How to Make a Conference Call on Your iPhone

Call multiple people at the same time without a fee

What to Know

  • Open the Phone app and call someone; after they answer, tap Add Call, tap the next person's name in the contacts list, then tap Merge Calls.
  • If you're already on the conference call and someone calls you, tap Hold & Accept. Answer the call and tap Merge Calls to add the new caller.
  • To speak to a participant privately, tap i next to their name. On the Conference screen, tap Private beneath their name.

This article explains how to make free conference calls with your iPhone without having to dial into special phone numbers, remember long access codes, or pay for conferencing. Instructions cover iOS 13 and later.

How to Make a Conference Call on iPhone

The conference call feature is part of the iPhone Phone app, although the number of people you can have in a conference call varies by cellular carrier. In the United States, you can have up to five callers (including you) on AT&T and T-Mobile, six callers if you use Verizon HD Voice (formerly Advanced Calling) on an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus or newer, and up to three callers on Sprint.

To initiate a conference call on your iPhone, complete the following steps:

  1. On your iPhone, open the Phone app and call the first person you want on the conference call.

  2. After that person answers, choose add call. The contacts list will open.

    iPhone make call
  3. In Contacts, tap the person you want to add to your conference call.

    You can also use the keypad to dial the next number.

  4. When the person answers, choose merge calls to create the conference call.

    Phone app on iOS 13 showing the merge calls button
  5. Repeat steps 3 through 5 until you've added all the people to the call or hit the participant limit.

If you're already on the conference call and someone calls you, select Hold & Accept.

Phone app on iOS 13 showing the Hold & Accept button

When you've answered that call, choose merge calls to add the new caller to the conference.

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How to Talk Privately and Disconnect Individual Participants During an iPhone Conference Call

When you use your iPhone for a conference call, you can speak to one participant privately or disconnect people from the call individually.

Only the person who initiates the conference call can see all the participants.

To speak to one person on the call without the others on the call hearing, tap the i icon next to the participants' names (iOS 7 and later) or the arrow next to Conference (iOS 6 and earlier) at the top of the screen.

On the Conference screen, tap Private beneath the name of the person you want to speak to privately.

From the Conference screen, you can also disconnect individual callers from the conference call without ending the entire call. To disconnect individual callers:

  • In iOS 7 and later, tap End beneath the name of the person you want to disconnect from the conference call.
  • In iOS 6 and earlier, tap the red phone icon beside the name of the person you want to disconnect from the conference call, and then tap End.

How to Talk Privately and Disconnect Individual Participants During an iPhone Conference Call

When you use your iPhone for a conference call, you can speak to one participant privately or disconnect people from the call individually.

Only the person who initiates the conference call can see all the participants.

To speak to one person on the call without the others on the call hearing, follow these steps:

  1. Tap the i icon next to the participants' names (iOS 7 and later) or the arrow next to Conference (iOS 6 and earlier) at the top of the screen.

  2. On the Conference screen, choose Private beneath the name of the person you want to speak to privately.

    From the Conference screen, you can also disconnect individual callers from the conference call without ending the entire call. To disconnect individual callers: In iOS 7 and later, tap End beneath the name of the person you want to disconnect from the conference call. In iOS 6 and earlier, tap the red phone icon beside the name of the person you want to disconnect from the conference call, and then tap End.
  3. From the Conference screen, you can also disconnect individual callers from the conference call without ending the entire call. To disconnect individual callers:

    • In iOS 7 and later, tap End beneath the name of the person you want to disconnect from the conference call.
    • In iOS 6 and earlier, tap the red phone icon beside the name of the person you want to disconnect from the conference call, and then choose End.
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