Calling basics on Portal
How does calling work on Portal?
You can make and receive calls:
- To and from Facebook friends and WhatsApp contacts of connected accounts.
- Using Messenger Rooms.
- Using apps like Workplace, Zoom, Webex and BlueJeans.
You can't call Messenger connections that don't have Facebook accounts or upload contacts from your phone. Learn more about adding or removing contacts.
To make a call say:
- "Hey Portal, call [contact name]."
- Hey Portal, answer.“
- "Hey Portal, hang up."
"Hey Portal" may ask you to confirm which contact you're trying to call by saying "Yes", "No" or by saying the full name of the contact you're trying to call.
If you have a Facebook and WhatsApp account connected to your device, voice commands will automatically default to your Messenger contacts. To call someone on WhatsApp you can say, "Hey Portal, call [contact name] on WhatsApp" or change your Default Call Provider to WhatsApp.
To make WhatsApp your Default Call Provider:
- From Apps
, tap to open the Settings
.
- Tap General, then tap next to Default Calling Provider to turn on or off.
When you change your Default Call Provider to WhatsApp, all calls made from "Hey Portal" will be made on WhatsApp, unless you say "Hey Portal, call [contact name] on Messenger."
To make a call:
- From Apps
- Tap the contact you'd like to call.
- Make a selection to start your call.
To answer a call:
When receiving a call, tap Answer to join the call.
To end a call:
- During a call, tap your Portal screen to expose the call menu.
- Tap
to end the call.
During a call you can do things like:
- Move and talk freely while Portal's Smart Camera and Smart Sound adjust to keep you audible and in the frame.
- Add more friends to the call.
- Use AR effects and Story Time.
- Turn your microphone or camera off.
- Control your camera during a call.
- Use Facebook Watch.
- Portal calls can only be received on Portal devices, on the Messenger app on mobile phones or tablets, on messenger.com or facebook.com, or on WhatsApp on mobile phones. Calling on messenger.com or facebook.com is only available using the browsers Chrome or Opera.
- In order to call a WhatsApp contact from your Portal, the contact must have WhatsApp open or in standby mode on their mobile phone.
- If you have trouble with WhatsApp calls on Portal, make sure you've both joined Multi-Device Beta. Visit the WhatsApp help center to learn how to join Multi-Device Beta.
How do I add someone to a call on my Portal?
You can have up to 7 people on a single call, including yourself. You or other contacts on your call can add any Facebook friends or Messenger connections to your call.
To add someone to a call:
- During a call, tap the screen to expose the call menu.
- Tap
and then tap the person you'd like to add.
You can also add someone to a call with a voice command, like “Hey Portal, add [Contact Name] to the call.”
Note: Currently, “Hey Portal” is only available in English, and will be disabled if you select any language other than English as your preferred language on your Portal.
Who can I call or receive calls from on Portal?
On Portal you can call the Facebook friends, Messenger connections and WhatsApp contacts of any accounts linked to your Portal. While Portal is only sold in select countries, you can use your Portal to call friends located in any country where the Messenger app or WhatsApp are supported.
Currently, Portal calls can only be received from other Portal devices, from WhatsApp on mobile devices, from the Messenger app on mobile devices or tablets, from messenger.com or from facebook.com. Portal can’t be called from Messenger Kids accounts or the Messenger Lite app.
Your Portal contacts are the Facebook friends, Messenger connections and WhatsApp contacts of all accounts linked to your Portal. If you share a Portal with others, all accounts that have been linked to your Portal will share contacts on Portal. Anyone who shares your Portal will have access to the contacts on the device and will be able to make and answer calls.
From Home on your Portal, tap Contacts. From there, you can browse by Suggested contacts, Recents contacts or contacts by account type.
How do I silence incoming calls?
The Do Not Disturb setting silences incoming calls and prevents your contacts from seeing whether you are active until 8:00am the following morning. You can continue to use your Portal's screen, apps and features with Do Not Disturb turned on.
To turn on Do Not Disturb:
You can also access the Do Not Disturb setting from the Quick Controls by swiping up from the bottom of your Portal screen.
Note: The Do Not Disturb setting on Portal will not affect your existing availability settings in the Facebook or Messenger apps.
How do I call my Portal using the Portal app?
To call your Portal from the Portal app:
- Open the Portal app.
- Tap the Portal device you want to call.
- Tap Call.
How do I call someone using their Facebook relationship name or nickname?
If you've added someone to the Family and Relationships section of your Facebook profile, you can call them on Portal using voice controls and your relationship name (or common synonyms for those names). Any relationship names on Facebook can be used.
For example, you can call your mother by saying either:
- "Hey Portal, call my mother."
- “Hey Portal, call Mom."
- If you list a Facebook friend as your family member or that you're in a relationship with them, that person will be asked to confirm your relationship on Facebook.
- In order to use relationship names in voice commands, your relationship must be shared with your Facebook Friends or shared as Public to be associated with a contact on your Portal.
- You can also create or edit a custom nickname for your contacts on Portal.
How do I move calls between Portal and Messenger?
To move or transfer a call from Portal to Messenger:
To move or transfer a call from Messenger to Portal:
Note: To use call transferring make sure you have the latest version of the Messenger app installed.
How do I set a call reminder on Portal?
To set a call reminder on Portal:
- Tap a contact.
- Tap
.
- Tap Set Call Reminder.
- Tap Tomorrow, This Weekend, Next Week or Next Month to choose when to set a call reminder.
To cancel a call reminder on Portal:
- Tap a contact.
- Tap
- Tap Reminder Set.
- Tap Cancel Reminder.
How do I silence incoming calls?
The Do Not Disturb setting silences incoming calls and prevents your contacts from seeing whether you are active until 8:00am the following morning. You can continue to use your Portal's screen, apps and features with Do Not Disturb turned on.
To turn on Do Not Disturb:
You can also access the Do Not Disturb setting from the Quick Controls by swiping up from the bottom of your Portal screen.
Note: The Do Not Disturb setting on Portal will not affect your existing availability settings in the Facebook or Messenger apps.
How do I take a photo during a call on Portal?
During Messenger calls, you can take a photo of everyone on the call to save or share.
Take a photo
- During a Messenger call say “Hey Portal, take a photo” or tap your screen to see call controls, then tap
. When you take a picture, other people on the call see a message that a picture was taken.
- Tap
to delete the photo.
- Tap
to send the photo in the Messenger chat.
Find your photo
You can find the photo in the Portal albums of the account you’re calling from.
- From Apps
.
- Tap Call Photos.
You can also access the photos on the Portal app.
