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The Mac|Life 101 series is where you can come to learn new and simple ways to do things with Apple’s desktop and mobile operating systems. Whether you’re new to the platform, or just want to learn a new technique, then MacLife 101 is for you.
Many contacts that you enter are work (or other) numbers that use extensions to connect you to the person you’re trying to call. Remembering these numbers can be tricky, but fortunately, iOS offers a solution for extension numbers, and can automatically enter them for you when calling your contacts.
To set up a number for a contact that uses an extension, open your contacts and navigate to the contact (or create a new one) that you wish to add the number for.
Whilst typing the number, you may notice the special button in the lower, left-hand corner that is labeled “+ * #”. Tapping this button will reveal the pause, star, pound, and wait symbols that can be used for dialing extension numbers.
After you’ve typed in your main number, you can add an extension by using wait, then the extension number.
So, if we had an extension number that was “#2312”, we’d enter the following:
1-234-567-8900;#2312
Note that the wait command is represented by a semicolon (;), and the pause command is denoted by a comma (,). What’s the difference, though?
Pause (,) – The iPhone will wait 2 seconds before continuing the dial. You may need to enter more than one.
Wait (;) – After the call is made, the iPhone will wait until the “Dial” button is pressed again before continuing to dial the digits stored with the number.
Cory Bohon is a freelance technology writer, indie Mac and iOS developer, and amateur photographer. Follow this article’s author on Twitter.
