnext to a person, then tap End.
  • Talk privately with one person: Tap , then tap Private next to the person. Tap Merge Calls to resume the conference.
  • Add an incoming caller: Tap Hold Call + Answer, then tap Merge Calls.

Emergency calls

Make an emergency call when iPhone is locked. On the Enter Passcode screen, tap Emergency Call (to dial 911 in the U.S., for example).

Important: You can use iPhone to make an emergency call in many locations, provided that cellular service is available, but you should not rely on it for emergencies. Some cellular networks may not accept an emergency call from iPhone if iPhone is not activated, if iPhone is not compatible with or configured to operate on a particular cellular network, or (when applicable) if iPhone does not have a SIM card or if the SIM card is PIN-locked.

In the U.S., location information (if available) is provided to emergency service providers when you dial 911.

With CDMA, when an emergency call ends, iPhone enters emergency call mode for a few minutes to allow a call back from emergency services. During this time, data transmission and text messages are blocked.

Exit emergency call mode (CDMA). Do one of the following:

  • Tap the Back button.
  • Press the Sleep/Wake button or the Home button.
  • Use the keypad to dial a non-emergency number.

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