Defining A Default App for Outgoing Calls on iPhone (WhatsApp, Skype, etc.)

shortcuts_calls_default_appYou are usually calling your best friend via WhatsApp, your brother in New Zealand is rather using Skype for calls, your group of friends is preferring to communicate via Facebook Messenger, and you are always calling your grandparents on a landline. Wouldn’t it be awesome, if iOS memorized the preferred app for each contact? It is now possible with the Apple “CallKit” – learn how to set it up here!

Requirements

Earlier iOS versions already provided the 2CallKit2. However, Apple added a feature over time, which allows you to define a default app for each contact. So you can define if you want to use WhatsApp, another app, or just the standard call to contact your friends and family.

Defining a default app for calls

Open your contacts on your iPhone and choose a contact. Don’t go into the “Edit“ mode this time. You can see four buttons below your contact’s name – Message, Calls, FaceTime/Video, and Mail. Press the particular app you want to define as a default for this contact. For example: Press and hold the “Call” button, if you want to call the person by default.

A little window will open up now. It shows you the options, which you can choose from. If you have saved more than one phone number for this contact, you can choose which number you want to use as well. Note that the specified action will be executed right after tapping it. At the same time iOS memorizes the selected choice for the next time.

default_action_calls

Next time you want to contact this person, you just have to tap one of the four buttons and your iPhone will start the default call or message automatically. WhatsApp calls or other calls look like standard calls with the Phone app. They are displayed over the whole screen and not in a sort of notification anymore.