How to Call Someone and Put Them on Speaker Without Picking up Your iPhone - MacRumors
Skip to Content

How to Call Someone and Put Them on Speaker Without Picking up Your iPhone

by

Next time you find yourself with your hands full and you want to make a call on your iPhone – or even if you're in bed and your phone's just out of reach – don't forget that you can get Siri to start a speakerphone call for you, handsfree.

iphone x speakerphone call handsfree
All you need to do beforehand is make sure that your iPhone is set up to listen for the "Hey Siri" voice command. You can check this by following the steps below:

Enable the "Hey Siri" Command on Your iPhone

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Siri & Search in the list.
    call handsfree speakerphone

  3. At the top of the screen, check that the Listen for "Hey Siri" slider is toggled to the green ON position.

With that done, you don't even have to pick up your iPhone to speak to someone on speakerphone. Simply say "Hey Siri, call [name] on speaker," and you'll be chatting in no time.

call handsfree speakerphone 1
What if the person you want to call isn't in your contacts list? No problem – just dictate the number to Siri instead: "Hey Siri, call [number] on speaker."

Remember this quick tip the next time you want to make a call and you might just save yourself some bother.

Related Forum: iOS 12

Top Rated Comments

jlc1978 Avatar
96 months ago
The idea is great, wasn’t it for Siri too often not understanding what I say

And really, do you want me to tell Siri the number, like 555-3462168???
I don’t even “remember “ or know my own wife’s number by heart anymore, let alone other people’s numbers.
"Hey Siri, Call wife on speaker"
"I can't find Wifon Speakerr. Did you mean John Speaks? I've found 6 of them near you..."

My general Siri experience. God help me if I try to use it when watching TV or a movie...

It's even worse if you are trying to call someone whose name is prounounced differently than it is spelt; for example an X in Portuguese so Xuxa is prononunces Shoo Sha. So unless you remember the Siri way with hard X's you can't call them and need to give them some other keyword in the contact.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bigskygangsta Avatar
96 months ago
"Hey Siri, Call wife on speaker"
"I can't find Wifon Speakerr. Did you mean John Speaks? I've found 6 of them near you..."

My general Siri experience. God help me if I try to use it when watching TV or a movie...

It's even worse if you are trying to call someone whose name is prounounced differently than it is spelt; for example an X in Portuguese so Xuxa is prononunces Shoo Sha. So unless you remember the Siri way with hard X's you can't call them and need to give them some other keyword in the contact.
[doublepost=1543068471][/doublepost]Simple solution to odd name pronunciations. Tell Siri to learn how to pronounce “xyz” contact and she’ll ask you how it’s pronounced and fix it. This has been available for years.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
96 months ago
I use my speakerphone for almost all my calls (The stereo speakers are outstanding on the newer iPhones) and I didn’t even think to ask Siri to invoke the speaker hands free. Good article.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
840quadra Avatar
96 months ago
I use this quite often, especially from iPad or HomePod.

Siri does far more, far better than many give it credit for.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
96 months ago
The idea is great, wasn’t it for Siri too often not understanding what I say

And really, do you want me to tell Siri the number, like 555-3462168??? I don’t even “remember “ or know my own wife’s number by heart anymore, let alone other people’s numbers.
The article explains two ways to call.

You could dictate each digit like you described. You're right... you might not remember their number.

Or you can call someone from your contact list by simply saying:

"Hey Siri, call [WIFE] on speaker"

:p
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mattopotamus Avatar
96 months ago
I thought this was actually going to show you how to answer on speaker. I usually use my Apple Watch and then handoff when my hands are free.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...