Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

heifetz7

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 5, 2011
87
31
I'm using a headset and don't want to take my phone out of my pocket. Can I make a call using the apple watch and have the call routed through my phone? When I tried making a call on the watch, it was calling on the watch, so I would have to take the phone out and switch it to the phone, which defeats the intended purpose...
 

BarracksSi

Suspended
Jul 14, 2015
3,902
2,664
I don't use a headset for calls (not often; last time I used it, it was plugged into my MacBook Pro to do a FaceTime audio call), but since nobody else is answering yet...

Try these ideas (just spitballing here) --

- Initiate the call from the headset. Do a "Hey Siri, call so-and-so", or "Hey Siri, call 345-555-4242" using the headset mic, or however it operates.
- If the headset is bluetooth, pair it with the watch instead of the phone. You'll probably have to unpair it from the phone first, then pair it with the watch, otherwise it might get confused (or so I've read; I haven't tried a bluetooth earpiece in at least six or seven years).

That's all I've got. What else have you tried?
 

matrix07

macrumors G3
Jun 24, 2010
8,226
4,894
I'm using a headset and don't want to take my phone out of my pocket. Can I make a call using the apple watch and have the call routed through my phone? When I tried making a call on the watch, it was calling on the watch, so I would have to take the phone out and switch it to the phone, which defeats the intended purpose...

Think your headset was paired to the phone. Pair it to ⌚️ instead. Or get AirPods. :p
 

heifetz7

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 5, 2011
87
31
Think your headset was paired to the phone. Pair it to ⌚️ instead. Or get AirPods. :p

I was using the wired airbud to my iphone. Apple should add an option to watchOS to let you quickly transfer the call from the watch to the phone or vice versa. I could have used Siri through my phone to make calls, but in practice, I found the times that I tried using it, it usually doesn't do it correctly if it's a difficult name, or if there are multiple numbers in the contact, it forces me to pull out the phone anyways to choose.
 

ZEEN0j

macrumors 68000
Sep 29, 2014
1,569
721
You can move the call back and forth. Just not with a headset. From watch to phone you slide up from the lockscreen. If you want to move it back to the watch open the phone app on your watch.
 

matrix07

macrumors G3
Jun 24, 2010
8,226
4,894
I was using the wired airbud to my iphone. Apple should add an option to watchOS to let you quickly transfer the call from the watch to the phone or vice versa. I could have used Siri through my phone to make calls, but in practice, I found the times that I tried using it, it usually doesn't do it correctly if it's a difficult name, or if there are multiple numbers in the contact, it forces me to pull out the phone anyways to choose.

Ah,, you want remote control for phone function. Anyway since AirPods (or any Bluetooth headphones) will solve this problem I don't see Apple will make one.
 
Last edited:

heifetz7

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 5, 2011
87
31
Ah,, you want remote control for phone function. Anyway since AirPods (or any Bluetooth headphones) will solve this problem I don't see Apple will make one.

The difference is that with any bluetooth headset, you would need to use SIRI to make the call. With the watch, you can do it physically, pull up your favorites very easily to make the call, rather than rely on SIRI. I find that much easier.

However, you can still make the call through the watch first, and then take out the phone and transfer the call to the phone. I just wish watchos had an option to do it directly from the watch.
 
  • Like
Reactions: recoil80

recoil80

macrumors 68040
Jul 16, 2014
3,117
2,756
The inability to do this has always annoyed me.

I'm annoyed too.
Today I was walking on the street and I just made a call so I had the EarPods still on. I received a phone call and answered on the Watch but I could barely hear the other person and I quickly realised I didn't take the call on the phone. I got my iPhone and pressed the green bar on top and immediately the audio was transferred to the EarPods. Continuity worked fine, but in that scenario is quite obvious I want to answer the call on my phone since I have the EarPods connected and I'm really close to the phone. Of course in some situations you may have headsets connected but you don't have them on, so it would be better to have a choice to answer on the watch or on the phone
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.