Chapter 5
IN THIS CHAPTER
Calling someone
Configuring speed dial
Getting a call
Dismissing calls
Using text message rejection
Handling multiple calls
Setting up a conference call
In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell beat a host of competitors to the patent office and has since been credited with the invention of the telephone. Other great dates in phone history are: 1878, when the busy signal was invented; 1896, when the Clayton household added a second line for their teenage daughter; and 1902, when the extension cord was patented to allow for simultaneous talking and pacing.
In the modern world, a phone call is only a minor feature of the device known as an Android phone. Yet the namesake feature offers a host of handy calling tools, all fully patented or in current legal battles, that telephone users from the last century could only dream of.
Making a phone call is the second most popular way you can use your Android phone to connect with another human. Number one is texting. In fact, phone calls are kind of quaint, but still necessary, sort of like the turn signal on a BMW.
To place a call on your phone, heed these steps:
Open the Phone app.
The Phone app’s launcher is found on the Home screen, on the favorites tray. The app’s icon features a Phone Handset icon, similar to the one shown in the margin.
If necessary, display the dialpad.
If you don’t see the dialpad, illustrated in Figure 5-1, tap the Dialpad icon, similar to what’s shown in the margin.
Type a phone number.
You may hear the traditional touch-tone sounds as you punch in the number.
If you make a mistake, tap the Delete icon, labeled in Figure 5-1, to back up and erase.
The phone displays matching contacts as you type. Choose a contact to instantly input that person’s number.
Tap the Dial icon to place the call.
While a call is active, the screen changes to show contact information, or a contact image when one is available, similar to Figure 5-2.
When the person answers the phone, talk.
What you say is up to you, though it’s good not to just blurt out unexpected news, like: “Twenty people are showing up for dinner” or “Your lawn is on fire.”
Use the phone’s volume key to adjust the volume during the call.
Tap the End Call icon to end the call.
The phone disconnects. You hear a soft beep, which is the phone’s signal that the call has ended.
To return to a call after doing something else, choose the Call in Progress notification icon, similar to the one shown in the margin.
Don’t hold the phone right at your ear while the speaker is active.
You cannot place a phone call when the phone has no service; check the signal strength (refer to Figure 5-1). Also see the nearby sidebar, “Signal strength.”
To access your phone’s address book, start the Phone app and tap the Contacts tab, which might be titled All Contacts or feature an icon such as the one shown in the margin. Browse the list for someone to call; tap their entry and then tap their phone number or Phone icon to place the call.
To speed dial a number, long-press one of the digits on the Phone app’s dialpad. The phone number associated with that key is dialed instantly. For example, if your bookie is on speed dial 2, long-press the 2 key to instantly dial his number.
To assign a speed dial number, or just review the current settings, heed these steps when using the Phone app:
Tap the Action Overflow icon.
On some Samsung phones, tap the MORE button.
Choose Speed Dial or Speed Dial Setup.
If you don’t see that these are similar actions, the Phone app most likely lacks a speed dial feature.
Most carriers configure number 1 as the voicemail system’s number. The remaining numbers, 2 through 9, are available to program.
Tap an item on the list, or tap the Add icon.
The item may say Add Speed Dial or Not Assigned as opposed to being blank.
Choose a contact or type a number.
The number should really be a contact in your phone’s address book, so read Chapter 7 for details on adding a contact.
When you’re done adding numbers, tap the Back navigation icon to exit the speed dial screen.
When you tap the Phone icon to dial a number, the number is instantly spewed into the phone system, like water out of a hose. If you need to pause the number as it’s dialed, you need to know how to insert secret pause characters. Two are available:
To insert the pause or wait characters into a phone number, obey these directions:
At the point that the pause or wait character is needed, tap the Action Overflow icon.
The Action Overflow icon is illustrated in Figure 5-1. On some phones, tap the MORE button.
When the number is dialed and the comma (,) is encountered, the phone pauses two seconds and then dials the rest of the number.
When the semicolon (;) is encountered, the phone prompts you to continue. Tap the YES or OK button to continue dialing the rest of the number.
The comma (,) and semicolon (;) can also be inserted into the phone numbers you assign to contacts in the phone’s address book. See Chapter 7.
Who doesn’t enjoy getting a phone call? It’s an event! Never mind that it’s the company that keeps calling you about lowering the interest rate on your credit cards. The point is that someone cares enough to call. Truly, your Android phone ringing can be good news, bad news, or mediocre news, but it always provides a little drama to spice up an otherwise mundane day.
Several things can happen when you receive a phone call on your Android phone:
That last item happens only in Bruce Willis movies. The other three possibilities, or a combination thereof, are signals that you have an incoming call.
To answer the call, swipe the Answer icon up or to the right, as indicated on the touchscreen. If you’re using a Bluetooth headset, tap the button or otherwise work the gizmo to use that device for listening and speaking.
When you’re done jabbering, tap the End Call icon to hang up: Move the phone away from your face to activate the touchscreen, then tap the icon. If the other party hangs up first, the call ends automatically.
Several options are available when you don’t want to answer an incoming call.
Let the phone ring: Just do something else or pretend that you’re dead. To silence the ringer, press the phone’s volume key.
Dismiss the call: Swipe the Answer button in the direction of the call rejection option. Or, if available, swipe the Decline button, shown in the right in Figure 5-3.
Reply with a text message: Choose the text message rejection option, which dismisses the call and sends the caller a preset text message.
In all cases, unanswered calls are sent to voicemail. See Chapter 6 for information on voicemail. Chapter 6 also covers the call log, which shows a list of recent calls, incoming, missed, and rejected.
A thoughtful way to dismiss a call is to send an instant text message reply. Upon receiving an incoming call you are unable or unwilling to answer, follow these steps:
Select the text message rejection option from the incoming call screen.
Swipe the text message rejection item up or to the center of the screen.
Choose a preset text message from the list.
For example, “Can’t talk now. I’ll call you later.”
The call is dismissed and, in a few cellular seconds, the person who called receives the message.
Only a cell phone receives the text message rejection. If the doctor’s office is calling, they won’t see your quick response message.
As a human being, your brain limits your ability to hold more than one conversation at a time. Your phone’s brain, however, lacks such a limitation. It’s entirely possible for an Android phone to handle more than one call at a time.
It’s easy to place a call on hold — as long as your cellular provider hasn’t disabled that feature. Tap the Hold icon, shown in the margin.
To take the call out of hold, tap the Hold icon again. The icon may change its look, for example, from a Pause symbol to a Play symbol.
You’re on the phone, chatting it up. Suddenly, someone else calls you. What happens next?
Your phone alerts you to the new call, perhaps by vibrating or making a sound. Look at the touchscreen to see who’s calling and determine what to do next. You have three options:
When you choose to answer the second call, additional options become available to manage both calls. Use special icons on the call-in-progress screen to perform special, multi-call tricks:
Swap/Switch Calls: To switch between callers, tap the Swap or Switch Calls icon on the touchscreen. You might instead see a card at the bottom of the screen; tap the card to switch to that caller. The current person is placed on hold when you switch calls.
Merge Calls: To combine all calls so that everyone is talking (three people total), tap the Merge Calls icon. This icon may not be available if the merge feature is suppressed by your cellular provider.
End Call: To end a call, tap the End Call icon, just as you normally do. You’re switched back to the other caller.
To end the final call, tap the End Call or Hang Up icon, just as you normally would.
You can call two different people by using your Android phone’s merge calls feature. To start, connect with the first person and then add a second call. Soon, everyone is talking. Here are the details:
After the call connects and you complete a few pleasantries, tap the Add Call icon.
The Add Call icon may appear as shown in the margin. If not, look for a generic Add (+) icon. After you tap that icon, the first person is placed on hold.
Dial the second person.
You can use the dialpad or choose the second person from the phone’s address book or the call history.
Say your pleasantries and inform the party that the call is about to be merged.
Tap the Merge or Merge Calls icon.
The two calls are now joined: Everyone you’ve dialed can talk to and hear everyone else.
Tap the End Call icon to end the conference call.
All calls are disconnected.
Your Android phone may feature the Manage icon while you’re in a conference call. Tap this icon to list the various calls, to mute one, or to select a call to disconnect.
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