Phone extension in Address Book?

You can't add extensions in Address Book. It is possible, but you would have to account for every possible extension length you might encounter, and they're all different. It's only useful if you're dialing a main switchboard and asking to be transferred to an extension, because if you already knew their direct number, you wouldn't need it.

Mulder

My point was that when you're calling someone, you only need their extension if you're calling the main switchboard of a company and don't have their direct-dial number (part of which would be their extension).

But as you know, all companies that have extensions have a different number of digits for them, which is why you'd probably have to account for at least the maximum number of digits for an extension. You can add this in Address Book, but it's not where you would normally look and I personally see no use for it if I have someone's direct-dial number.

Mulder

I put information like the extension number in the Notes field.

Actually, it's not as easy as all that. There are many companies that use an automated electronic receptionist that requires you to key in the person's extension ("if you know your party's extension, please dial it now"). They use this system in lieu of having direct dial phone numbers, or at least their employees don't generally give out direct dial numbers. So unless you want to look up the person's extension in the company directory each time, it's definitely handy to have without screwing up the iphone's ability to dial correctly. I like the comma workaround.

I found my way to this thread after trying to insert the pause (comma) command in the phone line. This and the others - asterisk, pound, and plus - have been around for as long as there have been touch tone phones and have always been reserved for extended purposes, originally, just for the phone company.

When I add the comma(s), save, then try to call the number - it does not let the phone dial. As soon as I remove the comma(s), it works fine. I am using the default (xxx) xxx-xxxx template format - are you using something different?

using (000) 000-0000 x105 for example, on the blackberry... would automatically pause for 3 seconds and then dial the extension. This feature was awesome! Now, NONE of my numbers which have the x000 after the phone number will work (iPhone). This is a shame.

I'm sure there must be an easy way for apple to add this feature. I know their trying to capture more of the business users, which they did with me when they added exchange support to the iPhone. However, in comparision to the functionality of the blackberry there are still other things that are lacking.

My advice is for apple engineers and evangelists to use a blackberry or speak with users who are using a blackberry and find out WHY they like the blackberry phone and as to what features they find most attractive. Some features, like the phone extension, may not be obvious until you use something different (such as the iPhone). So that must be taken into consideration as well.

Currently I know that I'm trading some key blackberry features for the iPhone's safari browser and HTML email. If the blackberry thunder has as good of a web browser and email as the iPhone, then the iPhone will need to catch up with other useful bb type features in order to keep business people like myself on board.

Kris,

You made some excellent points. As a blackberry user until I got my iPhone I was rather spoiled by the extension feature on a blackberry. There really needs to be more modifiable fields in the address book.. I would love to have some additional fields that we could custom name.

I'm trying to figure out if Bento will export to the iPhone.... or perhaps filemaker.

Yes this works for me as well. I actually used the letter 'p' for pause which i think turns it into a ',' on my iPhone. either way works. more p's for longerrrr!

Another want-an-extension-feature user. How about a geeky comment character in the number field, i.e.,

413-626-2343 / x23

And hey, if BlackBerry can do it, can't Apple?

P.S. Yes, I still hate Address Book. I wrote about it before. Anyone else find it poor quality?

That would work, too. It would save having to dig around to the Notes field.

And yes, I'd been using the comma thing for years and years also. Palm desktop, phone modems, etc. Will try the "p" approach. Thanks all, for the input!

So, having the ext. number show up on screen, AND making it dial automatically would be great, since there are so many different ways that extension numbers are implemented, as previously pointed out by numerous users here.

I finally am okay with Address Book, but then I got my iPhone, and it (insert intransitive verb meaning "+To draw something in by or as if by suction+") again. Sigh...

I use an older Motorola phone that I sync via Bluetooth. There is no provision for an additional note for the extension. I tried both a ',' and 'p' after the number and before the extension in address book. On my phone everything is run together. That is OK since I can then manually dial this rarely used number.

However, I too fruitlessly spent time trying to find information in address book help. It is amazing that there is no field. I would expect the iPhone and address book to utilize extensions seamlessly.