How to Make and Answer Calls on Your iPhone from Your Mac or iPad

click to call in progress
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Did you know that you can make calls from your Mac laptop or computer, or your iPad or iPad Mini, and have it dial out on your iPhone? Your Mac or iPad can dial numbers from your contacts, and even from websites, by dialing out on your iPhone. You can also answer iPhone calls on your laptop or iPad. Here’s how to receive and make calls from your Mac or iPad, through your iPhone.

In order to make calls from your Mac computer through your iPhone, first of all you need to have OS X Yosemite on your Mac, and iOS 8 on your iPhone.

Next, you need to be sure that you are signed into iCloud on your Mac and your iPhone. In fact, this is one the main reasons that you will get the “unavailable” error for a number you try to dial from your Mac or iPad

To avoid getting this error you need to be signed into iCloud
facetime number unavailable

Ok, ready? Here we go.

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First, go to your iPhone, and go to Settings > FaceTime, and make sure that iPhone Cellular Calls is switched to ‘on’.

iphone cellular connection calls-1

 

If your FaceTime screen on your iPhone instead looks like this, with no cellular option, it means you are not signed into iCloud – so again, be sure you are signed into iCloud on both your iPhone and your Mac.

facetime iphone no cellular-1

Now go to your computer, and open FaceTime, and go to your FaceTime preferences.

facetime preferences

 

There are two things that you need to be sure are set correctly here:

1. Be sure that iPhone Cellular Calls is checked (just like on your iPhone). If you don’t see this option under your FaceTime preferences, it means that your computer is not signed in to iCloud, so go sign into iCloud (under System Preferences) and then come back to FaceTime preferences and iPhone Cellular Calls should be there.

2. Set the Default for Calls setting to FaceTime.

how to make calls from your Mac computer on your iPhone

 

Now, go to a website that has a phone number on it that you can click to call. How you choose which site and number that will be is up to you.

We are going to use this number for example purposes:

click to call number

Click on the phone number on the website, and you will see this message, asking you to choose an application with which to ‘open’ the ‘link’ (in this case the ‘link’ is the phone number, and ‘open’ means to call it).

Be sure to check “Remember my choice for tel links”, and then click on “OK”.

click to call application

 

You will then be prompted to place the call. Your computer or iPad will make the call on your iPhone, although you will be able to see the calling and call-in-progress on your Mac or iPad screen.

click to call in progress

 

Remember, if you get this error instead it is most likely because you are not signed in to iCloud:

facetime number unavailable

 

Many thanks to colleague Vick Khera for turning us on to this!

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The Internet Patrol is completely free, and reader-supported. Your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP.

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