Computers, Laptops & Tablets Apple 339 339 people found this article helpful How to Use Your iPad as a Phone 3 ways to place calls on your iPad by Daniel Nations Writer Daniel Nations has been a tech journalist since 1994. His work has appeared in Computer Currents, The Examiner, The Spruce, and other publications. our editorial process Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Daniel Nations Updated on July 13, 2020 reviewed by Jon Fisher Lifewire Tech Review Board Member Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek. our review board Article reviewed on Jun 09, 2020 Jon Fisher Apple iPad Macs Tweet Share Email What to Know A common way to make calls on an iPad is with Facetime but you can also use your iPhone's cell number or the Messages app.iPhone calls on iPad sync the two devices and rout calls through your iPhone even without an Apple ID.You can also use third-party apps like Skype or Talkatone with Google Voice. This article explains how to use Facetime, the Messages app, and third-party apps to make calls. How to Place Calls on Your iPad Using FaceTime The easiest way to make phone calls with your iPad is by using the video conferencing software that comes with the iPad called FaceTime. FaceTime uses your Apple ID to place phone calls to anyone who also has an Apple ID, which is anyone who owns an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or Mac computer. These calls are free, so even if you're using your iPhone, you won't be using your minutes. You can even receive calls on FaceTime by having people contact the email address associated with your Apple ID. These instructions apply to devices running iOS 10 and later. Here's how to use FaceTime. Open the FaceTime app. If FaceTime isn't already on your iPad, you can download it from the App Store for free. Tap the plus sign (+) to choose someone to call from your contacts. You can include multiple contacts in your call. You can also start typing the name of a contact on the keyboard, and FaceTime will complete it automatically. When you've selected everyone you want to contact, press one of the call buttons to make an Audio (voice-only) or Video call. FaceTime will place the call. How to Make FaceTime Calls Using Messages You can also make FaceTime calls to your contacts through the Messages app. Just like in the FaceTime app, you can only call people whose Apple IDs connect to their phone numbers. Open the Messages app. If you have a conversation open with the person you want to contact, tap that thread. Otherwise, you'll need to start a new one. Tap the contact's image at the top of the screen. Tap FaceTime to start a video call, or audio to start an audio-only call. When your call is over, tap the end button (video) or the red button (audio-only). Place Calls on Your iPad Using Your iPhone's Cellular Number As an alternative to FaceTime, you can place "iPhone calls" on your iPad. This feature syncs your iPad and iPhone to allow you to place and receive calls on your tablet as if it were really your phone. These calls are actually routed through your iPhone, so you can place calls to anyone, even if they don't have an Apple ID. Here's how you turn the feature on: Before you follow the instructions below, make sure to connect the iPhone and iPad to the same Wi-Fi network and that you're signed in to both using the same Apple ID. Open Settings on your phone. Find the Phone settings. Tap the Calls on Other Devices heading and flip the switch to on/green at the top of the next screen. When the list of devices shows up, enable the ones you want to route calls to. Compatible devices include other iPads, iPhones, and Macs. With this setting active, you can make and receive calls on any device you're signed in to with your Apple ID. Other Ways to Use Your iPad as a Phone If you want some options other than the standard ones on your iPad, you can also look into third-party internet calling apps. Skype Skype is the most popular way to place internet calls, and unlike FaceTime, it isn't restricted to people using an iOS device. Skype on the iPad is a relatively simple process, though you will need to download the Skype app. Unlike FaceTime, there could be fees involved with placing calls through Skype, but Skype-to-Skype calls are free, so you'll only pay for calling people who do not use Skype. Talkatone With Google Voice FaceTime and Skype are great, both offering the advantage of placing video calls, but what about placing a free call to anyone in the U.S. regardless of whether or not they use a specific service? FaceTime only works with other FaceTime users, and while Skype can place a call to anyone, it's only free to other Skype users. Talkatone in conjunction with Google Voice has a way of placing free voice calls to anyone in the U.S., though it is a little more confusing to set up. Google Voice is gives you one phone number for all of your devices. But voice calls you place with Google Voice use your voice line, and you can't do that on an iPad. Talkatone, however, is a free calling app that extends the Google Voice service by allowing calls over the data line, which means you can use it with your iPad. You'll need both the Talkatone app and the Google Voice app. Go to Google Voice and add your Talkatone number as a forwarding phone on your Google Voice account. After you do this, outgoing calls/text message will show from your Talkatone phone number.