How to Dial an Extension on Any Device? Phone extensions offer extended directory options for situations where using the regular phone system is impractical, such as an office building where potentially hundreds of individual phones are used.

Traditional phone extensions are dialed by dialing the service’s main number. You must wait for an operator or automated system to ask for the extension number you are trying to reach. Landlines use only this method, but smartphones have other tricks for expediting calls to extensions.

iPhones

For iPhones, enter the main number or building number, then press and hold the ***** key until a comma appears in the number. Enter the extension and send the call.

Android Phones

Android phones support extended numbers in two ways: by using the + symbol on the number pad when dialing a number that isn’t in your contacts, or by entering + when adding a new contact.

To add an extension when dialing, after dialing the main number, press and hold the 0 buttons until a + is added to the number. Then enter the extension number. When adding a new contact, follow the same steps when entering a number with an extension.

Windows Phones

Windows phones do not have an option to add an extension when entering a number to call, but you can add an extension to the number in contact. First, open your text or email app. Type the main phone number, followed by w, for the extension immediately after the main number. Alternatively, pause for three seconds before dialing the extension number.

Drag the circles at each end of the number to highlight the entire number, then tap Copy. Go to the Start menu and tap People, then select Contacts and click New +. Paste the number into the Mobile field. You may need to swipe to the text suggestions menu to find the Paste option. Call the number on the contact card.

Two Extension-Adding Methods

You can add extension numbers to contacts in two ways. If you can enter the extension as soon as the call is answered, you can use the Pause method. Use the Wait method if you need to wait for an automated message to finish.

Once you become familiar with a contact’s business phone system, you’ll know how to add the extension.

Use the Pause Method

Use the Pause method to add extension numbers to a contact’s phone number when the extension number can be entered as soon as the call is answered.

To add an extension number to a contact’s phone number, use the Pause method:

• Find the contact whose extension you’d like to add in the Contacts app on your Android phone. You can access the contacts list from the phone dialer.
• Tap the person’s name. The contact information appears in the Phone app. In the Contacts app, the contact information appears.
• Tap the Pencil icon.
• Put the cursor at the end of the phone number and tap the phone number field. The on-screen keyboard appears.
• Add a comma to the right of the phone number.

The comma may be replaced by a Pause button on some devices. Other devices may have both.

• Without leaving a space after the comma (or pause), type the extension number for the contact. If the number is 01234555999 and the extension number is 255, the complete number is 01234555999,255.
• Save the contact information.
• Next time you call that contact, their extension number will be automatically dialed when the call is answered.

Troubleshoot the Pause Method

When using the Pause method, you may find that the extension dials too quickly, meaning the automatic phone system does not detect the extension. When automated phone systems are used, the call is usually answered almost immediately. Occasionally, however, the phone may ring once or twice before the automated system picks up.

In this case, insert more than one comma between the phone number and the extension number. A comma adds a two-second pause before dialing the extension number.

Use the Wait Method

Add an extension to a contact’s phone number using the Wait method if the extension number cannot be entered until the end of the automated message.

• Tap the contact whose extension you want to add in the Contacts app on your Android phone. The contacts list can be accessed from the Phone app.
• Tap the Pencil icon.
• Place the cursor at the end of the phone number once you have selected the phone number field.
• Insert a single semicolon to the right of the phone number using the Android keyboard.

Instead of a semicolon, some keyboards have a Wait button. Some have both.

• Type the extension number for the contact without leaving a space after the semicolon. If the number is 01234333666 and the extension number is 288, the full number is 01234333666; 288.
• Save the contact.
• Using the Wait method, a notice appears on the screen when the automated message is finished. To proceed or to cancel the call, you must dial the extension number.

FAQs

Q: On a dialpad, how do you dial an extension?

A: From Dialpad.com, navigate to Admin Settings > Office > Users. Choose Options > Calling > Add Extension for the appropriate team member. Type in a five-digit extension and click Save.

Q: How do phone numbers work with extensions?

A: Extensions are basically numbers that are added to your business number. Generally, extensions tend to be four-digit numbers. Extensions can be made up of different digits in MightyCall, so if you want someone to have extension 2, 11, or 942, that’s possible.

Q: What does a phone extension look like?

A: This technology allows people to assign extension codes to their phone numbers. So, if my mobile phone number is 801-555-9864, I can create an extension code 964 and list it in my company directory (as “801-555-9864 extension 964” or simply “801-555-9864-964”).