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How to make and receive phone calls on your computer with Yosemite and iOS 8

Published Oct 21st, 2014 1:25PM EDT
How To Make Phone Calls Yosemite
Image: Apple Inc.

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After previewing OS X 10.10 Yosemite this past summer during its annual WWDC developer conference, Apple finally released its new desktop software to an eager public last week. Yosemite features a complete visual overhaul and plenty of new functionality as well, but the most talked-about new feature set is definitely Continuity, which is a series of features that integrate Mac computers more deeply with iPhones and iPads.

DON’T MISS: The most comprehensive guide you’ll find to everything new in Yosemite

With Continuity, Mac users can quickly and easily move files, web pages and other information back and forth between their desktops or laptops and their iOS devices running iOS 8 or later. Even better, users running iOS 8.1 or later on their iPhones can also send and receive text messages from the Mac computers, and they can make and receive phone calls as well.

Setting up Continuity is fairly simple, and a guide can be found in an earlier post we ran. Once you’re set up, Dave Mark of The Loop has written a quick and easy guide to phone calling on your Mac, and you’ll find a link to it below in the source section.

Beyond The Loop’s writeup, here’s what Apple has to say about making calls from your Mac once your iPhone is connected:

Making a phone call from your Mac is just as easy as you’d expect. You can click any phone number you see in Contacts, Calendar, Messages, Spotlight, or Safari. If you join a conference call directly from a Calendar event, your Mac enters the passcode for you. To start a call, you can access your iPhone call history in FaceTime, or just enter the digits yourself.

And here’s Apple’s note on receiving calls:

When a call comes to your iPhone, the call rings on your Mac. You’ll get a notification on your Mac showing you the caller’s name, number, and profile picture. You’ll also hear a ringtone — the same ringtone you have for that person on your iPhone. Click the notification to answer, and your Mac becomes a speakerphone, so you can have a phone conversation and work on your Mac at the same time.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.