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Apple Is Finally Bringing the Phone App to Mac. Here's What That Means for You

Apple is bringing all of the traditional phone features that are available on your iPhone to your Mac screen.

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Headshot of Macy Meyer
Macy Meyer Writer II
Macy is a writer on the AI Team. She covers how AI is changing daily life and how to make the most of it. This includes writing about consumer AI products and their real-world impact, from breakthrough tools reshaping daily life to the intimate ways people interact with AI technology day-to-day. Macy is a North Carolina native who graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a BA in English and a second BA in Journalism. You can reach her at mmeyer@cnet.com.
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Macy Meyer
2 min read
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With the new Phone app for Mac, users will be able to make and receive calls, access iPhone contacts and take advantage of new iOS 26 features.

Apple/Screenshot by Joe Maldonado/CNET

For the first time ever, you'll be able to make and take phone calls directly on your Mac computer. No iPhone pickup required.

During its WWDC 2025 keynote, Apple announced that the Phone app is officially coming to Mac as part of a broader push to deepen Continuity between its devices. The new desktop version of the Phone app will debut alongside iOS 26 and MacOS Tahoe 26 later this year, giving Mac users full access to calling features previously limited to the iPhone.

Watch this: WWDC 2025: Everything Revealed in 10 Minutes

With the new Phone app for Mac, users will be able to make and receive calls, access their iPhone contacts and even take advantage of new iOS 26 features, including Hold Assist (which waits on hold for you) and Live Translations (which provides real-time subtitles during a conversation). 

Read also: iPhone's Phone App Is Getting a Major Upgrade, Including a Smarter Way to Wait on Hold

Incoming calls will appear right on your Mac screen, complete with full-size contact photos, so you'll know exactly who's reaching out.

This addition is part of Apple's larger goal to make the boundaries between devices feel invisible. The Phone app on Mac strengthens the Continuity experience, which already lets users hand off emails, messages and browsing between Apple devices. Now, the phone in your pocket becomes accessible on your desktop.

The integration doesn't stop there: Apple is also adding support for Live Activities on Mac. If you start something like a food delivery or ride-share on your iPhone, you'll now be able to track it from your Mac's menu bar, too. Click to expand, and your entire iPhone screen can be mirrored and controlled from the desktop.

These updates underscore Apple's ambition to unify its ecosystem even further and make the Mac a more powerful companion to the iPhone than ever before.