How to use tel: with * (star, asterisk) or # (hash, pound) on iOS?

html ios url-scheme phone-call
jpiasetz picture jpiasetz · Jan 11, 2011 · Viewed 12.1k times · Source

I'm trying to initiate a call on the iPhone with the tel url that has a * in it. It properly brings up the call dialog but drops back to safari when you click call.

<a href="tel:123*12">Test</a>

Answer

Mahesh picture Mahesh · Jan 11, 2011

This documentation from Apple should be helpful:

To prevent users from maliciously redirecting phone calls or changing the behavior of a phone or account, the Phone application supports most, but not all, of the special characters in the tel scheme. Specifically, if a URL contains the * or # characters, the Phone application does not attempt to dial the corresponding phone number.

UPDATE (Jan 2, 2018): The information mentioned here may be outdated. Please refer to new documentation if Apple has relaxed these rules in their newer SDKs. Refer to Husam's answer.

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