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How to make a conference call on your Android phone

android conference calling

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Conference calls are the staple of any team, remote or on-site. They’re quick and convenient for everyone involved, especially when there isn’t any screen sharing involved (and you don’t have the time to set up an elaborate video meeting). 

There are tons of ways to set up conference calling, including using dial-ins from a landline. You probably already know about the dozens of conference call services out there, or already use the in-built conference calling feature in your uber-versatile mobile device. But that method has its limitations—we’ll go into that later. There’s a better way, and that’s the RingCentral app.


🎧  Are you set up with the right headset for your next conference call? What should you look out for when shopping for a new conference call headset?

👀   Get this free checklist to evaluate if your current conference call headset is working for you.

Enjoy!


In this article, we’ll cover a few options for making a conference call on an Android device. Skip ahead if you’re interested in a certain section:

  1. Another option for making conference calls on Android
  2. How to make a conference call on Android using the RingCentral app
  3. How to make a conference call with your Android phone

But first…

Remote Readiness CTA


A better way to make conference calls on Android

Before we get into the steps to make a conference call on an Android device, you can use your Android’s built-in features, but there’s an even better solution if you’re running a business. It’s a mobile app—or more specifically, the RingCentral app.

The RingCentral app is built for making life easier at work, and the conference calling tool comes packed with team collaboration features that are designed to make your conference calls and phone calls more productive. All you need is a RingCentral Office subscription, which starts at $19.99 per month.

Once you have that, you’re good to go—no need for team members to dial in, just download the desktop and mobile app to make a phone call, send a message, host an online meeting—or set up video conferencing—in real time.

Plus:

  1. You can make free conference calls. You don’t have to pay your mobile service provider’s charges for local or international calls since your RingCentral Office subscription covers all your conference calling charges. (Being able to make a free conference call is a biggie if you have remote teammates or clients in other countries.)
  2. Other than just audio or teleconferencing, the RingCentral app also lets you do video conferencing, team messaging, screen sharing, and more—all from the same app.

     

  3. Instead of having to dial in participants one by one, you can provide a single conference bridge phone number or send out a link and an access code through email or text using your dialpad. This saves tons of time.
  4. You can enable teleconferencing for up to 1,000 attendees using their IP desk phones (and speakerphones) while in the office, or the RingCentral desktop app on their computer, or even the RingCentral mobile app while on the go. Yep, you’ve got options.

And more… 


🕹️ Get a hands-on look at how RingCentral works by booking a product tour:

💰 You can also use this calculator to see roughly how much your business could save by using RingCentral to support your team’s communication with each other—and clients.


 


How to make a conference call on Android using the RingCentral app

Here’s how to make a conference call on your Android phone via RingCentral:

  1. Download the RingCentral app
  2. Choose your contacts
  3. Start the call

Step 1: Download the RingCentral app from the Google Play Store.

Here’s the link. Once it’s downloaded, create a new account or sign in if you already have an account.

ringcentral android app

Step 2: Choose a few contacts from your directory to start a conference call with.

Method 1: Choose a few contacts from your directory to start a conference call with.

Directory of contacts in RingCentral Android app

3. Start the call

Just tap the + icon and you should see a “New Conference” option. That’s it! You can add contacts to a conference call from there.

Method 2: You can also turn a regular call into a conference call by tapping “Add” to include more contacts.

Conference call with 1 contact in RingCentral Android app

There are other useful features too if you tap “More”—you can put someone on hold, transfer them, switch to using your carrier’s network instead of using Wi-Fi, even record your call:

more conference call options in ringcentral android app

That’s it! Just choose someone to add to your conference call.

Active call - Conference Call

💡 Pro-tip: 

Need to share your screen? Just flip it to a video call. You’ll notice that there’s a Video button on your calling interface—just tap the icon to switch your voice-only conference call to a video conference call.

Method 3: Send out the invites to your attendees!

Send the conference invitation to your participants via text or email. RingCentral integrates with both Google Calendar and Outlook to create meeting links automatically in the invites:

conference call meeting invite in ringcentral's google calendar integration

 


How do I make a conference call on an Android phone?

Most (if not all) Android phones have a built-in conference calling feature that you can set up from your call screen. You call up the first person and then merge calls one by one using the other conference attendees’ phone numbers.

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial to show you how you can go about doing this. 

  1. Call the first person for your conference
  2. Tap the “add call” button
  3. Add more guests
  4. Tap the “merge” button
  5. Repeat the above steps to add more callers
💡 Pro-tip: 

Before you begin, you’ll want to make sure you have all the attendees of the conference call added to your contact list.

Step 1: Call up the first person you want to include in your conference.

making a conference call step 1

Step 2: Once the call connects, tap the “Add call” button.

The screen will open up to your contacts list. Any member of the two-way call can use the “Add call” button to do this:

making a conference call step 2

Step 3: Find the next person you wish to add to your call and select their contact number.

Once the call connects, you’ll be able to speak with them without the first caller hearing you:

making a conference call step 3 - adding second person

Step 4: Tap the “Merge” button.

Once you’ve enabled this feature, all three of you will be able to hear and speak with one another:

making a conference call step 4 - merge call

Step 5: To add more people, repeat the preceding steps.

Again, any one of the three callers can do this.

End call and hang up by pressing the red phone icon as you normally would.

Phew, that can be a lot of steps!

Now, this method, while convenient, has its limitations. For instance, the steps involved can be quite tedious when you’re trying to conference more than four people or trying to include people in other countries. Also, the cost of making international or out-of-state calls can sometimes be quite high.

Conference calling from your Android phone has never been easier

Staying in touch with your team is an essential part of remote working, whether you’re working with Android, Samsung, or iPhone and other iOS mobile devices. The quality of your communications has a huge impact on the quality of your team and the work they do. 

So, when the tedious parts of setting up online meetings, video calls, and conference calls (for example tiresome dial-ins from landlines) are out of the picture, and your team follows proper meeting etiquette, what you’re left with is butter-smooth collaboration. And that’s what RingCentral was made for. 😉

Originally published Feb 02, 2022, updated Oct 19, 2023

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