You’re sitting in a coffee shop or maybe waiting for your flight at the airport when you realize your iPhone is about to die and there’s no way to plug it in. If you hadn’t done that, the situation wouldn’t have been so bad. You need to call someone, but chances are you really need to call. Fortunately, your iPad can save the day. While an iPad can’t emulate every aspect of an iPhone, at least you can handle it.
If your iPhone is about to run out of water or you accidentally left it at home, your iPad can come to the rescue and take over at least some of the tasks (why forget your iPhone, but why bring your iPad is beyond us). Here are some ways your iPad can act as a kind of secondary phone, with the help of both built-in apps and third-party options.
Get WiFi + Cellular iPad Model
If possible, make sure the iPad you have is a WiFi + Cellular model. In other words, get an iPad that also supports a data connection like LTE or even just 3G. This allows you to make phone calls on your iPad from almost anywhere, provided the iPad has a cellular signal.
If you have a WiFi-only model, you’ll be stuck on WiFi-only networks, which can severely limit where you can make phone calls; You’ll have to make an effort to find a WiFi signal at a coffee shop, airport, or public library. Granted, free WiFi isn’t all that hard to find, and most places have it, but you’d be surprised how many places don’t have WiFi.
Cellular-equipped iPad, new from Apple, starting at $429 16GB 1st generation iPad mini, but buying refurbished from Apple is probably better, as it’s almost the same as buying new with a few minor exceptions. Refurbished iPad minis with cellular start at just $359.
Leverage FaceTime Audio
If you’ve ever used FaceTime, you know how great it can be to chat with friends and family, but FaceTime has a feature where you can only use audio during a call to save bandwidth and avoid any data lapses (if you’re not on WiFi, that is) .
We have a nifty how-to feature that guides you through the process of making a FaceTime Audio call. The nice thing about FaceTime Audio is that it offers much better sound quality compared to traditional cell phone calling. If you’re having trouble understanding someone while chatting on the phone, it’s probably because phone calls from cellular towers aren’t all that good. FaceTime Audio calls use a WiFi or 3G/4G data connection, offering much higher throughput for data and therefore better sound quality.
Download Video and Voice Calling Applications
You don’t have to be caged to FaceTime Audio alone, though. The iTunes App Store has a bunch of search apps that let you search for people over a WiFi or data connection. Of course, the iPad won’t offer an entirely iPhone-like experience as it doesn’t have any cellular radio in it, but at least you can call other people and receive calls from people with your username or phone number for various apps. .
It’s a popular option and a lot of people use it, so it’s a good practice to have on your iPad just for its popularity. You’ll be able to call phone numbers (including landlines) and friends and family can call you from your iPad if they know your Skype username (and use Skype themselves). You can also get a dedicated phone number from Skype for $5 a month; With this number you can send and receive calls from any of your iPad.
is another option, but we found it to be less useful on the iPad than on the iPhone. The service allows you to have your own phone number associated with any device with Google Voice installed on it. However, using the latest Google Hangouts update is a better option because it allows you to make calls directly from your iPad if you have a Google Voice number (but can’t get it).
Even if you don’t use Google Voice to make phone calls, you can use it to overhaul your voicemail.
use headphones
Do you hate when the person next to you is talking on their phone with the loudspeaker active? It may seem vulgar, frankly, but you’d be surprised how much. Don’t be that person and instead use Apple’s own EarPods or a separately purchased third-party headset.
With a headset, you can answer and hang up calls using the built-in microphone’s volume buttons and chat with friends and family without disturbing anyone else around you (or at least not having to hear the other party). You can always use the speaker, but in the end you’ll want something a little more useful.
