How to Make and Receive Phone Calls on Your iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch

You need to answer a phone call, but your iPhone isn’t within reach. No problem. With a feature called iPhone Cellular Calls, you can answer that call on a nearby iPad or Mac. And if you have an Apple Watch, you can also pick up the call, either through a Wi-Fi or cellular connection, depending on the type of watch you own.

iPhone Cellular Calls is part of Apple's Continuity system, which also includes the Handoff and Universal Clipboard features. Continuity is designed to sync and share certain capabilities across your Apple devices, including phone calls. Here's how to set up the feature so you can start making and taking calls without ever having to touch your phone.

System Requirements

To support iPhone Cellular Calls, your iPhone must be running iOS 8.1 or later and be activated with a carrier, while your iPad must have at least iOS 8 or iPadOS. Your Mac must be on OS X Yosemite or later. If you have a Mac mini or Mac Pro, your computer must also have an external microphone or headset.

Each device must be signed into iCloud and FaceTime using the same Apple ID. They must also have Wi-Fi enabled and be connected to the same network using either Wi-Fi or Ethernet. If your iPad is cellular-enabled, then you can pick up the call either through a Wi-Fi or cellular connection.

As for an Apple Watch, making and receiving phone calls is built directly into the device, so you don't need to do anything special to make this work. If you have a Wi-Fi + Cellular model, you can make and take phone calls via either type of connection without your phone nearby. However, if your cellular provider offers Wi-Fi calling, you can use your watch to make and receive calls over Wi-Fi instead of cellular, even if your phone isn't nearby or is turned off.

Allow Calls on Other Devices

Before you can accept calls on an iPad or Mac, you need to enable the feature. Go to Settings > Phone > Calls on Other Devices on your iPhone. Turn on the switch next to Allow Calls on Other Devices. If you have more than one other supported Apple device, such as an iPad and a Mac, you can choose the devices on which you want to allow calls.

To take calls on your iPad, go to Settings > FaceTime on your tablet. Turn on the switch next to Calls From iPhone to start receiving phone calls on this device.

For calls to your Mac, open the FaceTime app on your computer. Click the FaceTime menu and select Preferences or Settings, depending on your version of macOS. Check the box next to Calls From iPhone.

Accept Incoming Calls

Now when a call comes into your iPhone, it will also ring on your iPad and Mac. Tap the green phone Answer button to pick up the call on your iPad and start talking. On your Mac, a small notification pops up alerting you to the incoming call. Click the Accept button to pick up the call on your computer.

On your Apple Watch, an incoming call automatically appears on your screen. To answer it immediately, tap the green phone Answer button. You can then just talk through your watch like a modern-day Dick Tracy, using the built-in microphone and speaker or paired headphones. To transfer the call to your iPhone, tap the More Options ellipsis button and select Answer on iPhone.

If you'd rather not talk right now, you have a few options. Tap the End Call button to send the call to voicemail. Tap the More Options button to see a list of automated responses that can be sent via a text message, such as "Sorry, I can't talk right now" or "Can I call you later?" Tap Custom to create a custom response. The caller then receives your response as a text. When the call is finished, tap the red phone icon.

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Make Calls From Your iPad

If you want to place a call to a specific contact using your iPad, open the Contacts app. Select the contact and tap the number you wish to call. The calling screen pops up while you wait for the person to answer.

You can also dial a number manually on your iPad. Open the FaceTime app. Tap the green New FaceTime button and type the phone number you want to call. Tap the Return key on the keyboard and then tap the phone icon to place the call using audio only.

Make Calls From Your Mac

Call a contact from your Mac by opening the Contacts app. Select the contact and then hover your mouse over the number you want to call. Click the resulting phone icon to place the call. To manually dial a number on your Mac, open the FaceTime app and type the number. Make sure the call is set to audio and then click the Audio button to make the call.

Make Calls From Your Apple Watch

To make a phone call from your Apple Watch, open the Phone app on the device. Tap Favorites to call anyone you've tagged as a favorite or choose Recents to call someone who recently called you or whom you've recently called. You can also tap Contacts to see all the people in your address book, then pick the person you want to call.

Alternatively, you can enlist the help of Siri. Just say "Siri, call [name of contact] or dial [phone number]. Siri then places the call for you.