The Phone App i.e. the app which one uses to make calls in Windows 10 Mobile & also manage two SIMs, has some new features which I think you will really appreciate. The changes are small, basic and was much-needed by any who uses it. T9 Search is one such example which was not available in Windows Phone 8.1. Check out the video demo below, followed by walkthrough of on how to use Phone App & Dual SIM Features in Windows 10 Mobile.
Video Demo:
Club Phone Call Apps into One
Most of the Windows 10 Mobile device will be dual SIM, and DUAL SIM functionality built into its core, the OS just like its earlier version lets you have two tiles, one for each sim. Since this can be confusing, and keeps you off from using the Dual SIM feature, the first step you need to do is club both of them.
- Open Any of the Phone Tiles.
- Tap on the Menu bar and select Link Tiles.
The result of this will merge call history. Each of the entries in the call history i.e. call received and made will have an identifier which will tell you which SIM was used for it.
Name Your SIM
Chances are that you will have SIM from two different telecom. While this is enough to identify, chances are that you can have one SIM for work, while other could be for personal usage. So how do you mark them clearly ? Follow the steps below:
- Settings > Search for “Mobile & SIM” > Tap to Open and select SIM Settings. It will be in form of a link. Open it.
- Here you can name your SIM
- Go back, scroll a little and repeat for the second SIM as well.
Now go back to dialler and on top left, right under the header you will see a drop down which says “Call using”. You can choose which SIM to make the call.
No Option to Set Default SIM for Calling
So which is the default calling SIM? Sadly Windows 10 Mobile doesnt give an option to set a universal option. In here, the one you use last becomes the default calling SIM. This is one thing I really liked about Windows Phone 8.1. It used to remember which SIM was use to dial which number. So if I am calling a friend of mine, and always used the personal SIM, it knew it.
In Windows 10 Mobile, if you are calling somebody from the Phone App Dialer, you will need to manually switch every-time you call from the dialer. However, you can change it on contact level and it works only if you initiate a call from contact book.
Set Default SIM for Data:
- Go to Settings > Search for “Mobile & SIM”
- Scroll to SIM which you want to use as default for data and select one from the drop drown.
- In the same place, Select SIM settings > Mobile Network and choose Highest Connection Speed.
Deactivate SIM:
If you want to go offline on any of the SIMs, but keep the other one going, you can deactivate any or both of the SIM. Go to Settings > Network and Wireless > Mobile and SIM. Look for a toggle button next to SIM listing to deactivate it.
Caller ID Integration:
A third-party app can hook to your Phone App delivering information about incoming call. This no more depend on any firmware. While I haven’t tried this on any of the NON Lumia phones, but this is how it is set up in Windows 10 Mobile.
- First Install Trucaller. It will prompt you to enable the caller id feature automatically. In case you cannot see. Do this.
- Go to Settings > Phone and look for a link which says “Choose Apps”. When you do that it takes you to Default Apps section where you can “select an app you want to use for caller id”.
- Select Truecaller.
- Next time you will get a call, a line identify the caller name will show up.
- This also integrates in the call history. You will have the name marked by TrueCaller even if its not in your contact book.
T9 Search aka Search By Number:
This also made it through, but right now limited on the dial pad. So as you type the number it matches with recent calls, history and contact book. Next, tap and make a call.
Block Calls:
This is another feature that does not need any firmware. This works on any device which has Windows 10 Mobile. On the dialer, long press on any number, and select block. This will automatically reject any call which comes from that number.
- Go to Settings > Phone > Choose Apps
- Under Calling + Messaging, select Block and Filter
- This enables Block Contact option.
Now go to the Phone Dialer and long press on any of the number you want to block by selecting “Block Number”. It will launch the Block & Filter app, and you will need to confirm to add it to the list. The same can be done for SMS / Text messages as well. If you wish to un-block a blocked number, you need to long press and unblock.
You an go back to Block and Filter settings by pressing on the menu bar and select Blocked Calls. In the messaging app, it appears as Blocked Messages. To manage the complete list, once you are there, just tap on the hamburger menu and select Block List.
Under Settings of this particular section, you can choose to Block Calls with no caller id and enable notifications for blocked messages and numbers.
Smart Dual SIM:
Available under Network (Smart Dual SIM and Call Settings) allows you to make sure you don’t miss a call. Type Network+ in Settings search and tap when it appears in the list. Next tap on Set to open the settings and turn it on.
The basic idea is that you need to input SIM number and then it can redirect call from one to another depending on the conditions which you had predefined. You can redirect all calls or only when its waiting and so on.
Record Calls:
You can also record calls in Windows 10 Mobile if you pre-configure it. Check out more details here.