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How to change default phone app on Mac

How do I change default phone application in Mac OSX Capitan/Sierra?


I do not want to use Facetime. I want to use a different app, say Skype or Uno to make phone calls. I already tried changing default app in Facetime/Settings but it doesn't stick, it immediately changes back to Facetime again.

MacBook Pro, iOS 8.1.3

Posted on Oct 20, 2016 6:20 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 21, 2017 2:31 PM

I ran into this "opposite" problem too after installing Skype. As usual, Apple don't make it easy to find these settings!


1. start the "Facetime" application

2. "FaceTime" → "Preferences…" menu item (or ⌘+,)

3. in the "Settings" tab that opens, down the bottom, change "Default for calls" from "Skype for Business" to "FaceTime".


After that, calling from the "Messages" app went through my iPhone again like it used to.


PS: boo to Microsoft for silently changing this default!

8 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 21, 2017 2:31 PM in response to shardphoenix

I ran into this "opposite" problem too after installing Skype. As usual, Apple don't make it easy to find these settings!


1. start the "Facetime" application

2. "FaceTime" → "Preferences…" menu item (or ⌘+,)

3. in the "Settings" tab that opens, down the bottom, change "Default for calls" from "Skype for Business" to "FaceTime".


After that, calling from the "Messages" app went through my iPhone again like it used to.


PS: boo to Microsoft for silently changing this default!

Jul 14, 2017 12:43 AM in response to lnelson.au

Hmm...but if I don't want to use facetime, this isn't possible to archive: The Preferences-Menu is greyed-out as long as you don't register a facetime-account.

I have to set the default telephone app on 10 iMacs and don't want to register 10 iCloud-accounts just to do the facetime login and being able to open the preferences there. That's ridiculous.


Installed RCDefaultApp and set the default telephone app there but the phone-icon in contacts application is still greyed-out. So it's not possible to start phone calls from within contacts application.

How to change default phone app on Mac

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