“If you have both a modern iPhone and iPad (or iPod touch 5G) running iOS 8, you can make a voice phone call from your iPad, using your iPhone’s cellular connection without ever touching the iPhone,” John Martellaro reports for the Mac Observer. “It’s easy to set it up.”
“Let’s say you’re in the living room watching TV and your iPad is in your lap,” Martellaro reports. “Your iPhone is in the kitchen on a charger. You need to make a phone call. Instead of getting up to fetch the iPhone, you can make the call right from your iPad.”
“You must have both an iPad (or iPod touch) and iPhone running iOS 8,” Martellaro reports. “There are a few Setting to adjust, but once you set it up, you won’t need to fiddle any further… Now you’re all set. On the iPad, tap a phone number in Contacts, Calendar or Safari.”
More info and simple setup notes in the full article here.
I use magicJack. Free for life app service on all devices after one hardware purchase on file with them.
What is the benefit now of having MagicJack with the Apple ecosystem that we have cross-call functionality between our iOS 8 devices?
Not having to have a working iPhone with you. Suppose you forgot your iPhone at home, or just didn’t want to bring it in addition to your iPad, or suppose your iPhone stopped worked, was damaged or stolen. Really, I don’t see myself using an iPad for calls when my iPhone is within range.
And you’d better not, if I’m in the same room watching tv with you! 🙂
The benefit is calls are free VOIP forever. On my iPhone 5S (soon to be 6 Plus) all my calls are free over wifi or the ATT LTE (auto handoff) network without impacting my daytime minute total. I do pay magicJack an annual $10 fee to keep my old land line (vanity) number.
But if you just take a number they offer you in whatever area code you choose to be in, service is totally free as long as you bought a magicJack dongle to begin with. I haven’t used the dongle since the app was introduced 4 years ago.
You can live in Los Angeles with a New Your City area code 212 for free.
The magicJack app also let’s you use any old iPod touch as a free minutes phone over any wifi network.
The most significant advantage of the method described over MagicJack, Skype, Viber or similar free or near-free VoIP solutions is that they are clunky. You have to install an app, and when you need to call someone, you have to do it from that app. In order to receive calls, you must have the app run in the background.
The method above uses iOS native phone interface, which is properly integrated with all other functions of the phone.
MagicJack (or any other VoIP service) is a good backup when your phone is away and you must make an old-fashioned voice phone call, but the new iOS 8 integration of VoIP with the native voice calling functionality is much simpler, elegant and more intuitive.
The magicJack app doesn’t need to be running to receive calls. You simply need to have all the notifications for it turned on. It will auto open if you choose to answer a call. Or take a message if you don’t. I see your point. But the iOS 8 phone integration still eats peak minutes which might not matter to you if you have an unlimited minute plan. I do not have unlimited. I am also not popular so never answer calls which are rarely made to me. Only make an occasional outbound call. So I’m not your average cell phone customer.
How hard is it to install an app? How difficult is it to tap an app? Clunky? Like all apps?
It is all relative, of course, but voice call functionality is the primary and most basic functionality for a phone. one shouldn’t have to launch some app in order to use it. On that account, it is relatively clunky(er) than the way it is supposed to be done (via built-in native functionality).
if the person you’re calling is also using an IOS device just use FaceTime audio
This WORKS with an iPad 3!!!!
WOO HOO!
Sorry man, I just text…
Very cool. Just called my wife from my iPad(4) and my iPhone 5s 🙂
I called her yesterday from my iPad Air using TextMe. 🙂
I don’t have an iPhone, but the Air does Verizon. It’s dirt cheap for calls (which I just had to make one or they were going to discontinue my local area code number — I use it so frequently), and texting is free nationally. It can also receive calls. The program/service works really well.
Works without problems from my iPad 2 via my iPhone 4S 🙂
I can make a phone call from my iPad and I don’t have an iPhone/cellphone. iPad 1st generation.
Fantastic..
Just tried it..
Both recieving calls and making calls!!
Such an awesome feature !
Major thumbs up.
Now waiting for another first from apple.
Taptic( haptic) communication through the iwatch. Its going to be amazing !
I noticed after installing iOS 8 on my iPad and iPhone, my iPad started ringing when my phone rang. I was confused because I hadn’t read or heard anything about this. What a cool feature. Apple should add their phone app to the iPad to enhance the feature even more. What a cool feature. Those sneaky little bastards from Apple, how cool. Loving my new iPhone 6 and my iPad Air with this latest iOS release. Except for that little hiccup with iOS 8.0.1, it’s a great update. Thanks Apple!
Can I send and receive SMS text on my iPad Message app?
Works good. Pretty sweet feature.
This worked with my iPhone 5 and iPad Air. FIRST I had to fully shut down and restart each device after making the settings. Also added was the ability to initiate FaceTime calls from the favorite icons at the top of the screen when in the view where you can swipe-close apps after a four finger swipe upwards.