The basics of placing a call using the iPhone phone app are similar to any other mobile phone. But when you move beyond that basic feature, things are more complex--and more powerful.
Placing a Call
There are two ways to place a call using the phone app:
- Go to the phone app, tap the Favorites item and then tap the name of the person you want to call.
- Go to the phone app, tap the Contacts item, find the person you want to call, tap their name, and then tap the number you want to call.
When your call begins, the screen you see above appears. Here's how to use the options on that screen.
Mute/Speaker
Tap the Mute button to mute the microphone on your iPhone and prevent the person you're talking to from hearing what you say until you tap the button again. Mute is on when the button is blue.
Tap the Speaker button to broadcast the call through your iPhone's speakers and hear the call out loud (the button is blue when it's on). When you use the Speaker feature, you'll still talk into the iPhone's microphone, but you don't have to hold it right next to your mouth for it to pick up your voice. Tap the Speaker again to turn it off.
Keypad
If you need to access the keypad--such as to use a phone tree or enter a phone extension--tap the Keypad button. When you're done with the Keypad, but not the call, tap Hide Keypad. If you prefer to end the call, tap End.
Add/Conference Calls
The iPhone allows you to host your own conference calls without a paying a conference calling service. Because there are so many options for this feature, it's covered separately. The next page of this article covers conference and multi-line calling.
FaceTime
FaceTime is Apple's video chatting technology. It requires you to be connected to the web via Wi-Fi and to be calling someone else who has a FaceTime-compatible device, but when those conditions are met, you won't just be talking, you'll be seeing each other when you do. If you begin a call and the FaceTime button can be tapped/doesn't have the question mark on it, you can tap it to begin a video chat.
Related:
- How to use FaceTime on iPhone 4
- Why doesn't the FaceTime icon work when I make calls?
- Can you use FaceTime on iPhone 3GS or 3G?
Contacts
When you're on a call, you can tap the contacts button to pull up your address book. This lets you look up contact information that you may need to give to the person you're talking to, or initiate a conference call (see the next page for more on this).
Ending Calls
When you're done with a call, simply tap the End button to hang up.
Related: Prevent accidental hang ups
