Make Call Waiting and Second Call on iPhone

With the iPhone you can make a phone call with multiple people in several ways, without having to hang up. In this tip, we’ll discuss how to confer with someone else in the room without anyone listening in, how to take a call waiting, and switch between two calls. And how you can call five people at the same time.

Conference calls and call waiting

When you make a phone call with the iPhone and hold the device to your ear, the screen will automatically dim. But as soon as you remove the iPhone from your ear (or when you call via a headset or hands-free), a panel with buttons appears on the screen, with which you can perform all kinds of actions. This tip explains how those functions work: enter numbers, mute the microphone, call waiting, and conference using the iPhone.

Have a conference call with multiple people

You can call multiple people during a conference call. Here’s how it works: While calling the first person, tap the Add button (button with plus sign) to start a group conversation.

This is how it works step by step:

• Call person 1 and wait for the call to be established.
• Tap Add and enter the second person’s number (or choose this person from your address book).
• Once the second conversation has been established, tap Merge .
• More people there? Tap Add again and perform steps 2 and 3 again.
• This way you can have a conversation with five people.

Call waiting

If a second call comes in during the call, it is called a call waiting. You do have to manually enable it through your iPhone’s settings. That’s how you do that:

• Open the Settings.
• Scroll down and tap Phone .
• Tap Call waiting .
• Set the switch to ‘on’ (green).

If someone calls you during a call, you will hear a beep. A screen with three buttons will appear: Ignore , On hold and answer or Stop and answer . If you don’t take any action, your conversation will continue.

• If you do not want to answer the second caller, press Ignore immediately . The caller is then forwarded to voicemail.
• If you want to take the second call, you can say goodbye to the first caller and tap Stop and answer . You then hang up the first call and continue to the second call.
• Another option is to put the first call on hold. You can answer the incoming second call with Hold and Answer , while the other person still remains on the line.

With the Switch button you can always switch between conversation partner 1 and 2.

Optionally, you can merge both calls into a conference call with the Merge option .

Make number pad visible

When you call a helpdesk or information line, you often have to make choices by entering a number. You make this number pad visible by tapping the Keys button. A number path will appear with the numbers 0 to 9, asterisk and hash.

Disable Microphone on iPhone

It can also happen that you want to talk to someone in the same room for a while, without the person on the other end of the line being able to listen in. This is also sometimes called consultation. There are then two options:

• Tap Mute . You can still hear the caller, but your voice can no longer be heard on the other end of the line.
• Put the call on hold by pressing and holding the Mute button for a few seconds.

Once you’re done talking, tap the same button to bring the caller back into the conversation.

While making a call, you can continue to use your iPhone, return to the Home screen and launch apps. This is easiest if you’re using a headset, so you don’t have to hold the iPhone to your ear all the time. Optionally, you can also put the conversation partner on the loudspeaker by tapping the Loudspeaker button .