4. Placing and Receiving Calls
In this chapter, you learn to use the phone to place and receive calls. Topics include the following:
Summoning help with an emergency call
Setting up a three-way conference call
Using call waiting and call forwarding
Using in-call options, such as the speakerphone and a Bluetooth headset
Enabling Mute, Vibrate, and Airplane mode
With all the functionality that your smartphone provides, it’s easy to forget that you can also use it to make and receive calls. But smartphone power comes at a price. To optimize your use of the phone as a phone, you should learn the various calling procedures and the different options for performing each one.
Placing Calls
The Galaxy S5 provides many convenient ways for you to make calls. You can manually enter numbers, dial a number from a contact record, use the call logs to return missed calls and redial numbers, call embedded numbers in text and email messages, create and use speed dial entries, and make three-way and emergency calls.
When dialing a number, you need to add the dialing prefix/country code only when you’re calling a country that uses a different code. As a result, most numbers that you dial manually, as well as ones stored in Contacts, can either omit or include the dialing prefix. Similarly, local numbers (in the phone’s area code) can usually omit the area code, too.
Manual Dialing
You can use the Phone app’s keypad to manually dial numbers. The procedure differs slightly if the number you’re dialing is also associated with a record in Contacts.
The Phone/Contacts Relationship
Although you’ll generally launch Phone to make calls, Phone and Contacts are essentially two parts of the same app. Within Contacts, you can make a manual call by selecting the Keypad tab. Within Phone, you can work with your contact records by selecting the Contacts tab. Thus, it doesn’t matter which app you run when you’re ready to call someone.
Dial Someone Without a Contacts Record
1. Tap the Phone icon at the bottom of the Home screen.
2. Select the Keypad tab if the keypad isn’t displayed. Then tap the digits in the phone number.
Dialing International Numbers
To make an international call, press and hold 0. A plus symbol appears as the first character in the number. Enter the country code, followed by the phone number.
Mistakes Happen
If you make a mistake, you can press the Delete key to delete the last digit entered. To remove the entire number and start over, press and hold Delete. You can also use normal editing techniques to position the text insertion mark within the number and make changes, such as inserting the area code.
3. Optional: To create a new contact record for this number or add the number to an existing contact record, tap Add to Contacts and then select an option.
4. Tap the green phone icon to dial the call. Tap the red End Call icon to disconnect when you finish talking.
Dial Someone with a Contacts Record
1. Tap the Phone icon at the bottom of the Home screen.
2. Tap the Keypad tab if it isn’t automatically selected. Then type any of the phone number’s digits. You can start at the beginning or with any consecutive string of digits that you remember. As you enter digits, potential matches from Contacts and from numbers you’ve previously dialed are shown.
Dial by Name
If you can’t remember a person’s number but are sure he has a Contacts record, use the keypad to spell part of the person’s name, company, or any other information that you know.
3. Do one of the following:
• Select the main suggestion by tapping the person or company’s name.
• View additional matches by tapping the numbered down arrow and selecting someone from the Search Result list.
• Continue entering digits until the correct match is suggested, and then tap the person or company’s name.
4. Tap the green phone icon to dial the call. Tap the red End Call icon to disconnect when you finish talking.
Dial from a Contact Record
Many of your outgoing calls will be to people and companies that have a record in Contacts. Rather than typing part of their name or number, it is often faster to find them in Contacts.
1. Open Contacts by tapping its icon at the bottom of the Home screen, tapping the Phone icon on the Home screen and then selecting the Contacts tab, or accessing Contacts from another app, such as Messages.
2. Tap the Contacts tab if it isn’t already selected. Find the record by scrolling or searching, and then tap the entry to view the full record.
3. Tap a listed phone number or its green telephone icon to dial that number.
4. Tap the red End Call icon to disconnect when you finish talking.
Dialing from the Call Logs
Every incoming and outgoing call is automatically recorded in the Logs section of Phone and Contacts. By viewing the logs, you can determine which calls need to be returned, as well as initiate the calls.
Return and Redial Calls
By selecting a particular log, you can see whom you’ve called and who has called you. You can then dial any log entry.
1. On the Home screen, launch Phone by tapping its icon.
2. Tap the Logs tab at the top of the screen.
3. Select a log to view by opening the menu above the log and choosing an option. (If you don’t select a log, the last one viewed displays.)
4. To call a person without leaving the Logs screen, swipe his entry to the right. The displayed number is automatically dialed.
5. To text a person, swipe the log entry to the left. A new message window in Messages appears.
If swiping isn’t your thing or you want more control over what happens, tap the log entry. On the screen that appears, you can call the person by tapping the phone icon. To send a text or multimedia message to the person, tap the message icon.
>>>Go Further: Other Phone Log Options
• Press and hold a log entry to select it. You can tap the Delete icon to delete this single entry or select additional entries prior to tapping Delete.
• With a log item selected, open the menu and choose a command. View Contact displays the individual’s record, Copy to Dialing Screen enters the person’s phone number on the dialing screen, Send Number embeds the person’s name and phone number in a new text message, and Add to Reject List causes any future calls from this number to be automatically sent to voicemail.
• Another way to delete old, duplicate, and unwanted entries is to choose an appropriate log from the left-hand menu, tap the menu icon (on the right), and choose Delete. Select all log entries that you want to remove (or tap Select All), tap Done, and then tap OK in the confirmation dialog box.
Dialing a Number in a Text or Email Message
A phone number in an email or text message acts as a link that, when tapped, can dial the number.
Text Message Links
1. In Messages, display the received or sent message that contains the phone number, and then tap the number.
2. Tap Call in the dialog box that appears. Phone launches and dials the number.
Email Message Links
1. In Email, display the received or sent email message that contains the phone number, and then tap the number.
2. The number appears in the Keypad section of Phone. If necessary, you can edit it (adding or removing the area code, for example) using normal editing techniques.
3. Tap the green phone icon to dial the number.
>>>Go Further: Quick Dialing Techniques
• Locate the person or company in the Contacts, Logs, or Messages conversations list and swipe the item to the right. The Phone screen appears, and the person or company’s number is automatically dialed.
• Locate the person or company’s entry in the Favorites list and tap it to automatically dial the number.
Emergency Calling
Where available, the Galaxy S5 supports e911 (Enhanced 911), enabling it to connect to a nearby emergency dispatch center regardless of where in the United States or Canada you happen to be. (The equivalent emergency number is different in other countries. In the United Kingdom, for example, it’s 999.) When you place a 911 call, your position can usually be determined by the phone’s GPS or by triangulating your position using nearby cell sites.
As a safety feature, you can even call 911 from a locked phone. To learn about other options for summoning assistance in an emergency situation, see “Safety Assistance Settings” in Chapter 3, “Making the Phone Your Own.”
• Tap the Phone icon on the Home screen.
• If the lock screen is displayed and the phone is protected with a pattern, password, PIN, or fingerprint scan, you can go directly to Phone by tapping the Emergency Call text.
2. On the normal Phone or the Emergency Dialer screen, respectively, enter 911 (or your country’s equivalent number) and tap the green phone icon to dial the number.
• Even if you’ve disabled the phone’s location/GPS functions for all other uses, these features remain available for 911 use.
• Not all emergency dispatch centers support e911. Instead of assuming they’ve determined where you are based on GPS or triangulation, be prepared to state your location.
• Some emergency dispatch centers use an automated voice menu that prompts you to enter numbers. According to Sprint, for example, “If you encounter a prerecorded message instead of a live operator, wait for the appropriate prompt and say ‘EMERGENCY’ instead of pressing 1. Not all wireless phones transmit number tones during a 911 call.”
Other Outgoing Call Options
The Galaxy S5 also supports some additional outgoing call options: speed dialing, blocking your caller ID information, three-way calling, and inserting pause and wait commands.
Speed Dialing
To make it easy to dial your most important numbers, you can assign a speed dial number to anyone with a record in Contacts. The digits 2–100 are available as speed dial numbers; 1 is reserved for voicemail.
The New, Simplified Version
In previous implementations of Speed Dialing, you could replace a slot’s contact with someone else, as well as swap the positions of any two entries. On the Galaxy S5, you can only assign and remove individual speed dial numbers.
Access the Speed Dial Screen
1. Launch Phone or Contacts by tapping an icon at the bottom of the Home screen.
2. Display the Speed Dial screen by selecting the Keypad or Contacts tab, tapping the menu icon, and choosing Speed Dial.
What Next?
When you reach the Speed Dial screen, jump ahead to the section that describes the task you want to perform.
Assign a Speed Dial Number
1. On the Speed Dial screen, tap a currently unassigned number—that is, one that says Add Contact.
2. Tap the name of the person or company with which to associate this speed dial number.
3. If the contact record contains only one phone number, that number is automatically used. If the record contains multiple numbers, select the number to use.
4. The contact’s phone number is assigned to the speed dial number.
Removing Speed Dial Entries
An X appears beside each assigned speed dial entry. To remove an entry, tap the X. The speed dial number is now unassigned and labeled Add Contact.
Dial a Speed Dial Number
1. Launch Phone by tapping its icon at the bottom of the Home screen.
2. With the Keypad tab selected, enter the speed dial number. Press and hold the final digit.
3. The phone dials the person or company associated with the speed dial number. Tap the red End Call icon to disconnect when you finish talking.
Dialing from the Speed Dial Screen
If you can’t remember a particular speed dial number, you can initiate a call or message from the Speed Dial screen. Scroll to find the person or company’s entry, tap the person’s picture or placeholder, and then tap the Call or Message icon in the dialog box that appears. (If the person or company has multiple numbers, flick up or down in the list to find the number you want to call.)
Temporarily Blocking Your Caller ID Information
If you want to prevent your caller ID information from displaying on an outgoing call, precede the number with *67, such as *675591234 for a local call or *672145591234 for a long-distance call. The recipient’s phone should display Private Number rather than your name, city, or number. Note that *67 is the correct prefix in the United States and Canada only; other countries have a different prefix.
If you want to prevent your caller ID information from displaying on every call, contact your service provider for assistance.
Three-Way Calling
By making a three-way call, you can talk to two people at the same time. (If you don’t have an unlimited minutes plan, check with your service provider to determine how three-way calls are billed.)
1. Launch Phone and dial the first number.
2. When the first person answers, tell him to wait while you call the second person. Tap the Add Call icon and dial the second number. The first person is automatically placed on hold.
3. When the second person answers, tap the Merge icon.
4. The display shows that you’re all connected to a conference call. When the call is completed, tap End Call. Any person who is still connected will be disconnected.
Inserting Pause and Wait Commands
If you’re fed up with listening and responding to the automated answering systems used by banks, insurance companies, telephone companies, and cable systems, you might consider programming their Contacts record to automatically tap the correct keypad digits in response to their menus. For instance, 2145527777,,1,2,6310,,43 might take you to your Internet provider’s technical support group.
In addition to digits, each phone number can contain commas (,) and semicolons (;). Each comma represents a 2-second pause (you can string together multiple pauses), and each semicolon instructs the phone to wait until you enter any number or press a key. Creating a number that responds correctly to voice prompts requires trial and error. For example, if you don’t wait long enough (using pauses) before the next number is entered, the process fails.
As you enter or edit a phone number, tap the menu icon and choose Add 2-Sec Pause or Add Wait to insert a pause or wait. The best numbers in which to use pauses and waits are the simple ones, such as those for which the initial prompt is for an extension. Complex, multilayered menus take much longer to program, and your efforts will “break” if the answering system’s menu structure changes.
Receiving Calls
The other half of the phone call equation is that of receiving and responding to incoming calls.
Respond to an Incoming Call
1. When a call comes in, the caller is identified by name and number (if he has a Contacts record), by number (if there’s no matching Contacts record), or by Private Number (if he has blocked his caller ID).
2. You can respond in any of the following ways:
• Accept call. Drag the green phone icon in any direction.
• Reject call. Drag the red phone icon in any direction, sending the caller to voicemail.
• Ignore call. Do nothing; let the phone ring. After a number of rings, the caller is transferred to voicemail.
• Reject with explanation. Drag Reject Call with Message upward and select a text message to transmit to the caller. (Note that if the caller doesn’t have a messaging plan or is calling from a landline, the text message might not be delivered.)
3. Tap the red End Call icon to disconnect when you finish talking.
>>>Go Further: More Ways to Accept and End Calls
• Pressing the Home key. Press the Home key to answer an incoming call. This can be more convenient than dragging the green Accept icon, especially in the dark or when driving.
• Voice control. Incoming calls are announced by caller name or number. You can say “Answer” to accept the call or “Reject” to send the caller to voicemail.
• Waving hand over device. Wave your hand back and forth over the phone to accept a call.
• Pressing the power key. You can press the Power key to end a call.
1. Answer the new call by sliding the green phone icon in any direction.
2. The initial call is automatically placed on hold while you speak to the new caller. To switch between callers, tap the Swap icon. The active call is always shown in green at the top of the screen.
3. Tap the End Call icon to end the active call. The other call becomes active, ringing your phone if necessary.
Call Forwarding
Depending on your carrier, you can have all or only particular kinds of calls that your cell phone would normally receive automatically forwarded to another number. Forwarding works even when the Galaxy S5 is turned off. To restore normal calling, deactivate call forwarding when you’re finished. (Check with your service provider or review your plan to determine the cost of using call forwarding.)
The following are two of the simplest implementations of call forwarding: Sprint and Verizon. Enabling and disabling call forwarding with other carriers is often handled by tapping Phone’s menu icon, choosing Settings, and then tapping Call, Additional Settings, Call Forwarding. Consult your carrier’s website for specific instructions.
• Sprint. To activate call forwarding, launch Phone and dial *72, followed by the number to which calls should be forwarded. When you’re ready to deactivate forwarding, dial *720. When activating or deactivating call forwarding, a tone signifies that the change has been accepted.
• Verizon. Launch Phone, tap the menu icon, and choose Settings. To enable or disable call forwarding, tap Call, Call Forwarding, and then choose Turn On Call Forwarding or Turn Off Call Forwarding, respectively.
In-Call Options
While on a call, you can access common in-call options by tapping icons and choosing menu commands. Additional options are available via hardware controls and the Notification panel.
Menu commands. Tap the menu icon and choose one of these commands:
• Contacts, Memo, or Messages. View information in Contacts, take notes in Memo during the call, or send a text message to the other party.
• Personalize Call Sound. Choose an audio equalizer setting for the current call. Before you can use this feature, you must set it up as described in the “Personalize Call Sound” sidebar later in this chapter.
• Extra Volume. You can boost in-call volume above the normal maximum when this command is checked. Tap it a second time to disable the volume boost.
Onscreen icons. You can tap the following icons during a call. When an icon-based option is enabled or active, it is green.
• Keypad. If you need to enter an extension or information to respond to a voice prompt, tap the Keypad icon to display the dialing keypad. The icon’s label changes to Hide. To dismiss the keypad, tap the Hide icon or press the Back key.
• Speaker. Tap the Speaker icon to toggle between normal and speakerphone modes.
• Mute. To temporarily turn off the phone’s microphone so that the other party can’t hear you, tap the Mute icon.
• Bluetooth. To use a Bluetooth headset on the current call, tap the Bluetooth icon. To resume using the built-in earpiece, tap the icon again.
• End Call. Tap End Call to “hang up,” disconnecting from the other party.
Other options. Two other important options are available during calls that aren’t represented by icons.
• Volume adjustment. To change the volume, press the hardware Volume control on the left side of the phone. An onscreen volume indicator appears. Press the top half of the hardware Volume control to raise the volume; press the lower half to lower the volume. You can also adjust the volume by dragging the onscreen slider.
• Notification panel controls. You can drag down the Notification panel to access the Speaker, Mute, and End options. This is especially useful if you exit the Phone screen during the call in order to run other apps.
You can indeed run other apps while on a call. Return to the Home screen by pressing the Home key and then launch the apps. You can also open Phone’s menu to launch Contacts, Memo, or Messages. To indicate that you’re still on a call, the status bar turns neon green, a phone icon is added to the status bar, and a call progress icon is displayed. You can drag the call progress icon to a new location if it’s in your way.
If you want to return to Phone, tap the call progress icon, tap the picture or placeholder icon in the Notification panel, or launch Phone. When you’re ready to end the call, launch Phone or tap the End icon in the Notification panel.
Checking Voicemail
Using your service provider’s voicemail, people can leave messages for you when you’re unavailable or the phone is turned off. When voicemail is waiting, a voicemail icon appears in the status bar and an entry is added to the Notification panel.
Voicemail Password
If you set up voicemail to require a password, you’ll be asked to enter it each time you contact voicemail. When prompted, tap each digit in the password and end by tapping the pound sign (#)—or follow whatever instructions your carrier provides. Refer to Chapter 1, “Galaxy S5 Essentials,” for instructions on setting up voicemail.
You can check your voicemail in two or more ways:
1. Connect to your carrier’s voicemail service by doing one of the following:
• Drag down the Notification panel and tap a voicemail entry. The carrier’s voicemail is automatically dialed or its voicemail app launches (if one is provided).
• Launch the Phone app. Press and hold 1 (the speed dial number assigned to voicemail) or tap the voicemail icon. The Phone app dials the carrier’s voicemail.
• Launch your carrier’s voicemail app (if one is provided).
2. You connect to the carrier’s voicemail system. Because the voicemail menus require you to enter numbers to choose options, tap the Keypad icon to reveal the keypad (if it’s currently hidden). Listen to the menu options and tap numbers to indicate your choices.
3. Tap the End Call icon when you finish using voicemail.
Changing Voicemail Settings
You can change your voicemail settings (such as your greeting, password, and notification methods) whenever you want. Connect with voicemail and respond to the prompts.
Enabling Mute, Vibrate, or Airplane Mode
Your phone has three special settings that you’ll occasionally find useful: Mute, Vibrate, and Airplane mode. Enable Mute when your phone must remain silent, such as when you’re in a meeting or place of worship. Vibrate also silences notifications, but denotes them by vibrating the phone. Enable Airplane mode during flights to quickly make your phone compliant with government and airline regulations by disabling the ability to place or receive calls, as well as transmit data.
Mute and Vibrate
When Mute is enabled, all sounds except media playback and alarms are disabled. Incoming calls cause the Phone app to launch—even when the screen is dark—but no sound or vibration occurs. Vibration has the same silencing effect as Mute, but important events are signaled by vibration.
1. To enable muting or vibration, do one of the following:
• Press and hold the Power button until the Device Options menu appears, and then tap the Mute or Vibrate icon.
• On the Home screen, press and hold the Volume down key until the onscreen volume control shows that Mute or Vibrate is enabled. (Lower the volume all the way to enable Mute. When the Mute icon is shown, you can quickly switch to Vibrate by tapping the Volume up key once.)
• Open the Notification panel. Repeatedly tap the Sound button to toggle between its three states: Mute, Vibrate, and Sound.
2. When Vibrate or Mute is active, a matching indicator displays in the status bar.
3. Restore normal sound by selecting Sound in the Device Options menu, enabling Sound in the Notification panel, or increasing the volume.
Airplane Mode
When flying, you can quickly set your phone to Airplane mode, disabling its ability to place or receive calls and to send or receive data. Other functions operate normally.
1. To quickly enable Airplane mode, do one of the following:
• Press and hold the Power button until the Device Options menu appears. Tap Airplane Mode.
• Open the Notification panel, scroll the Quick Setting buttons to the right, and tap Airplane Mode. When enabled, the button is green. (If the button isn’t visible, tap the Grid View icon and then tap the Airplane Mode button.)
• Open Settings, tap the Airplane Mode icon (in Network Connections), and move its slider to the On position.
2. In the Turn On Airplane Mode dialog box, confirm by tapping OK. The Airplane mode indicator appears in the status bar; cellular connections, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth are automatically disabled.
3. Restore normal calling and data transmission functionality by disabling Airplane mode by reversing any of the actions described in Step 1. Tap OK in the Airplane Mode dialog box.
Configuring Call Settings
You can set preferences for many phone operations in Call Settings. Although the default settings will suffice for most calling situations, you should still familiarize yourself with them.
To review or change the settings, launch Phone, tap the menu icon, choose Settings, and tap Call. Or you can open Settings and tap the Call icon (in the Applications section). Here are some of the most useful Call Settings:
• Call Rejection. Enable/disable Auto Reject mode for blocked callers (or to temporarily reject all incoming calls), as well as add or remove numbers from the Auto Reject List. Rejected calls are sent straight to voicemail. You can also create or delete call rejection text messages. These can optionally be sent when manually rejecting an incoming call by dragging Reject Call with Message upward (at the bottom of Phone’s main screen).
• Answering and Ending Calls. See the “More Ways to Accept and End Calls” sidebar, earlier in this chapter.
• Call Notification Pop-ups. When this setting is enabled, rather than commandeer your entire screen whenever there’s an incoming call, a smaller, less intrusive pop-up window appears. You can tap a button to answer or reject the call, expand the window to its normal full-screen view (in order to view additional information or reject with a text message), or drag the pop-up to a different screen location.
• In-call Status Pop-ups. When you dial a number or receive a call, a window above the Accept and Reject icons shows your most recent interactions with the person or company (as a reminder of when you last talked, for example).
• Call Alerts. Specify whether the phone vibrates when the call recipient answers and when the call ends, whether tones denote each call connection and end, and whether alarms and new message notifications are active during calls. When Minute Minder is enabled, the phone beeps twice whenever another minute of connect time passes.
• Call Accessories. Configure the phone for use with a Bluetooth headset. You can enable the headset to automatically answer incoming calls and specify a delay period prior to answering. Outgoing Call Conditions determines whether calls can also be initiated with the headset when the phone is locked.
• Additional Settings. Configure settings for the deaf and those who wear hearing aids.
• Ringtone and Sound Settings. Specify the sounds that announce an incoming call and govern call sound quality. Tap Ringtones and Keypad Tones to select or create a ringtone for incoming calls (see “Ringtones” in Chapter 3), change the vibration pattern, enable or disable vibration when ringing, and enable or disable the playing of tones when tapping numbers on the keypad. Tap Personalize Call Sound to adapt the call audio to your needs (see the “Personalize Call Sound” sidebar at the end of this section). Enable Noise Reduction to suppress background/ambient noise during calls.
• Voice Privacy. When enabled, this setting causes your calls to be encrypted using Enhanced Encryption (when available).
>>>Go Further: Personalize Call Sound
1. Launch Phone, tap the menu icon, choose Settings, and tap Call.
2. Scroll down and tap Personalize Call Sound.
3. Plug in your earphones and, following the instructions, take the audio test.
4. At the test’s conclusion, tap icons to compare unaltered (Original) audio in the left, right, and both ears with that of the Adapt Sound (Personalized) audio.
5. Set options in the Adapt Sound Settings section of the screen. To enable Adapt Sound during calls and listening to music, tap their check boxes. Tap Frequently Used Side to specify the side of your face that you typically use when speaking on the phone.
