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How to Make a Phone Call and Call Back a Missed Call

Rosa is seventy-two. She got her first Galaxy phone from her daughter last spring. For weeks the phone sat on the kitchen table. Rosa used it to look at photos. She did not use it to make calls. She was afraid she would press the wrong button and lose the number for ever.

Making a phone call is simpler than it looks. You only need to learn two things. First, how to start a call. Second, how to call back when you miss a call. Once you know those two things, you can reach family and friends any time. You do not need to be fast. You can go slowly. Your phone will wait for you.

This guide shows each step in plain words. It shows how to call a person saved in your contacts. It shows how to dial a new number by hand. It also shows how to find a missed call and call that person back. Take your time. Read one step. Do that step. Then read the next step.

Before you start

You need your Galaxy phone and a little charge. You do not need the internet. A normal phone call uses your phone signal. Check that you can see signal bars at the top of the screen. If you see no bars, move near a window. Sit down somewhere quiet for your first try. Have the name of the person you want to call in mind. If the number is written on paper, keep the paper beside you.

Find the Phone app first. It is usually a green icon with a white telephone handset on it. It often sits at the bottom of your home screen. That bottom row stays the same on every screen. If you cannot see it, swipe up on the home screen to see all your apps. Look for the green telephone icon. Tap it once to open it. Do not worry if the screen looks busy. We will go through it slowly.

How to call a person saved in your contacts

Contacts are the names and numbers saved on your phone. When your daughter or a friend saved a number for you, it lives in Contacts. Calling from Contacts is the easiest way to call. You do not need to remember the number.

  1. Open the Phone app. Tap the green telephone icon at the bottom of your home screen. The Phone screen opens. You will see tabs or words near the bottom, such as Keypad, Recents, and Contacts.
  2. Tap the word Contacts. This shows a list of saved names. The list is in alphabetical order. Names that start with A come first. Names that start with Z come last.
  3. Find the person you want. Scroll up and down slowly with one finger. Stop when you see the name. If the list is long, look for a small search box or a magnifying glass icon at the top. Tap it and type the first few letters of the name with the keyboard.
  4. Tap the name once. A page opens for that person. You will see their name in large letters. Below the name you may see one or more phone numbers. You may also see buttons for calling and messaging.
  5. Check the number before you call. If a person has two numbers, such as a mobile and a home number, read the label beside each number. Tap the number you want to use. Most people use the mobile number for everyday calls.
  6. Tap the green call button. It looks like a telephone handset. Sometimes it is a large green circle. Sometimes the word Call sits beside it. Tap it once. Your phone will start to ring at the other end.
  7. Hold the phone to your ear. You will hear ringing. Wait calmly. The other person needs time to find their phone and answer. Do not tap anything else while it rings, unless you want to stop the call.
  8. When you finish talking, end the call. Look for a red button with a telephone handset pointing down. Tap it once. The call ends. The screen goes back to the Phone app. That is all. You made a call.

How to dial a number by hand

Sometimes a number is not saved yet. It may be written on a letter, a card, or a note from a doctor. You can type the number yourself. This is called dialling. Take care to type each digit slowly. Check the numbers on the screen before you tap the call button.

  1. Open the Phone app. Tap the green telephone icon.
  2. Tap the word Keypad. A set of number buttons appears, from 1 to 9, then 0. It looks like the keypad on an old telephone.
  3. Type the number slowly. Tap each digit once. Watch the numbers appear at the top of the screen. If you tap a wrong digit, look for a small back arrow or delete button near the numbers. Tap it once to remove the last digit.
  4. Read the full number out loud. Compare it with the number on your paper. Make sure every digit matches. One wrong digit can call a stranger.
  5. Tap the green call button below the keypad. The phone starts to ring. Hold it to your ear and wait. End the call with the red button when you finish.

If the number starts with a plus sign and a country code, type it exactly as written. For a number inside your own country, you usually type it as it is printed on the card or letter. If you are unsure, ask a family member to check the number with you the first time.

How to call back a missed call

A missed call means someone called you and you did not answer. Perhaps your phone was in another room. Perhaps you were in the garden. Your phone keeps a list of these calls. The list is called Recents. You can call the person back from that list in a few taps.

  1. Open the Phone app. Tap the green telephone icon.
  2. Tap the word Recents. This shows calls you made, calls you answered, and calls you missed. Missed calls often have a small red arrow or red telephone icon beside them. The name or number and the time of the call are shown.
  3. Find the missed call you want to return. The newest calls are at the top. Older calls are further down. Scroll slowly until you see the name you recognise.
  4. Tap the name or the number once. Your phone may show details for that call. Look for a green call button. Tap it to call the person back.
  5. On some phones, tapping the name starts the call at once. If that happens, do not panic. Just wait for the person to answer, or tap the red button to end the call and try again later when you are ready.
  6. Wait for the answer. Say who you are first. Say something simple, like, Hello, it is Rosa. I saw your missed call. That helps the other person know why you are calling.

If you do not recognise the number, stop and think before you call back. A strange number may be a sales call or a scam call. Do not call back a number you do not know if it called only once and left no message. Ask a family member first. You can also block unknown numbers that keep bothering you. In the Phone app, tap More options, the three dots, then Settings, then Block numbers. There you can turn on the switch for Block unknown or private numbers. That switch is in the same place on many Galaxy phones, but the exact words can vary a little.

Try it slowly: Rosa calls her daughter

Rosa decided to practise on a Saturday morning. Her daughter, Ana, knew about the practice. Ana said, Call me at ten o clock. I will be ready. Rosa sat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea. She put her glasses on. She opened the Phone app and tapped Contacts. She scrolled to Ana. She tapped the name. She saw the mobile number. She tapped the green call button. Her hand shook a little. The phone rang twice. Then Ana answered, Hello, Mum. Rosa smiled. She said, It worked. I did it myself.

Later that day, Rosa missed a call while she was hanging washing outside. When she came in, she saw a small red mark on the Phone icon. She opened the Phone app and tapped Recents. The top entry said Ana, twenty minutes ago, with a red arrow. Rosa tapped the name and tapped the green call button. Ana answered and said she only wanted to check that Rosa was well. Rosa learned that a missed call is not a problem. It is just a note. The note tells you who called and when. You can call back when you are ready.

Try the same practice with a family member. Agree a time first. Tell them you are learning. Ask them to answer slowly and speak clearly. Practise once from Contacts. Practise once from Recents. After two or three tries, your hands will remember the steps. You will not need to read this guide every time.

Common mistakes

Every beginner makes these mistakes. They are easy to fix. None of them breaks your phone.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my call went through?

You will hear ringing after you tap the green call button. The screen will show the name or number and a timer once the person answers. The timer counts the minutes and seconds of your call. If you hear a message that the number is not available, the person may be busy or out of signal. Try again later. Do not keep calling again and again in the same minute.

What if I tap the wrong person by mistake?

End the call at once with the red button. Say sorry if the person answers. Say, I am sorry, wrong number. Then open Contacts again and look more carefully. Check the first name and the last name. Check the photo if there is one. Go slowly. A mistake like this happens to everyone.

Can I make a call without saving the number first?

Yes. Use the Keypad. Type the full number and tap the green call button. You do not have to save a number to call it. Saving helps only if you plan to call the same person again. If you call a new number often, ask a family member to help you save it in Contacts after the call.

Why does the phone show a missed call when I was at home?

Your phone may have been on silent. It may have been in another room. It may have rung only a few times before the caller gave up. The missed call list still records it. Open Recents to see who called and when. You can call back at a time that suits you. There is no rush.

What should I do if a stranger keeps calling me?

Do not answer if you do not know the number. Let it go to voicemail if you have it. If the same number calls many times, tell a family member. You can block the number from the Recents list by tapping the entry and looking for a block option. You can also use the Block numbers setting in the Phone app. If calls feel threatening, keep a note of the times and ask family for help.

Does a phone call cost extra money?

That depends on your phone plan. Most plans include a set amount of call minutes each month. Calls to numbers in your own country are usually part of that plan. Calls to other countries can cost more. If you are unsure, ask the person who pays the phone bill or the shop where the phone was bought. Keep calls short while you are learning, until you know your plan.

If the words on your screen look different

Galaxy phones come in many models. Some are small and low cost. Some are large and costly. The words on the screen can change a little from one model to another. The words can also change with your country, your phone company, and the version of One UI on your phone. One UI is the name Samsung gives to the look and menus of its phones. In October 2026 different phones run One UI 8, One UI 8.5, or One UI 9, so no single version fits every phone.

Do not worry if a word is not exactly the same as in this guide. Look for the main idea instead. Look for Contacts, Recents, and Keypad in the Phone app. Look for a green telephone icon for calling and a red icon for ending a call. If you open Settings and cannot find a setting, use the search box at the top of the Settings screen. Type a simple word, such as block or contacts. Your phone will show you where that setting lives. If you still cannot find it, ask a family member to sit with you and look together. Two pairs of eyes find things faster than one.