How to use the + symbol on my number keypad on iPhone?

when asked to enter country code which begins with + it stays as 0 even when held down.


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: How to use the + symbol on my number keypad

iPhone 8, iOS 16

Posted on Sep 6, 2025 5:29 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 6, 2025 6:24 AM

When you’re entering a number before placing a call, a long-press on 0 gives you the + sign (used for international dialing).


But once you’re already on a call and the numeric keypad (DTMF keypad) is pulled up, every key press is sent as a toneto the other side. There’s no “hold for plus” option in that mode — holding just repeats 0, since carriers and IVR systems only recognize single-digit tones.


Workarounds if Yahoo support (or any IVR) wants you to enter a + while on the line:


  • Try entering the country code directly instead of + (e.g., 001 for US, 91 for India). Most systems accept that.
  • If they really want a literal “+”, it usually means they’re actually asking you to type a number that begins with the international prefix (so you’d substitute 00 or the equivalent for your region).


5 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 6, 2025 6:24 AM in response to Speckyrep

When you’re entering a number before placing a call, a long-press on 0 gives you the + sign (used for international dialing).


But once you’re already on a call and the numeric keypad (DTMF keypad) is pulled up, every key press is sent as a toneto the other side. There’s no “hold for plus” option in that mode — holding just repeats 0, since carriers and IVR systems only recognize single-digit tones.


Workarounds if Yahoo support (or any IVR) wants you to enter a + while on the line:


  • Try entering the country code directly instead of + (e.g., 001 for US, 91 for India). Most systems accept that.
  • If they really want a literal “+”, it usually means they’re actually asking you to type a number that begins with the international prefix (so you’d substitute 00 or the equivalent for your region).


Sep 6, 2025 6:48 AM in response to Speckyrep

On both iPhone and Android:


  • Before the call (in the dialer): Long-pressing 0 gives you +.
  • During a call (using the in-call keypad): Long-pressing does not work — every press is just a DTMF tone (0 in this case).


That’s because the in-call keypad is purely for sending tones to the system you’re talking to. No platform lets you generate a + mid-call, because interactive voice systems don’t actually understand +. They only take digits 0–9, *, and #.


So on both iPhone and Android, the trick is the same: replace + with your region’s international exit code (like 00 in most of the world, 011 in the US/Canada).


👉 Example:


  • If support says: Dial +44 20 1234 5678 while you’re on the line,
  • You actually enter: 00442012345678 (or 01144… if you’re in the US).


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How to use the + symbol on my number keypad on iPhone?

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