Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Daily TipsiPhoneWatch

How to transfer calls from your Apple Watch to your iPhone

You can transfer calls from your Apple Watch to your iPhone.

You can answer phone calls on an Apple Watch, but I prefer to take calls on my iPhone. However, sometimes when I’m, say, fixing a cup of coffee at the home office, my Apple Watch will start “ringing” and my smartphone is two rooms away. No problem.

Transferring a call can be accomplished before or after answering, and via a couple of methods: 

If You’ve Already Answered the Call

  • If your iPhone is unlocked: Tap the green bar or time display at the top of your screen.
  • If your iPhone is locked: Tap the green phone icon located in the top-left corner of the screen

Before You Answer (Incoming Calls)

If you see an incoming call on your watch but want to take it on your phone:

  1. Tap the More (…) button on your Apple Watch.
  2. Select Answer on iPhone. This puts the caller on a brief hold.
  3. Pick up your iPhone and accept the call

If the call won’t transfer, check that Handoff is enabled on your Apple Watch.

  • Open the Watch App on your iPhone > General > Handoff.
  • Toggle the feature off and on again to re-sync.
Dennis Sellers
the authorDennis Sellers
Dennis Sellers is the editor/publisher of Apple World Today. He’s been an “Apple journalist” since 1995 (starting with the first big Apple news site, MacCentral). He loves to read, run, play sports, and watch movies.

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