Accept or decline incoming calls on Apple Watch

When you receive phone or FaceTime calls, you can answer on your Apple Watch or iPhone, dismiss calls and send them to voicemail, reply with a text message, or use Call Screening to handle unknown callers automatically. You can also listen to and manage voicemail messages directly on your Apple Watch.

WARNING: For important information about avoiding distractions that could lead to dangerous situations, see Important safety information for Apple Watch.

The Phone app showing an incoming call. The End Call button is at the bottom left. The Answer button is at the bottom center.

Answer a call

When you hear or feel the call notification, raise your wrist to see who’s calling.
Do one of the following:
- Answer on your Apple Watch: Tap . Talk using the built-in microphone and speaker, your connected AirPods, or a Bluetooth device paired with your Apple Watch.
- Answer using your iPhone: Tap , then tap Answer on iPhone.
  The call is placed on hold and the caller hears a repeated sound until you answer on your paired iPhone.
  Tip: If you can’t find your iPhone, tap on your Apple Watch.

Dismiss a call

When you can’t answer an incoming call, do any of the following:

Silence the call and send it to voicemail: Tap , cover the display, or perform a wrist flick.
Send a text message instead: Tap , then tap an option.

Turn on Call Screening

Call Screening automatically answers unknown callers without interrupting you. After the caller shares their name and the reason for the call, you can decide whether to pick up.

Note: Call Screening requires that iPhone is nearby, and is available in Cantonese (China mainland, Hong Kong, Macao), English, French (Canada, France), German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese (China mainland, Macao, Taiwan), Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, U.S.).

Go to the Settings app on your iPhone.
Tap Apps, tap Phone, then turn on Screen Incoming Calls in the Calls from Unknown Numbers section.

When you get an incoming call from an unknown number, tap View to see a live transcription of the caller’s response, then choose whether to accept or dismiss the call.

Listen to voicemail

If a caller leaves a voicemail, tap the Play button in the notification to listen. You can also listen to the voicemail later or see a transcription.

Go to the Phone app on your Apple Watch.
Tap Voicemail.
Choose any of the following options:
- Start and stop playback.
- Skip ahead or back 5 seconds.
- Adjust the volume with the Digital Crown.
- Return the call.
- Delete the voicemail.
- Read a transcription of the voicemail.

Helpful?

Apple Watch User Guide

Accept or decline incoming calls on Apple Watch

Answer a call

Dismiss a call

Turn on Call Screening

Listen to voicemail