Ever picked up your iPhone to answer a call, only to have your iPad across the room start ringing simultaneously? Or perhaps you’ve been in a meeting, and your iPad suddenly blares an incoming call notification, disrupting your focus? This common scenario can be quite frustrating, but thankfully, it's easily remedied. This comprehensive guide will walk you through, step-by-step, how to disconnect your iPad from your iPhone calls, giving you back control over your incoming communications. Let's dive in and get your devices working the way you want them to!
Understanding Why Your iPad Rings When Your iPhone Does
Before we get to the solution, let's quickly understand why this is happening in the first place. Apple, in its quest for seamless integration, offers a feature called Continuity. One aspect of Continuity is "iPhone Cellular Calls," which allows you to make and receive calls on your iPad (and Mac, and Apple Watch) as long as they are connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone and signed into the same Apple ID. While incredibly convenient for some, it's not for everyone, and that's perfectly fine!
Step 1: Initiating the Disconnection - Let's Start with Your iPhone
Our journey to call independence begins on your iPhone, as it's the primary device handling your cellular calls.
Accessing the Call Forwarding Settings
- Grab your iPhone: Unlock it and head to your Home screen.
- Open the Settings app: This is the gray app with gears, usually found on your Home screen. Tap on it.
- Scroll down and tap on "Phone": You'll need to scroll a bit to find this option. It's typically grouped with other communication-related settings.
Locating "Calls on Other Devices"
Once you're in the "Phone" settings, you'll see a variety of options related to calls.
- Look for "Calls on Other Devices": This is the key setting we need to adjust. Tap on it.
Step 2: Disabling Calls on Your iPad
This is where you tell your iPhone to stop forwarding calls to your iPad.
Toggling Off for Specific Devices or All
- Turn off "Allow Calls on Other Devices": At the very top of this screen, you'll see a toggle switch labeled "Allow Calls on Other Devices." If this is on, it means your iPhone is set up to allow other devices to receive calls. To prevent your iPad from ringing, you can simply toggle this switch off.
- What this does: Turning this off will disable calls on all devices signed into your Apple ID. If you only want to stop calls on your iPad but keep them on, say, your Mac, then proceed to the next sub-step.
- Alternatively, selectively disable for your iPad: Below the "Allow Calls on Other Devices" toggle, you'll see a list of your devices that are eligible to receive calls (e.g., your iPad, Mac, etc.).
- Find your iPad in the list: You'll see its name (e.g., "John's iPad Pro").
- Toggle the switch next to your iPad's name to the OFF position: This will specifically prevent your iPad from receiving calls from your iPhone while keeping the feature active for other devices if you wish.
Step 3: Verifying the Disconnection on Your iPad (Optional, but Recommended)
While the previous steps on your iPhone are usually sufficient, it's always a good idea to quickly check your iPad to ensure the setting has been correctly applied.
Navigating iPad Settings
- Pick up your iPad: Unlock it and go to the Home screen.
- Open the Settings app: Just like on your iPhone, tap the gray gears icon.
- Scroll down and tap on "FaceTime": Yes, even though we're dealing with phone calls, the setting to disable them on your iPad is often found within the FaceTime settings on the iPad itself.
Turning Off iPhone Cellular Calls
- Look for "iPhone Cellular Calls": Within the FaceTime settings, you'll see a section labeled "iPhone Cellular Calls."
- Toggle the "iPhone Cellular Calls" switch to the OFF position: If it's still on, turn it off. This ensures your iPad is not actively trying to receive calls from your iPhone.
Step 4: A Quick Reboot (Recommended for Good Measure)
Sometimes, a quick refresh can help solidify the changes.
- Reboot your iPhone: Turn your iPhone off and then back on again.
- Reboot your iPad: Do the same for your iPad.
This step isn't always necessary, but it's a good practice to ensure all settings are fully updated and active.
Step 5: Testing Your Disconnection
Now for the moment of truth!
- Have someone call your iPhone: Ask a friend or family member to give your iPhone a call.
- Observe your devices: Your iPhone should ring as normal. Your iPad, however, should remain silent and not display any incoming call notifications.
If your iPad doesn't ring, congratulations! You have successfully disconnected your iPad from your iPhone calls.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- iPad still rings:
- Double-check the settings on your iPhone (Step 2): Ensure "Allow Calls on Other Devices" is off, or specifically toggle off your iPad in the list.
- Verify the FaceTime setting on your iPad (Step 3): Make sure "iPhone Cellular Calls" is switched off.
- Ensure both devices are signed into the same Apple ID: Continuity features rely on this.
- Check Wi-Fi connectivity: If your iPad is connected to a different Wi-Fi network than your iPhone, it shouldn't be receiving calls. However, if it is on the same network, the settings above are crucial.
- Can't find the "Phone" settings on iPhone: Make sure you're looking in the main "Settings" app, not within individual app settings.
- "Calls on Other Devices" is grayed out: This usually means "Wi-Fi Calling" is not enabled or provisioned by your carrier. While not directly related to disconnecting calls, it can impact how these features behave. However, for simply stopping your iPad from ringing, the steps above remain valid.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to stop my iPad from ringing when my iPhone gets a call?
Go to your iPhone's Settings > Phone > Calls on Other Devices and either turn off "Allow Calls on Other Devices" or toggle off your iPad in the list.
How to prevent my iPad from making calls through my iPhone?
Navigate to your iPhone's Settings > Phone > Calls on Other Devices and ensure the feature is disabled for your iPad.
How to turn off call forwarding from iPhone to iPad?
The "Calls on Other Devices" feature is not traditional call forwarding. To disable it, go to Settings > Phone > Calls on Other Devices on your iPhone and switch off the relevant toggle.
How to disconnect my iPad from my iPhone's cellular calls?
On your iPhone, open Settings, tap Phone, then tap Calls on Other Devices, and turn off the toggle for your iPad.
How to stop my iPad and iPhone from ringing at the same time?
Disable "Calls on Other Devices" on your iPhone. You'll find this under Settings > Phone.
How to manage which devices receive calls from my iPhone?
In your iPhone's Settings > Phone > Calls on Other Devices, you'll see a list of eligible devices. You can individually toggle them on or off.
How to disable Continuity calls on my iPad?
On your iPad, go to Settings > FaceTime and turn off the "iPhone Cellular Calls" option.
How to stop my Apple devices from ringing simultaneously?
The primary way is to go to your iPhone's Settings > Phone > Calls on Other Devices and disable the feature for the specific devices you want to silence.
How to remove my iPad from my iPhone's call sharing list?
On your iPhone, in Settings > Phone > Calls on Other Devices, simply toggle off the switch next to your iPad's name.
How to re-enable iPhone calls on my iPad later?
If you change your mind, simply reverse the steps: On your iPhone, go to Settings > Phone > Calls on Other Devices and toggle the switch for your iPad back on. You might also need to enable "iPhone Cellular Calls" in your iPad's Settings > FaceTime.
