How to Use iPhone Speakerphone to Answer or Make Calls

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Make hands-free calls with this simple and easy speakerphone guide
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Do you want to make or answer a call on your iPhone without having to hold the phone up to your face? You can easily turn on your iPhone's speaker mode, aka "speakerphone," to amplify your phone's volume during a call. We'll show you how to place a call with speakerphone, answer on speaker, and even how you can set up your iPhone to always answer on speaker instead of through the earpiece.

How to Turn on Speakerphone on an iPhone

To make a call on speakerphone, tap the contact you want to call or type in their number. Then, press “Speaker.” To answer a call on speakerphone, tap “Speaker” after you accept the call.

Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Making a Call on Speakerphone

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  1. Tap the Phone app icon, which is a white phone receiver on a green background. [1]
    • You can also use this method during an active call. Just skip down to step 4 if you're already on a call.
  2. Tap the Contacts tab to select a contact from your contact list, or use the Keypad tab to dial a phone number. [2]
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  3. Tap your contact's phone number to place the call or tap the green call button to call the number you've dialed. [3]
    • If you dialed a number, just tap the green call button at the bottom of the screen.
  4. It's in the upper-right corner of the grid of call buttons. Doing so will turn on your iPhone's speaker, allowing you to hold the phone away from your face while still being able to talk and listen. The speaker icon will turn white and remain that way while you're in speaker mode.
    • If you don't see any options on the screen, move your phone a few feet away from your face. Holding the iPhone close to your face will prompt the screen to turn off. If your iPhone's dial pad is still on-screen, tap Hide in the bottom-right corner of the dial pad to hide it and show the call buttons.
    • If you're connected to a Bluetooth speaker (e.g., the speaker in your car), tapping the speaker icon will prompt a pop-up menu at the bottom of the screen, at which point you'll have to tap Speaker to switch to your iPhone's speaker.
    • If you want to switch back to handset mode, just tap Speaker again. The icon will turn gray.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Answering a Call on Speakerphone

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  1. When you receive a call, you'll either see the option to tap Accept or swipe right on the phone slider to answer. As soon as you answer the call, you'll see a menu with several options on the screen. [4]
    • Don't hold the phone up to your face just yet, as the options screen will disappear. If you don't see options like Mute, Keypad, and Speaker, move the phone a few feet from your face until the options appear.
  2. It's the option with a small speaker icon at the top-right corner of the option grid. The icon will turn white to indicate that you're now on speakerphone.
    • If you're connected to a Bluetooth speaker (e.g., the speaker in your car), tapping the speaker icon will prompt a pop-up menu at the bottom of the screen, at which point you'll have to tap Speaker to switch to your iPhone's speaker.
    • If you want to switch back to handset mode, just tap Speaker again. The icon will turn gray.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Switching to Speakerphone During a Call

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  1. If you're already on a call and have your iPhone near your face, the screen will go dark. You can reactivate the screen just by moving it at least a foot or two away.
  2. You'll see this option at the top-right corner of the option grid. This instantly puts your call on speakerphone.
    • The speaker icon will turn white to indicate that you're using speakerphone.
    • If you want to switch back to handset mode, just tap Speaker again. The icon will turn gray.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Turning on the Speaker for All Calls

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  1. Tap the Settings app icon, which resembles a set of gears on a grey box. [5]
  2. This section is in the middle of the third grouping of options and is represented by a small stick figure inside a circle, set against a blue background. [6]
  3. It's the first option listed beneath the section labeled "Physical and Motor." [7]
  4. It is listed towards the bottom of the "Touch" page. This section determines where audio will be heard while on a call or FaceTime audio. [8]
  5. This option is at the bottom of the "Call Audio Routing" menu. You should see a checkmark appear to the left of Speaker , signifying that it is the default call audio option now. [9]
    • With this option enabled, all incoming or outgoing calls will automatically use the speaker. You'll still be able to turn off the speaker by tapping speaker during the call.
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  • Question
    The speaker icon does not show up when I call voicemail. How can I fix this?
    Community Answer
    The word "Hide" should be on the bottom right of the dial screen. Tap it and the screen will change to the usual options screen that includes the speaker icon.
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    Not Helpful 79 Helpful 62
  • Question
    How can I put a call on hold while on the speaker?
    Community Answer
    Fortunately, all you have to do is tap the Home button. You'll remain on the line (as will your recipient), but you can browse your apps to your heart's content!
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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    Not Helpful 22 Helpful 18
  • Question
    Is there a way to switch the iPhone into speakerphone mode permanently or temporarily?
    Community Answer
    You can make the speaker your default audio option by opening the Settings app and going to General > Accessibility > Call Audio Routing, then tapping "Speaker".
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      Tips

      • If your iPhone uses Visual Voicemail, you can use your speaker to listen to voicemail from within the Phone app. To do so, tap the Voicemail tab in the bottom-right corner of the Phone app's screen, select a voicemail, tap Speaker , and tap the Play button.
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      • Unfortunately, you cannot use the speaker to amplify the volume for a video or voice message.
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      • Using the Speaker when you're driving or otherwise occupied is a good way to maintain a conversation without completely diverting your attention from the road.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102405
      2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102405
      3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/make-a-call-iph3c993cbc/ios
      4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/answer-or-decline-incoming-calls-iph3c9947bf/ios
      5. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/auto-answer-calls-iph29145acf1/ios
      6. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/auto-answer-calls-iph29145acf1/ios
      7. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/auto-answer-calls-iph29145acf1/ios
      8. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/auto-answer-calls-iph29145acf1/ios
      9. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/auto-answer-calls-iph29145acf1/ios

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