How to make calls from the lockscreen without unlocking your mobile phone

Smartphones are our world with data that is more precious to us than anything else. So, imagine you have given your phone to a friend for making a call, but you don’t want to really unlock it. But, will your friend still be able to make that call? Turns out they can. Calling from the lockscreen without unlocking your phone is actually a feature on most (if not all) smartphones. Read on to know more about this process.

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Calling directly from the phone lockscreen

While calling directly from the lockscreen is possible (and helpful!), your device and its operating system will determine the process. Here’s how to use this feature on an iOS smartphone and an Android smartphone.

Apple iPhones

The first way is to do it on your iPhone is using Siri.

Wake up Apple’s smart assistant by saying ‘Hey Siri’, and then ask it to call one of your contacts or a phone number.  

The other way is to use the ‘Emergency’ option on the lockscreen. Tapping it opens an on-screen keyboard, which allows you to dial a number. The restriction with this option however, is that it is designed primarily to call emergency numbers.  

Android devices

Direct Dial widgets on some Android smartphones let you place calls right from the lock screen.  

1. Long-press on an empty area of your homescreen and choose “Widgets” or a comparable option to enable it. After finding it, drag the “Direct Dial” widget to the lockscreen. 

2. Tap the Direct Dial widget after it appears on your lockscreen to customise it. To link the gadget with a contact from your phone book, choose that person. 

3. Tap on the Direct Dial widget’s contact picture or name to call from the lock screen. This will avoid the requirement to unlock your device initially. 

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It’s important to remember that the availability and functionality of lockscreen calling may differ based on the manufacturer of your device and the operating system version. While a handy feature, we should advise some caution when using the above steps. It is after all a security concern, especially because someone could potentially get access to your phonebook and contact someone from your list.