Cenaly Phone: calls from tel: links

On websites, in emails, messengers and notes a phone number is often a link — tel:+995555123456. Usually tapping it opens the regular phone app, and the call goes out from your personal SIM card. This article explains how to make Cenaly Phone open such links — so the call goes out from your work number.

Which version you need#

You need to be signed in to Cenaly Phone with a staff account that has a work number (extension) — as for any call from the app. Only the person can choose Cenaly Phone for links on their own device: a manager can't turn it on for them.

How it works#

One rule on every device: Cenaly Phone never calls on its own from a link.

1. You tap a number link.
2. Cenaly Phone opens on the Dial tab with the number from the link already in the field, and under it the line “Number from a link — check it and tap Call”.
3. You check the number (you can edit it: add the country code, remove extra characters) and tap Call yourself.

This is how tel:, callto:, sip: and sips: links work. If the link has no number, an empty Dial opens with the hint “The link has no phone number”. If you are not signed in yet, the number waits and appears in Dial after you sign in.

You can see which app opens links right now in the app itself: ⚙ Settings → tel: links. It shows one of these states:

“Open settings” takes you to the right place in the system, “How to turn on” shows short instructions for your device.

Android#

You don't need to change the default “dialer” app on Android: Cenaly Phone takes only links.

How to turn on:

1. Tap any tel: link — for example, a number on a website in Chrome.
2. Android shows the “Open with” window: “Phone” and Cenaly Phone.
3. Choose Cenaly Phone and tap “Always”. (“Just once” opens Cenaly Phone once, and the system asks again next time.)

From then on all tel: links open in Cenaly Phone without a question. This works in Chrome, Samsung Internet, email, messengers — any app that opens a number as a link. sip: and callto: links open in Cenaly Phone right away: phones usually have no other apps for them.

If there is no choice window and a link opens “Phone” right away, another app was set to “Always” for links earlier. Clear its choice: Android Settings → Apps → “Phone” (or whichever app opens links) → “Open by default” → “Clear defaults” (on some phones — “Remove defaults”). The “Open settings” button in the “tel: links” item opens exactly this page.

How to go back: Android Settings → Apps → Cenaly Phone → “Open by default” → “Clear defaults”. Next time the system asks again which app should open the link.

Calls that start with a call button in the system apps rather than from a link still go out from the SIM card through the regular phone: Cenaly Phone doesn't replace the system dialer and doesn't offer itself for them.

iPhone#

Apple lets you choose your own calling app starting with iOS 18.2.

How to turn on (iOS 18.2 and later):

1. Open the iPhone's Settings → Apps → Default Apps → Calling.
2. Choose Cenaly Phone.

On iOS 18.3 and later the “Open settings” button in the “tel: links” item opens Default Apps directly; on iOS 18.2 it opens the iPhone's Settings, and the path is the same from there. After your first sign-in, Home shows the card “Open tel: links in Cenaly Phone?” once — you can close it with “Not now”, and it won't come back.

After that, a number in Safari, Notes, an email or a contact card opens in Cenaly Phone's Dial. On iOS 18.2 and later a call through Siri also opens Dial with the number instead of calling right away. A call back from the iPhone's Recents for a call made through Cenaly Phone starts right away, as before.

How to go back: the same place, Default Apps → Calling → Phone.

iOS earlier than 18.2. Cenaly Phone can't become the app for tel: links — the iPhone's Phone app always opens them. sip:, sips: and callto: links open in Cenaly Phone on any iOS version. The “tel: links” item shows “Not available on this system version”.

When Cenaly Phone needs to hand a call to the regular phone (an emergency number, the “Open regular phone” button without internet), it opens the iPhone's Phone app itself — the call can't loop back into Cenaly Phone.

Windows#

How to turn on:

1. In Cenaly Phone open ⚙ Settings → tel: links → Open settings. The Cenaly Phone page opens in Settings → Apps → Default apps (on Windows 10 — the general list of default apps; find Cenaly Phone in it).
2. Next to TEL choose Cenaly Phone. Optionally — the same for CALLTO, SIP and SIPS.

There is an easier way too: tap a tel: link in the browser — Windows asks which app should open it; choose Cenaly Phone. sip: and callto: links open in Cenaly Phone right away if there are no other apps for them. After your first sign-in, Home shows the card “Open tel: links in Cenaly Phone?” once.

A link opens the Cenaly Phone window on Dial with the number, even if the app was minimized to the notification area or closed. If a call is in progress at that moment, it isn't interrupted.

How to go back: Settings → Apps → Default apps → find TEL (search by link type) and choose another app, for example “Phone Link”.

Emergency numbers on a computer. Cenaly Phone for Windows doesn't dial emergency numbers at all — neither from a link nor by hand. Instead of a call it shows the window “An emergency call can't be made from a computer — call from a mobile phone”. If Phone Link is set up on the computer, the window has a “Call via phone” button — the number goes to your smartphone.

The web phone in Chrome and Edge#

The admin panel's web phone installed as a separate “Phone” app (the “Install as app” button in the phone panel header) can also take tel: and sip: links.

How to turn on:

1. Open the “Phone” window → settings → the “tel: links” item → “How to turn on”.
2. The browser asks whether this site may open tel: links — allow it.

If the “Phone” app is installed, Chrome and Edge ask by themselves on the first tap on a tel: link. A link goes to the “Phone” window that is already open, not to a second one: a call in it isn't dropped. The number goes into Dial with the same “Number from a link…” line. If the phone isn't turned on in this browser yet, the number is shown above the “Turn on” button and waits in Dial.

The browser doesn't tell the site whether it allowed links, so after you tap it the “How to turn on” button just goes grey and the item's label doesn't change — check by tapping any tel: link. Opening links isn't available in Safari.

How to go back: in Chrome — chrome://settings/handlers, in Edge — edge://settings/content/handlers: remove the admin panel site from the tel: handlers.

The web phone doesn't put an emergency number from a link into Dial: instead it shows the window “An emergency call can't be made from a computer — call from a mobile phone”.

The browser extension#

In the Cenaly Phone extension the main way is the “Call” icon next to a number on allowed websites. Taking over the tap on a tel: link itself is a separate option, off by default:

• The extension's Settings → “Calls from websites” → “Open tel: links in Cenaly Phone”.
• It works only on websites where you allowed the icons, and only while you are signed in to the extension.
• Tapping a link opens the question “Call this number?” in the extension window — the call starts only after “Call”; “Edit” moves the number to Dial.
• Short and emergency numbers, clicks with Ctrl/⌘/Shift and the middle button open as usual — the extension doesn't touch them.
• The extension doesn't take over sip: and callto: links.
• If Cenaly Phone for Windows is installed on the computer, leave the option off — it will open tel: links.
• Pages that are already open pick up the option after reloading.

Emergency numbers#

Emergency numbers (112, 911, 999 and local emergency numbers) are never dialed by Cenaly Phone through the business phone system, wherever the link came from:

On a phone, Cenaly Phone always hands the number to the system Phone app itself instead of opening a tel: link again — so an emergency call can't loop back into Cenaly Phone. On a tablet without a system Phone app, Cenaly Phone shows the hint “Cenaly Phone does not dial emergency numbers — your regular phone does.”

Calls from Business and CRM#

A call that another Cenaly app asks for (Business, CRM, a customer or order card) works as before: Cenaly Phone asks “Call via Cenaly Phone?” and shows which app asked to make the call. Dial is only for links from websites, emails and messages. More — “Cenaly Phone: dialing, calls and call log”.

Troubleshooting#

FAQ#

Why doesn't Cenaly Phone call right away, like the regular phone?#

A number on a page can be someone else's, outdated or without a country code, and the call goes out from the business's work number. So the number is shown in Dial first, and you start the call.

Can Cenaly Phone become the default Android dialer, so the button in Contacts calls through it too?#

No. Cenaly Phone takes links but doesn't replace the system Phone app: regular SIM calls stay with it.

What happens to links if I sign out of Cenaly Phone?#

Links keep opening Cenaly Phone — it shows sign-in, and the number appears in Dial after you sign in. If you no longer need Cenaly Phone for links, switch back to the previous app (sections above).

Can a manager turn this on for all staff at once?#

No. Only the person can choose the app for links on their own device — that's how Android, iOS and Windows work.

Related articles#

• Cenaly Phone: dialing, calls and call log
• Cenaly Phone: several places, auto-answer, sign-out and password
• Cenaly Phone for iPhone: getting started
• Cenaly Phone: view and settings
• Telephony: your own PBX