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Is there a way to send your phone calls to your laptop? (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
34 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

New to Linux, I am on Ubuntu 24.04.

I am trying to have my phone calls go from my phone to my laptop. I did some online searching and found KDE connect. I can recieve and send texts on KDE connect but can't call

Am I doing something wrong or should I use something else?

Thanks for reading

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I don't think there is a way to forward cellular phone calls. You'd need a phone provider which provides that feature, like a Voice-over-IP provider. Or a SIM card in your computer. Plus the right phone contract.

Kdeconnect can forward a lot of other things though, like SMS, files...

I wish there was a way to hook into calls. But as far as I know they're deliberately keeping that closed.

EDIT: Actually, I've just tried Bluetooth (since someone suggested that) and that does just about that. I've used the standard Bluetooth pairing within the GNOME desktop, and now my Android phone lists the computer in the audio options of a call (where you can choose if it's phone, handsfree or via a bluetooth device... And I can click on my computer name there, and it'll then use the computer's mic and speakers.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

There must be a way to do it, cause it works flawlessly on my Mac.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

EDIT: See edit in my previous comment on how Bluetooth can do it. I believe that'd work with any device that can do bluetooth, including iPhones.

I suppose along an iPhone? I mean Apple does the whole ecosystem. And this isn't really a technical limitation. Most phones have the audio stream connected to the processor. Theoretically they could forward it, or record it. But on Android, the often don't seem to allow any of that, and Apple doesn't allow third parties (like a Linux computer) to access "their" interfaces, so I don't know if you can forward it to arbitrary computers either.

I mean there are solutions. Other people here outlined that. For example mimicking a bluetooth handset. You could solder a cable to attach to a computer's AUX input. Or use a landline or different service to manage the calls whithin a PBX. But none of that is very easy to set up or proper forwarding. Maybe the best bet would be bluetooth.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago

Yes kde connect is good I use it too

[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 days ago (1 children)

In theory you should at least be able to pair your phone to your laptop and use it like a Bluetooth headset

[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

I am doing this and it works quite well. My PC shows up as a headset on my phone and i connect to it as such. I dont have any custom software for it so its very basic and i still have to pick up the call through the phone, but once i pick up it uses the audio input/output of my desktop machine. Im on debian 12 with KDE, but i assume it should be just as easy on ubuntu.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Do you have any resources on how to do this? i'd like to give it a go as well

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Previously this required some tinkering, but on my current setup it just worked out of the box. Just make sure your computers bluetooth is set to be visible to other devices, then it should pop up on your phones bluetooth search list. Make sure you give the desktop phone call and media permissions on your phone.

If this doesnt just work ootb, then you might have to change some config files to enable it, but there is lots of information out there if you look for something like "linux/distro bluetooth as sink"

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago

Huh, thanks. That works from iOS to my Bazzite desktop flawlessly.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Google Fi allows taking and making calls from the Messages for Web portal in the browser but ... Google

[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 days ago

Google 🤮

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 days ago

There is no direct way to forward calls with KDE Connect or any other app, but there might be a solution if you would mainly receive calls at home.

If you're willing to learn and configure, you could setup a PBX server with a Pi or an old machine by installing Asterisk and setting up your phone as a trunk line for it via Bluetooth (I'll find the instructions soon)

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Get a SIP account with a VoIP provider and run a SIP client on your laptop. I've been using Linphone on Android and it works but isn't great. It does say it has desktop versions. I haven't looked into alternatives.

Phone OS's usually won't let you get at the voice stream, to prevent malware apps from tapping your conversations.

You could alternatively use some Bluetooth hack as someone said. It would help if you were more specific about what you wanted.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

This is the most solid solution IMO. I use Linphone on desktop with a Twilio phone number over SIP.

It works. Not that I get to try it often: I consider phone calls a barbaric relic of the past and get by fine without them. I use the number to receive 2FA SMS mostly.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Oof, you're gonna get your account stolen. Never do 2FA over SMS.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago (2 children)

First, there's often no choice, it's SMS 2FA or no 2FA. Personally I would prefer no 2FA at all because, as mentioned, I'm doing this all on desktop. The attacker would need physical access to my encrypted computer. Not happening.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

If its SMS, they dont need access to your desktop because they can either sniff it on the network or social engineer the provider. SMS is less secure than nothing.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Nah, its less secure with SMS as its frequently used a s a backdoor to replace your first factor.

You do have a choice, email their security team and tell them why you're closing your account.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

https://jmp.chat/ could do this depending on where you live.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Interesting, I knew they provide SIM for non eSIM phones (have a JMP SIM on the way with its USB adapter) but didn't know about that service. Can you please explain a bit more how it works?

PS: for Europeans who worry about tariffs, mine wasn't sent from the US, or Canada, but rather Netherlands, FWIW.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago

Haven't used this services but I keep seeing other people talking about it. From their FAQ : https://jmp.chat/faq

  • Q4. How do I make a phone call with my JMP number?

The easiest way is to make a call from your Jabber app, if you are using a supporting app such as Cheogram Android, Conversations, Snikket, or Movim. Simply add a contact just as you would for messaging and then select the voice call option in your app.

  • Q10. JMP currently only provides numbers in the USA and Canada. These numbers can make and receive both calls and messages with any country in the world.
[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 days ago

The only way I found is using MacOS (even the old versions) for doing this. The sync platform is the only one that don't cause me any delay or influence the quality of the call. Are those calls from the SIM? If it is whatsapp or other app I think you can answer directly from the client on the computer.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago

You're probably not talking about landlines. Some routers can act as voip servers which you can connect to with clients like Twinkle. I use that with my Fritz!box.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 days ago

You're gonna want to do this with an app. Phone calls via cell towers are not secure.

Use Wire or Matrix or something.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

This is an XY solution but...

Telegram and similar services offer both calling and texting and can be carried across devices. It's linked to the same phone number, all folks would have to know is "between these hours call telegram"

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Note they're not encrypted. This is not safe. Dont do it.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

Not by default, but yea it is encrypted, I use almost exclusively encrypted chats through TG, even my voice and video calls are encrypted through TG.

E2e encryption is security theater though, a chance for companies to tell states "We'D lOvE tO hAnD oVeR tHaT dAtA bUt ItS eNcYpTeD".

In reality, it doesn't matter, if someone wants to snoop on your convos you can't stop them.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Crypto works. Nobody can break good encryption.

You can make an argument for store now, break after quantum leap or whatever. But, no, if the US wants to spy on the communications of their enemies, they can't do it by breaking encryption.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Since you seem to understand it then:

How do two clients communicsting over a proprietary network negotiate an end to end encrypted chat channel without sharing keys in an easily decrypted manner?

It seems to me that some kind of handshake needs to occur where the clients need to agree on a cypher, so how does this happen securely?

I'm not worried about encryption being broken, it just seems like if you're handing the keys over the mail, it's pretty easy to xray the package and copy the key, is the same not true over digital communication?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

This was a problem solved by Diffie and Hellman in the 1970s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffie-Hellman_key_exchange

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Telegram desktop doesn't support e2ee

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Android emulators exist on both windows and Linux allowing the android variant to run on desktop. With most modern machines this is a viable alternative to running natively, with some overhead of course.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 23 hours ago

Last time I tried that, they banned the telegram account.

Unfortunately companies like Telegram see emulators and they get false-positive banned by their fraud systems

[–] [email protected] -3 points 3 days ago

Google Voice is probably a good solution for you