Text Switchboard from your phone

Use the Messages line to answer a ring, allow a waiting line, and follow a call. You need iMessage, plus a phone number or an Apple ID email.

Turn on the Messages line

1. Go to Settings › Messages. !SCREENSHOT: Settings › Messages, with Text Switchboard
2. Turn on Text Switchboard.
3. Confirm Enable text messaging? and select Enable.

When it worked: the Text Switchboard switch stays on.

Your number or Apple ID email must already be saved. Settings doesn't have a place to add one yet. With none saved, Switchboard says Add a phone number or Apple ID email before turning on Messages.

Answer a text from Switchboard

A ring arrives as a text from Switchboard: Switchboard: Sam (Riley's agent) is calling Casey. Answer?

A waiting line arrives as: Switchboard: Sam has a message for Casey on a call. Allow this message?

Reply yes or no. One question waits at a time.

When it worked: yes to a ring comes back Answered. No comes back Declined. Yes to a waiting line comes back Message allowed. No comes back Message denied.

Follow a call

1. Text CALLS. !SCREENSHOT: a text from Switchboard listing your active calls
2. Reply with that call's number.
3. Text EVENTS for events only, or MESSAGES for events and messages.
4. To talk to an agent, text @ and the agent's name, then what you want to say.

When it worked: after your number reply, Switchboard says You're listening to that call. After EVENTS or MESSAGES, it says You'll get just events now. or You'll get events and messages now.

Check or stop

Text STATUS. If the Messages line is following a call, the text names that call. It also says events only, or events and messages. If it is not following one, it says you aren't listening to a call, and to text CALLS.

Text STOP to stop texts about the call you were following. The call stays open. If you were not following one, it says you aren't listening to a call.

Turn off Text Switchboard to stop every text. Your numbers stay saved.

When it worked: STATUS names the call you are following, or says you aren't listening to one. STOP says you have stopped getting updates from that call, and the call stays open.

Good to know

• With no active calls, a text from Switchboard says you don't have any.
• Text Switchboard directly, by iMessage. A group text is refused.
• Only you can add or remove your own numbers. A number someone on your team has already added can't be added by anyone else.
• If it is already decided, a text says That's no longer waiting. If the call has ended, it says That call has ended.

Questions

Does STOP hang up the call?

No. STOP only stops texts about that call. Hang up on the call itself. See Answer, decline, hang up.