My iPad doesn’t ring via a linked iPhone any more after recent update.

I use the facility of making and receiving calls via my iPad and Mac via my iPhone. It’s fantastic for hands free calling. Since a recent update, the dial option has disappeared.


A common reason for failure is that the two devices are not on the same Wi-Fi network. That is not the case.


Has anybody noticed this since the latest iPhone update {v18.6.2} and is there a work-around?


Cheers.

iPad Pro

Posted on Sep 8, 2025 08:23 PM

Reply
3 replies

Sep 9, 2025 01:56 AM in response to Peter Marsh

Peter Marsh wrote:

I use the facility of making and receiving calls via my iPad and Mac via my iPhone. It’s fantastic for hands free calling. Since a recent update, the dial option has disappeared.

A common reason for failure is that the two devices are not on the same Wi-Fi network. That is not the case.


When using your iPhone's calling features with your iPad, you will be using the FaceTime App. Initiating a call using FaceTime doesn't use a dial-pad as seen and used on the iPhone. Instead you manually dial a call from with the FaceTime App by tapping the green New FaceTime button - and then type the intended number in the To field and complete the entry by tapping the Carriage Return on your keyboard.


You will now see a green 'telephone" button adjacent to an Invite with Messages button; tap the green "telephone" button to dial.


The description to dial calls sounds far more complicated than it is in reality. In the background, Apple's Continuity services are performing the magic that allows your iPhone to share its Cellular calling and messaging features with other Apple devices.


The title of your post suggests difficulties with incoming calls not ringing on your iPad. When using multiple devices such as your iPad, observed iOS/iPadOS 18 behaviour for incoming calls is such that not all devices will necessarily ring. Whether or not this is a bug or intended functionality is unclear. Whether or not this behaviour will be modified in the upcoming new releases of iOS/iPadOS/macOS is unknown at this time.



Sep 12, 2025 12:26 AM in response to LotusPilot

Dear Lotus Pilot,


I have used the ability to make and receive calls via my iPhone through my other devices {All my Mac desktops and my iPad} for years. It all worked smoothly until an update on my iPhone last week and with that, the facility died on all devices. The iOS version implicated is 18.6.2.


Receiving Calls

When receiving calls, as long as I am sitting near and operating the computer, when a telephone call comes in, a dialogue inviting me to accept the call comes up in the top right of my monitor. Click the green accept and talk away at the computer monitor and the microphone picks up my voice. Voices on the line come out of the computer’s or iPad’s built in speakers or microphone socket. Total hands free call receiving. Great for conference calls when two or more people at my end can hear the dialogue easily. That’s why this is such a good feature.


Making Calls

Many elements of a device’s interface contains telephone numbers. Contacts may have several numbers stored, web sites have telephone numbers and other places that look like a telephone number, selecting, right mouse will bring up a dialogue with {Dial XXXX YYYY} at the top. Accept this and the device initiates a call via the iPhone.


Again, this is a brilliant facility because you don’t have to type the number in your phone to initiate a call and once stored say in the Contacts APP, use the number a gazillion times without retyping once.


LotusPilot was talking about using FaceTime to handle this but I never have needed to do so. It is a simple, non-video call, just an ordinary speak and listen type of conversation.


Progress so far

I called Apple support and the operator tried various things which did not work and the feedback was that something had become corrupted in my .Mac account. I look forward to them resolving it and to once again enjoy hands free conversations without having to hold my phone to my ear or turn the speaker button on.


I hope that unlike other great features that Apple had decided to make EOL, this is not one of them.

Sep 12, 2025 01:14 AM in response to Peter Marsh

My previous reply attempted to outline the mechanism used to manually dial an outgoing call from an iPad - this requiring FaceTime and the outlined method. There are other ways to initiate a call - including clicking a link, or highlighting a telephone number and using an action menu (the trigger differing between iPad/iPhone or Mac) to initiate the call.


If you are experiencing difficulties across all of your devices, a possible explanation is update of the Carrier Settings file on your iPhone - this having global implications for all devices that use your iPhone's Cellular features and services.


The Carrier Settings file is controlled and maintained by your Cellular Carrier - not Apple - this configuration file being automatically updated, by the device, in response to performing a system software update as you describe. Unfortunately, you have absolutely no control or influence of the applied Carrier Settings.


Given your description of a global change in observed behaviour, a strong possibility exists that this the cause of your difficulties.

My iPad doesn’t ring via a linked iPhone any more after recent update.

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.