DockPhone Help

DockPhone lets you make calls right from your Mac via your iPhone's connection. Need email support? You're welcome to write us via:

Get Support via Email Help Overview

Troubleshooting

DockPhone has a few requirements in order to work. Make sure to meet the following requirements before going on:

• Supported devices

  DockPhone requires an iPhone with iOS 8 or later and an activated carrier plan. It works with any iOS device that supports at least iOS 8 and any Mac that supports Yosemite. If your iPhone supports it at all, Wifi calling must be disabled on your iPhone while using DockPhone.

• iCloud on both devices

  You need to have configured both your iPhone and your Mac where you are running DockPhone to use one and the same iCloud account. To configure your iCloud account go to the Settings on your iPhone, or the System Preferences on your Mac. Check the help section on Apple.com for further details.

• Are using an Ethernet cable to connect your Mac?New

  Unfortunately, it is possible that DockPhone does not work properly, if your Mac is connected to the internet via an Ethernet cable, or if your Mac is using both Wifi and an Ethernet cable to connect to the internet. Please make sure, that you are connecting your Mac via Wifi only. If an Ethernet connection is required in your situation, make sure that the iPhone and the Mac are on the same subnet. For more information on this issue, please visit the discussion on Apple Support Communities.

• FaceTime configured on your Mac

  You need to be logged in with your iCloud account in FaceTime on your Mac. To do this, open FaceTime on your Mac and log in. Next, you need to have iPhone Cellular Calls enabled in the FaceTime settings. In the menu, go to FaceTime: Preferences. Last but not least, you need to have set up FaceTime as the "default for calls" in the FaceTime settings.

  

  Note: If the "iPhone Cellular Calls" switch does not appear on your Mac, you probably are not logged in to iCloud on your Mac. Make sure to not only be logged in in the FaceTime settings, but also in the iCloud settings as well: Therefore, open the System Preferences > iCloud and provide your credentials to log in. Restart all related devices afterwards.

• FaceTime configured on your iPhone

  On your iPhone go to the Settings app and scroll down to "FaceTime". Here, make sure that a) iPhone Cellular Calls is enabled,
  b) The Apple ID you have entered is the same as in the FaceTime settings on your Mac. If it is not, tap the blue Apple ID and log in with the same Apple ID as on your Mac.

  

  Note: Some of our users, where making calls initially did not work, reported that it started to work after a) disabling and enabling again FaceTime on their iPhone, and b) logging out and in again with their Apple ID in the FaceTime settings on the iPhone. Both can be done by going to the Settings app and scrolling down to FaceTime.

• Allow Access to your Contacts

  Since DockPhone would like to look up phone numbers in your address book (Contacts app), it is required to allow access to your contacts. Don't worry, the app does NOT transfer any of your contacts to any servers. It's required for searching your contacts only. Once you have launched the app for the first time, it asks you to allow to access your contacts. If you have chosen No by mistake, DockPhone won't be able to show phone numbers of your contacts. To fix this, you can allow the access in the OS X System Preferences: Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Contacts and search for DockPhone. Make sure that the checkbox in front of the name is checked.

  
• For our more advanced usersNew

  One user who experienced a "Call failed" whenever he was trying to make a call, has been in contact with Apple Support. They could help him solving it, as he describes in Solve the iPhone “Call Failed” issue on OS X Yosemite. We are not responsible for any damage caused by the linked description, and you do it on your own risk. However, since the tip is coming from the Apple Support, it is probably safe to follow these steps.

Apple's Support Docs

Please check Apple's documentation on how to configure FaceTime on your iPhone and your Mac properly if you are having problems making calls: iOS and OS X: Link your phone number and Apple ID for use with FaceTime and iMessage.

Known Bugs

These are the currently known bugs of DockPhone:

• The VoiceDial function (dictation) is unreliable if Enhanced Dictation is enabled in the System Preferences. If you do not require Enhanced Dictation, you can temporarily switch it off until an update for DockPhone is ready.
• Umlauts and special chars need to be typed explicitly to look up contacts with these characters in their names.

“This beta version has expired”

We messed it up, and we are deeply sorry.

Please update to the latest version of DockPhone via the Updates page in the Mac App Store. The update not only fixes the Beta warning, but also adds several new features!

This is what happened: Before you release an application to the public on the Mac App Store, you usually test it with a smaller group of people who like testing so called 'beta' software before everyone else can get in touch with it. This phase is crucial for the quality of the application.

As the developer, you need to stay in control over the lifecycle of these beta versions of your application. One technique is to let the app expire after a certain period of time. So we kept improving DockPhone and added more features for the final release.

And then we forgot to remove the expiration mechanism.

This is probably the biggest of our failures ever. But we account for it and are here for help. This is our strategy:

• We have submitted an update to the Mac App Store on the 2nd January 2015. This update needs to be reviewed by the Mac App Store Review team. But it still hasn't yet.
• Thus, we submitted a request to review the update right now, since we have a very serious problem.
• We are still waiting for Apple to respond to our request and will update you here. [Update: DockPhone v1.1 has been reviewed and will be ready for you to download within the next few hours via the Mac App Store.]
• In the meantime, you can download DockPhone for free from our website, including new features.
• And as a redemption, you will receive a free copy of our popular app MyPhotostream if you send us an email.

Update to version 1.1 without re-buying the app

If the Mac App Store is showing this warning while trying to update to our latest version of DockPhone, this is how to download the update for free:
You either simply click Buy to start the download, or you head over to the Purchases section of the Mac App Store and search for the DockPhone item to re-download the app freshly from the Mac App Store. Your account will NOT be debited again for the download, since you have already bought it from the the Mac App Store before.

If the Mac App Store is showing this warning while trying to update to our latest version of DockPhone, simply follow the mentioned advice and remove all versions of DockPhone from your Mac. Therefore, search in Spotlight (Press CMD + ,) for "DockPhone". For each of the app search results, double-click the DockPhone list item on the list side while keeping pressed CMD on your keyboard. This will open up Finder with the location of that DockPhone app file, from where you can remove it by dragging it to your Trash. Empty your Trash (if it is safe to remove the contained files).

F.A.Q.

• How does it work?

  DockPhone makes use of OS X Yosemite's new Continuity features. OS X has a built in function to make calls directly but it is inconvenient to use. We have developed DockPhone to let you make calls from your Mac conveniently.

• None of my contacts show up while searching for them?

  Make sure that DockPhone is actually allowed to access your contacts. The app will ask you once you start if for the first time. Read above to learn how you can allow access to your contacts.
  If DockPhone still does not show up the contacts you are searching for, there can be two reasons:
  a) You have misspelled the name (note: You need to use special characters, such as 'é' instead of 'e', etc.), or
  b) you have no phone number stored in the contact you are looking for.

• Bad call quality

  If you or your conversation partner is / are experiencing muffled voices, or a bad sound quality in general, please check your microphone hardware. Some headsets are known to not work properly with OS X Yosemite. Update your drivers and get in contact with the vendor to get help.

• Skype / iSoftPhone / any other app opens when I click the call button!

  In that case, you have not configured FaceTime properly yet. Please open FaceTime on your Mac and go to the FaceTime settings by choosing FaceTime > Preferences in the main menu. There, make sure that "FaceTime" is selected as the "Default for calls" at the bottom of the Settings pane. See the screenshot for details.

• I want a dial pad!

  Instead of dialing the number you'd like to call via a dial pad, just type out the number on your computer's keyboard. If you need a dial pad for dial extensions during an ongoing call, simply press the numbers on your keyboard during an active call.

• Are the calls via DockPhone for free?

  Generally, no. Please don't think that. The calls will be initiated and transmitted via your normal iPhone cellular network. Your carrier may charge you for the call correspondingly.

Launch DockPhone Automatically

• Can I set up DockPhone to start automatically with my Mac?

  Sure! Open "System Preferences" and go "Users & Groups". Choose your user on the left side, and then "Login Items" on the right side. In the list, press the Plus (+) button on the bottom and choose the DockPhone app from your Applications.

Get in Contact

Get Support via Email

Press

• Can I get a promo code for reviewing purposes?

  Sure! Please get in contact with us via the links at the top of this page.