📖Welcome to Module 2! You’ve already laid a strong foundation by learning the basics — buttons, gestures, and adjustments that make your iPhone easier to use. Now it’s time to put all of that into action.

In this lesson, we’ll cover one of the most essential features of your iPhone: making and receiving phone calls. By the end, you’ll be able to confidently place a call, answer when someone rings you, and use a few handy tricks to make calling even easier.

Let’s start with receiving a call, since that’s often the situation where people feel rushed or nervous.

Picture this: your iPhone rings, the screen lights up, and you see a name or number appear. If your phone is unlocked and you’re using it when the call comes in, you’ll see two buttons — a green one that says “Accept” and a red one that says “Decline.” To answer, simply tap the green button. To ignore the call, tap the red one.

But if your phone is locked — meaning the screen is dark — things look a little different. Instead of buttons, you’ll see a slider that says “Slide to Answer.” To pick up the call, just place your finger on the slider and swipe it across the screen. It’s the same gesture you practiced earlier, just with a purpose this time.

Once you’ve answered, the call screen appears. You’ll see the person’s name at the top, along with several buttons. These include:

• Mute — turns off your microphone so they can’t hear you.
• Keypad — lets you press numbers during a call (useful for things like automated menus).
• Speaker — plays the call through the phone’s speaker instead of the earpiece, so you don’t have to hold the phone to your ear.
• Add Call — lets you create a three-way call if needed.
• FaceTime — switches the call to a video call.

For now, focus on just one of those: the Speaker button. This is one of the most useful features for seniors, because it allows you to put the phone down and talk hands-free. Next time you’re on a call, try tapping “Speaker” and notice how much easier it feels.

Now, let’s talk about making a call.

Open your Phone app — it’s the green icon with a white phone on it. At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see several options: Favorites, Recents, Contacts, Keypad, and Voicemail.

The easiest way to call someone is to tap Contacts. This shows a list of everyone you’ve saved in your phone. Scroll through until you find the person you want to call, tap their name, then tap their number. Your iPhone will immediately start dialing.

If the person isn’t saved as a contact yet, don’t worry — you can use the Keypad option to type in their number. Just tap each digit, then press the green phone button to start the call.

You can also use Recents to call someone back. This shows your recent calls in order. If someone called you earlier, just tap their name or number in the list to return the call.

Now, here’s one of my favorite shortcuts: Siri. If you’ve set Siri up, you can simply say, “Hey Siri, call John,” or “Call Sarah on speaker.” Your iPhone will take care of the rest. This is especially helpful if you don’t want to scroll through contacts or type on the keypad.

Let’s practice together:

1. Open your Phone app.
2. Go to Contacts and find someone you know.
3. Tap their number and make the call.
4. Once you’re connected, try tapping the Speaker button so you don’t have to hold the phone.
5. When you’re done, press the big red “End Call” button.

That’s it — you’ve made a call!

Now let’s talk about a common worry: what if I miss a call?

If someone calls you and you don’t answer, your iPhone will show a notification on the lock screen and also place the missed call in your “Recents” list in the Phone app. To call them back, simply tap their name in the Recents list.

Many people also have voicemail set up. If someone leaves you a message, you can tap “Voicemail” at the bottom right of the Phone app to listen. We’ll cover voicemail more deeply in Lesson 3, but for now, just know that missed calls don’t mean missed connections. You can always return the call later.

One more tip: if your iPhone is ringing and you’re not ready to answer, you can press the side button once to silence the ring. The call will keep coming in, but your phone will stop making noise. If you press the side button twice, it will decline the call altogether. This is useful if you’re in a quiet place like church or a meeting.

Okay, let’s wrap this up with your quick win action step:
Today, practice answering one call and making one call. Ask a family member or friend to help you — have them call you so you can practice sliding to answer. Then, use your Phone app to call them back. Try pressing the Speaker button during your call, and when you’re ready, press the red End Call button.

The more you practice, the more natural it becomes. And before long, answering and making calls will feel as easy as picking up a regular landline — but with a lot more features.

In our next lesson, we’ll explore texting — sending and receiving messages, including photos and emojis. This is one of the most popular ways families connect these days, and you’ll love how fun and easy it can be once you know the basics.

Great work today — you’ve just taken another big step toward iPhone confidence!