Do you need to short-circuit something quickly, but is your phone not within reach? Fortunately, you can also just call via your Mac. That goes like this.
Manual: Calling via Mac
One of the great advantages of Apple is that everything works seamlessly. Your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac (Book) are completely attuned to each other. That flexibility is in small details, for example when you want to call via your Mac. You probably don’t have to set anything up for this.
How to make a call via a Mac:
- Click with your mouse on the box containing a telephone number;
- Depending on the app you are using, choose ‘Call [telefoonnummer] via iPhone ‘,’ Call ‘or simply choose the phone button;
- You can call.
You can make calls from the most common apps on your Mac, including Calendar, Contacts, Reminders, Maps, Mail and Safari. You can also make calls from Spotlight with a few clicks of a button. Of course you can also open the FaceTime app, key in the phone number you are trying to reach and then click on ‘Audio’ to reach someone.
In addition to calling via your Mac, you can of course also receive calls on your computer. As soon as someone tries to reach you, you will notice this from the message that appears on the computer. At that moment you can answer the call, send the caller directly to your voicemail and let her / him leave a message or send a message back immediately.
Is it not working?
Does the above step-by-step plan not work? First, always check whether you are logged in to the same Apple ID on both devices, so the Mac (Book) and iPhone. It is also important that you are on the same WiFi network and that the option to call via other devices is turned on. To do this, on your iPhone, go to the settings menu, ‘Phone’ and tap ‘Call via other devices’. Then slide the switch.
Finally, make sure FaceTime is enabled on both the Mac (Book) and iPhone. On the Mac, you can check this by going to the ‘Preferences’ tab in FaceTime and then ‘Settings’. On an iPhone, in the Settings app, go to ‘Phone’, ‘Call using other devices’ and enable the function.
Temporarily or permanently disable calling via MacBook
Are you at work and are you crazy about the phone calls that pass on your screen? Then you can also temporarily or permanently disable calling via your Macbook.
Temporarily turn off call notifications on your MacBook
- Click on the list icon at the top right of your menu bar;
- A Scroll up will now appear in the ‘Notification’ tab;
- Turn on the switch behind ‘Do Not Disturb’.
All notifications are now paused. You can also do this for a specific period, for example while you are in a meeting. You can set this via ‘Notifications’ in your System Preferences.
Permanently disable call notifications via MacBook
- Open the Facetime app on your Mac
- Click on FaceTime in the menu bar and then on ‘Preferences …’
- In the middle of the window is “Calling from iPhone”;
- Uncheck the box.
If you are away from your Mac for a while, you can also disable the function from your iPhone. To do this, go to Phone in your Settings app and turn off the switch behind ‘Call via other devices’. If you don’t want to be disturbed at all, you can also pause all your notifications. You do that by managing your MacBook notifications.
Calling Apple
In addition to audio calling, nowadays there are also countless possibilities to call each other with video. For an overview of all options, check our video calling guide. Here we explain how you can make video calls with your iPhone, among other things. Prefer to watch? Check out the video below.