Yahoo! Messenger Tutorials

Receiving PC to PC Calls

Receiving a Call When You're Put on Hold Listening to Voicemail Managing Your Voicemail

Receiving a Call

Any Messenger 7 user who knows your Yahoo! ID and who has the right equipment can call you using Messenger, even if you're not currently instant messaging each other. Your friends can even call you and leave voice messages when you're not online or not accepting calls.

Tip: Before you try to make or answer a call, use the Call Setup Assistant, as described in the Managing PC to PC Calls tutorial, to be sure that your microphone and speakers are set up properly.

 

Here's How

  1. If you're signed in to Yahoo! Messenger and a contact calls your computer, you'll see a pop-up notification of the call on your computer screen.

    A pop-up notification of an incoming call.

    And, if you have an IM window open with the contact who is calling, the call area of the window changes to show that there's an incoming call.

    The incoming call notification on the instant message window.

    In both cases, you'll also hear a ringtone if you have enabled ringing. Respond by clicking the appropriate button:

    • Accept: If you accept the call, the connection is made, and you can begin talking just like you do on the telephone.
    • Decline: If you decline the call, the caller has the option of leaving you voicemail, which you can listen to at your convenience.
    • IM Only (only available if you receive the pop-up notification): If you select this response, the call ends. An IM window opens so you and your contact can communicate by typing messages instead.

    If you don't choose any of the available responses within about 20 seconds, the call terminates and the caller has the option of sending you a voicemail message. If you have an IM window open with the caller, you'll see an inline notification about the missed call.

    A missed call notification tells you who called, along with the date and time.

  2. Once you accept a call, the IM window changes to show that you're connected, with a timer indicating the length of the conversation so far and status displays for the microphone and speaker.

    The instant message window displays the call's duration so far.

    Either you or the caller can end the call in progress ("hang up") at any time by clicking the End Call button.

    Click the End Call button to hang up.

 

What's Next

Just as with a telephone conversation, the person you're talking with can put you on hold.

 

Words to Know

  • Conversation: an exchange of instant messages between you and a contact.
  • Instant messaging: the ability to exchange messages in real time with other people over the Internet.
  • Online: connected to the Internet.
  • Ringtone: a brief audio file played to indicate an incoming call. You can select your preferred ringtone in Yahoo! Messenger.
  • Voice message: a message left in the caller's own voice for the intended recipient to listen to later.
  • Yahoo! ID: the name by which a person is known to all Yahoo! networks.