How to make a conference call on iPhone

Q: Why can't I find the "Add Call" button?

First, check whether you are actually on a call. The button will only appear when the line is answered. Second, check with your phone service provider to see if it allows conference calling. Most phone companies provide this service, but some older phone packages and prepaid phone accounts may not. Lastly, if call waiting and call forwarding are enabled, it may interfere with the conference calling service.

Q: Why is the "Merge Calls" option missing?

After you have added a second caller and they have responded, the "Merge Calls" button should appear. Maybe your carrier doesn't support conference calling, or maybe you have reached the maximum number of people on the plan if it doesn't show up. If you're using any specific features on your phone, such as Wi-Fi calling , you won't have the ability to conference call. In order to check if this is offered in your plan, it is best to look at the documents provided by your carrier.

Q: Why can't one participant hear the others after merging?

This is most likely a signal strength issue. You can ask each person to check the strength of their signal. If cellular reception is weak, it may result in audio difficulties during conference calls. You should also ensure none of the participants are on mute. If a person is not able to hear the other participants, you should remove and re-add them to the conference call. The issue may lie with their cellular device.

Q: Why does my first call go on hold when adding another call?

This is perfectly normal and to be expected. When you tap "Add Call," your iPhone will automatically put the first person on hold so you can call the second person. This is how the feature is supposed to work. When you tap "Merge Calls," everyone gets off hold and can hear each other. The first person will usually hear hold music or nothing at all while you call the second person.

Q: How many people can join an iPhone conference call?

Most carriers let you have five or six people in total, including you, but some let you have more. Most of AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile's plans let five people join at once. You may need to use dedicated conference calling services or apps like Zoom, Google Meet, or FaceTime Audio (which can hold up to 32 people) if you need to hold bigger conference calls with more people.

Q: Can I remove one person from the conference call?

Yes, you can . When you're on the conference call, tap the small "i" (information) button that shows up next to "Conference" at the top of your screen. This will give you a list of everyone who is currently taking part. There will be an "End" button next to each person's name. Tap "End" next to the name of the person you want to remove, and they will be disconnected from the conference call while everyone else stays on the line. This is helpful if someone has to leave early or if you accidentally added the wrong person.

Making a conference call on an iPhone is simpler than it sounds. With the built-in iPhone features, you can call one person, add another, and merge the calls into a group, no downloads or sign-ups needed.

Below are the exact steps to start a conference call and manage participants during the call.

How to make a conference call on iPhone using built-in features

Here's how it works: you call one person, add another person to the call, then merge everyone together. You can keep adding people one at a time, and once they're merged, everyone can hear each other.

Step 1: Open the Phone app

iPhone Phone app screen showing where to start a call

First things first—open up your Phone app. You know, that green icon with the white phone on it that you use for regular calls.

Once you're in, you've got three ways to start your first call:

Recents: Tap this to see who you've called recently and quickly redial them.
Contacts: Browse through your saved contacts and pick someone from there.
Keypad: Type in a phone number manually if the person isn't saved in your contacts.

Pick whatever works for you. The main thing is just getting that first call going.

Step 2: Call the first person

iPhone call screen after placing the first call

Make your first call just like you normally would. Tap the person's name or hit the call button after entering their number.

Here's the important part: wait for them to actually answer before moving on. You can't start adding people until someone picks up! Once they answer, you'll see your regular call screen with all the usual buttons.

Step 3: Add another person to the call

iPhone call controls showing the Add Call button

Okay, this is where the conference call magic starts. See that "Add Call" button on your screen? It usually has a little "+" symbol. Tap it.

When you do this, your first call automatically goes on hold. Don't panic—this is totally normal! The first person will just hear hold music or silence for a bit while you call the next person.

Now you're back to the same screen you used for the first call. You can:

Search your Contacts for the second person
Check Recents if you've talked to them lately
Use the Keypad to dial their number

Pick the second person and call them. Wait for them to answer, just like before.

Step 4: Merge calls

This is the fun part! Once that second person answers, look for the "Merge Calls" button and tap it.

Boom! Everyone's now connected in one big conversation. Now both callers can hear each other, and your screen will show Conference or the participant count.

Want to add more people? Just repeat the process! Tap "Add Call" again, dial someone new, wait for them to answer, then hit "Merge Calls" to bring them into the group. Most carriers let you have five or six people total on a conference call, though this depends on your plan.

Step 5: End the conference call

When you're done talking, just tap the red "End" button like you would on any call.

In most cases, ending the call disconnects everyone. Carrier behavior can vary, so if the call doesn’t end for all participants, it’s due to carrier settings.

Want to kick just one person off the call without ending it for everyone? Tap the little "i" button next to "Conference" at the top. You'll see everyone who's on the call. Just tap "End" next to whoever you want to remove, and they'll get disconnected while everyone else keeps talking.

Step 6: Save your call notes

So the call's over. Now what? If it was important, you've probably got action items to remember, deadlines to track, and commitments people made. But let's be honest—after a 20-minute group call, it all starts to blur together pretty fast.

Here's what you should do: set up a system to automatically capture your calls so you can stop scrambling to remember everything. Instead of trying to take notes while you're also trying to participate in the conversation, let technology handle the recording part for you.

With a tool like Plaud Note Pro, here's how you can make your call follow-ups way easier:

Long-press to start recording, then stay fully present in the conversation. Once it’s running, it keeps recording without any extra taps.
Review who said what after the call by checking the speaker labels. This way, you'll know exactly which person committed to each task.

Speaker labels screen in the Plaud app

Pull up the organized summary to see all your action items and key decisions in one place. No more digging through messy handwritten notes.

Plaud meeting notes and templates view in the app

Add your own context during the call by typing quick notes or snapping photos of whiteboards, documents, or anything else that's relevant.

Search through your past calls whenever you need to find something specific. Forgot what was discussed two weeks ago? Just search for it.

After each call, take a few minutes to review the summary, check off what you need to do, and export the notes to share with your team or save in your project files.

If you're handling important calls regularly, start recording them now instead of relying on memory. You'll stop having those "Wait, what did they say about that deadline?" moments and actually have reliable records you can refer back to anytime.

Start a group call on your iPhone in a few taps

Once you’ve tried a group call on your iPhone, you’ll see how simple it really is. No extra apps, no accounts, no learning curve—just a few taps and everyone is on the line. Next time you need to plan something with family, friends, or coworkers, set up a quick conference call instead of texting back and forth. And if you often forget who said what, Plaud Note Pro can quietly record and turn your call into clear notes, so you can focus on the conversation, not on writing everything down.