Calling from a Mac: the iPhone relay, FaceTime or a browser dialer

Which way of calling fits your Mac?

It depends on whether you own an iPhone and whether the person you call has a phone number or an Apple device. I compared Apple's support pages with each service's help pages on November 1, 2026. Only the iPhone relay and a web dialer reach landlines and mobiles: FaceTime calls Apple devices^[2], and WhatsApp Web calls WhatsApp contacts^[6].

Read on November 1, 2026. Carrier Wi-Fi Calling is a phone-plan feature, not browser calling.

How do I set up calls through my iPhone?

Turn the relay on in two places: on the iPhone, which carries the call over its cellular plan, and in FaceTime on the Mac. Apple's minimums are low, iOS 8.1 with an activated carrier plan and OS X Yosemite 10.10, but both devices must use the same Apple Account and the same network^[1].

1. On the iPhone, open Settings, tap Apps, then Phone, then Calls on Other Devices, and turn on Allow Calls on Other Devices^[1].
2. Switch on your Mac in the list of devices. If it is missing, finish the Mac steps and look again^[1].
3. Connect the Mac to the iPhone's network, over Wi-Fi or Ethernet^[1].
4. On the Mac, open FaceTime, choose FaceTime > Settings, check the Apple Account, and select your number under "Start new calls from"^[1].
5. Select Calls from iPhone^[1].

To call, use the Phone app (macOS Tahoe 26 or later) or FaceTime, or click a phone number in Contacts, Calendar, Messages or Safari. Incoming calls appear as a notification to accept or decline, and Handoff moves a call to the iPhone^[1]. A Mac mini, Mac Studio or Mac Pro needs an external microphone or headset first^[1].

Can the Mac call when the iPhone isn't nearby?

Yes, if your carrier supports Wi-Fi Calling on iCloud-connected devices^[7]. Otherwise Apple's relay expects the iPhone to be on and nearby; with Wi-Fi Calling set up, the Mac makes and receives the iPhone line's calls even when the iPhone isn't close by^[1]. Apple lists three switches, two on the iPhone and one on the Mac.

1. On the iPhone, open Settings, tap Cellular, then Wi-Fi Calling, and turn on Wi-Fi Calling on This iPhone^[7].
2. Go back, tap Calls on Other Devices and switch on the Mac^[7].
3. On the Mac, turn on Calls from iPhone in FaceTime settings, using the iPhone's Apple Account for FaceTime and iCloud^[7].

This is your carrier's Wi-Fi Calling, a feature of the phone plan, not a call from a web page; my comparison of Wi-Fi Calling and browser calling explains the difference.

What can FaceTime do on a Mac without an iPhone?

FaceTime needs an Apple Account, not an iPhone. It reaches anyone using an Apple device, by name, number or email, and its audio and video calls run over the Mac's own Wi-Fi^[2]. Without the iPhone relay, though, it cannot ring a landline or a mobile^[1].

For friends on Android or Windows, create a FaceTime link on the Mac (macOS Monterey or later). They open it in the latest Chrome or Edge, type a name and wait for you to let them in^[14], but they cannot start a call from the browser. Apple notes that FaceTime isn't available in every country or region^[7].

How do I call a phone number from a Mac with no iPhone?

Use a web dialer, a site that connects a call from the browser tab to the phone network. Apple documents phone calls on a Mac only through an iPhone^[1], so this is the route for a Mac on its own or a Mac next to an Android phone. It works in Safari, after two Mac-specific permission switches.

1. Open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Microphone, and turn on your browser; macOS keeps a separate switch for each app^[15].
2. In Safari, choose Safari > Settings > Websites > Microphone and set the dialer's site to Ask or Allow^[16]. Chrome asks when the site wants the microphone^[17].
3. Sign in and, if the dialer charges per minute, add credit.
4. Type the number with a plus sign and the country code. Yolla and TwinPhone show the rate before the call connects^[4][5].
5. Keep the tab open until you hang up.

Which dialers list Safari

• TextNow: a free US or Canadian number^[18], with web calls in Safari^[19]; its terms exclude EU and EEA residents^[20].
• Google Voice: supports Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Edge^[3], but it is US-only^[9], sign-up texts a code to a phone you already have^[8], and new numbers need an ID check^[21].
• TwinPhone: this site's sponsor. It lists Safari and signs you up with an email or Google account, no phone number^[5]. There is no free tier^[22], credit starts at $10^[23], and UK mobiles cost $0.12 against Yolla's $0.10^[11][24]. Its pages disagree on reach: 145+ countries on one, 165 destinations on the rates page^[5][11].
• Yolla: lists Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Edge^[4]. Yolla Web makes outgoing calls only^[4], and the app verifies your phone number^[25].

Per minute, lowest published rate on the date checked. Scroll sideways on a phone.

WhatsApp Web now calls from Safari on macOS for free, but only WhatsApp users, and it is still rolling out^[29]; see WhatsApp calls in the browser. Skype was retired on May 5, 2025^[30], so guides that still suggest it are out of date; I cover what happened to Skype separately.

Can my Mac ring when someone calls me?

With an iPhone, yes: calls to your iPhone number appear on the Mac as a notification^[1]. Without one, the Mac rings only through a service that gives you a number, and for a web dialer only while its page is open and signed in. In Safari, let that site send notifications under Websites settings^[16].

• Google Voice: rings while you are signed in with the browser window open^[31].
• TwinPhone: only with a rented US, Canadian or Puerto Rico number, which costs $3.19 a month^[32], plus $0.02 per incoming minute^[33].
• Yolla Web: outgoing calls only^[4].

What should I watch out for with web dialers on a Mac?

Don't count on them in an emergency. Google Voice says you can't make emergency calls with it, and TwinPhone and Yolla exclude them too^[3][22][34]. Keep a mobile or a landline within reach for 911, 112 or 999; my guide to emergency calls from a computer sets out what works where. Before adding credit, also check who runs the dialer.

Frequently asked questions

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