Yesterday, we walked you though how to enable Wi-Fi calling on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch. Today, we’re going to walk you through how to enable Calls on Other Devices.

Wi-Fi calling requires your iPhone powered on and connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your iPad in order to make the call. However, with Calls on Other Devices, you’ll be able to take and receive phone calls even when your iPhone is not nearby, or even powered on.

Follow along as we guide you through how to enable this wonderfully handy feature.

How to enable ‘Calls on Other Devices’ like iPad or Mac

  • Make sure Wi-Fi Calling is enabled on your iPhone. While not essential, keeping Wi-Fi calling enabled on your iPhone will allow your iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac to make and receive phone calls when your iPhone is off. Read more about how to enable Wi-Fi calling here.
  • On an iPad, head into Settings > FaceTime > Calls from iPhone and make sure that’s enabled. On a Mac, hit ⌘ + Space and type in FaceTime. From there, tap FaceTime in the top left, Preferences, and check Calls from iPhone.

If Wi-Fi calling is enabled, you should now be able to make calls from your iPad or Mac without the need of your iPhone. Otherwise, you’ll be restricted to the range of your iPhone. And just like Wi-Fi calling, you’ll be able to take your iPad or Mac to other countries and still be able to make phone calls as long as your iPhone is in the originating country, and is powered on.

In your home country, you’ll be able to make phone calls from your iPad or Mac even if your iPhone is turned off.

Using both Calls on Other Devices and Wi-Fi calling is a really powerful tool to make the most out of your devices in terms of making calls. It offers much more flexibility than you would traditionally, and most importantly, it’s free (unless your carrier charges for Wi-Fi calling).

You can manage Calls on Other Devices on your iPhone by heading to Settings > Phone > Calls on Other Devices.

For more help getting the most out of your Apple devices, check out our how to guide as well as the following articles:

  • How to enable Wi-Fi calling on iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch
  • How to clean your Apple cables, keyboards, mice, trackpads, and more
  • How to clean your dirty AirPods and charging case
  • How to use Scribble on Apple Watch to text without voice
  • How to sync your local iTunes library when you’re subscribed to Apple Music
  • How to turn off app notification badges on iPhone
  • How to fill Apple Watch activity rings while traveling through timezones
  • How to stream Apple Music on Apple Watch Series 3 without iPhone