Make calls from a Mac with an Android phone: what actually works

There is no built-in way to place a call from a Mac through an Android phone. Apple's calling feature on macOS needs an iPhone, and Google documents nothing like it for a MacBook. What you can do is call from the Mac with a service that has its own number or its own network: Google Voice in a browser, or WhatsApp's Mac app. AirDroid says its desktop client places calls through the phone. The Relay handles incoming calls only and does not place calls.

Publisher note: The Relay publishes this guide and is one of the products discussed. Details about other products come from each maker's own pages, checked on 1 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.

Why can a Mac not dial through an Android phone?

Because the Mac's dialling feature is built around an iPhone. Apple's page Make and receive phone calls on Mac, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro opens with "If you have an iPhone", and its setup list requires that the Mac "is signed in with the same Apple Account used by your iPhone". With that in place, Apple says you can make a call using the Phone app (in macOS Tahoe 26 or later), using FaceTime, or "by clicking or Control-clicking a phone number where it appears in many apps, such as Contacts, Calendar, Messages, and Safari".

None of that has a slot for a Galaxy or a Pixel. If you click a phone number on a Mac that has no iPhone behind it, there is nothing for the Mac to dial with. The incoming side of the same gap is covered in Android calls on a Mac, and the wider question in calling from a Mac without an iPhone.

What are the documented ways to call from the Mac?

Google Voice: a real phone number in a browser tab

Google's Voice help says the service "gives you a phone number for calls, texts, and voicemails", and that you can use it "to make domestic and international calls from your web browser and mobile devices". It lists macOS as a supported system and Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari as supported browsers.

To place a call, Google's steps are:

1. Go to voice.google.com and sign in.
2. In the Calls tab, point to a person in your recent calls and click Call, or use the keypad to dial a number that is not saved.
3. Check the Call as field at the top right. Google says it shows your Google Voice number.

Three limits matter.

• It is a different number. The call goes out from the Google Voice number, not from the SIM in your phone.
• Availability. Google's page on subscription types says the single-user plans, including the no-charge one, "are only available in the US". Other plans are sold as an add-on to a paid Google Workspace subscription. If you are outside the US, check that page before you plan around it.
• No emergency calls. Google states "You can't make emergency calls with Google Voice."

On cost, Google says that when you call from the US, "almost all Google Voice calls to the US and Canada are free", and that calls outside the US are charged at listed rates.

WhatsApp: calls inside the app

WhatsApp's calling page says you can "make calls from your iOS, Android, Mac, iPad, and Windows devices", and "right from your web browser". It describes the calls as free, with a footnote that data charges may apply, and end-to-end encrypted. These are internet calls to other people on WhatsApp. They do not reach a landline or use your mobile number. Setup is in WhatsApp from an Android phone on a Mac.

AirDroid: its own description

AirDroid Personal says it "makes phone calls from PC and manage them with ease", and lists a desktop client for macOS 10.11 and higher. Its pricing page lists "Calling Management (Android)" in its feature table and a paid plan at $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year, as of 1 October 2026. Read the table to see which plan includes calling. The product page does not say which device carries the sound of the call, so test that before paying.

Hand the number to the phone

Often the real task is smaller. You have a number on the Mac's screen and you want the phone to dial it.

• Send the page. Chrome's Send to your devices opens the tab on your phone when both are signed in to the same Google Account. Google's Phone app help says that in Chrome on the phone you can tap an underlined phone number "to copy the number to your keypad".
• Send the number. With a shared clipboard, copy the number on the Mac and paste it into the phone's dialler.

The call is then an ordinary call from your mobile number, on the phone.

What does The Relay do about calls?

The Relay does not place calls from the Mac. Its calls feature is for the other direction: an incoming call on the phone shows on the Mac, where you can accept or decline it.

It can help with the handover above. Its clipboard syncs both ways, so a number copied on the Mac can be pasted on the phone, and its link handoff opens a page from the Mac on the phone. It costs $19.99, paid once, from the download page, and both devices need to be on the same network or within Bluetooth range. If outgoing calls from the keyboard are the whole point, one of the options above is the right tool, not this one.

Which should I pick?

How do I test a calling setup in five minutes?

Call a second phone you can see and note which number appears on its screen. Speak, and note which microphone the other person hears and which speaker you hear them on. Then lock the Android phone and try again.

Questions people ask

Can I use FaceTime on a Mac to call a phone number without an iPhone?

Not a mobile or landline number. Apple's instructions for phone calls on a Mac require an iPhone signed in to the same Apple Account, on the same network.

Does Google Voice call from my mobile number?

No. Google says the service gives you a phone number, and the Call as field shows that Google Voice number.

Is it different on a Samsung Galaxy or a Pixel?

No. Neither Apple nor Google documents a way for any Android phone to place calls for a Mac, so the options are the same for every brand.