What is tone mode in a phone? How to put your phone into Panasonic tone mode

The question of how to switch the phone to tone mode often takes people by surprise when trying to contact support or when ordering various services.

The fact is that to work with new communication systems and various services, it is the tone mode that is needed. What it is, why it is needed and how to enable it on your phone will be discussed today.

In total, there are two dialing modes on a telephone: pulse and tone. The difference between them is that pulse dialing occurs using alternate line interruptions, while tone dialing occurs using digital signals.

There was an impulse invented first, and in our time it is considered old, but nevertheless it is still found in some devices. The principle of its operation was to interrupt the lines at which clicks occurred (number 1 - one click, number 2 - two clicks, and so on).

An old home device with a rotary dialer “used” this mode.

The invention of touch-tone dialing made it possible to speed up networks and make the dialing process more convenient. Plus, this opened up many possibilities, in particular voice prompts (like telecom operators), telephone alarms and others.

In this order, each button is assigned a specific tone (or signal), which, when a number is dialed, is sent to the operator and processed properly.

Despite the fact that most devices immediately operate in tone mode, and pulse mode is already a thing of the past, sometimes there is still a need to switch between them, which often raises the question of how to enable tone mode on the phone.

Check and switch

Switching mode.

Now that digital signals are used everywhere, almost every landline phone operates on tone schedule by default. And yet, to get started, you need to determine in what order the device is currently operating and whether it needs to be changed.

This is done simply. You need to bring the handset to your ear and, by pressing any key, determine what sounds are heard when pressed.

If you hear short beeps, this means that the tone dialing mode is turned on, and there is no need to switch it. If there are clicks, it means that the device operates in a pulse mode, and this mode needs to be changed.

The easiest way to put your phone into tone mode from Panasonic (the most popular) and other companies is to hold down the “*” button for a few seconds. If that doesn't work, try "#".

If the corresponding order has been activated, then the inscription ton or t should appear on the device’s screen. If nothing happens, you can test again by listening to the sounds when you press the buttons.

You need to understand that not all devices are equipped with a function for quickly switching functions. On some models there are special “P” and “T” buttons for this purpose.

In some cases, you need to press the appropriate combination of “*”, “#” and “-”. You can learn more about this only from the instructions for the phone, or you can go to its settings (if provided), and there look for an item that switches the phone to a different dialing order.

Translation into tonal order can also be problematic for touch models on your mobile phone. In order to configure the function you need, after connecting, you need to use a special key to access directly the keyboard itself. When it appears, press the star and plus, after which you can put the cell phone into tone mode.

During a conversation, press the keyboard to display the number dialing menu. Then enter a custom combination of numbers that is specific to your device. You can find this information in the phone review or in the instructions for using it.

Today you learned how to switch a cell phone to tone mode and how this can be done with a landline device at home.

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We often hear a proposal to switch the device to this mode by calling, for example, the support number. Unfortunately, many users do not know what tone mode is on a phone and why it is needed.

Let's try to figure this out, and also dwell on how you can switch your device to this mode.

What kind of mode is this

• Let's start with the fact that there are two telephone dialing modes - pulse and tone. The first of them, pulse, has already become outdated and is therefore rarely used.
• This is especially true for landline phones, since the mobile device is already set to tone mode by default.
• The pulse mode appeared first. It was typed like this: one click, number 1, two clicks, number 2, and so on. Subsequently, the tonal mode appeared. Its advantages include the fact that it is faster than the pulse mode.
• If we use it, it is much more convenient and faster for us to dial phone numbers, use various services, etc. Please note that numerous operator services are supported only in this case.
• Essentially, it is a two-tone analog multi-frequency signal that is used to dial a number. On English language it sounds like dual-tone multi-frequency, and therefore we can often come across the abbreviation DTMF.
• The tone signal is used when manually dialing when working with interactive services (for example, with voice prompts), or during telephone signaling between devices in automatic mode.

  In this case, the signal and telephony correspond to each other.

• This regime has existed since the 60s of the last century, but it was introduced in the Russian Federation only in the 80s. Until now, many of the domestic telephone exchanges perceive only pulse signals.
• Thus, tone dialing is only possible where a digital signal is already used. Sometimes it is even provided as a paid service.

How to switch your mobile phone to tone mode

By default, this mode is already activated on our mobile device. However, if we need to translate it, we should know how.

In particular, this applies to devices with touch screens, although there are known cases of problems when converting ordinary push-button phones to DTMF.

1. Immediately after the connection on the touch device has started, we should press a special soft key, which will give us access to the keyboard.
2. Next, enter the sign + or *, or any combination of these buttons.
3. After this, DTMF mode will be activated.
4. It is also recommended to pay attention to the menu that is available to the owner of the touch device during the call process. Often the transfer to the desired mode is carried out through it.
5. Right during the conversation, select the item to enter a telephone number, and in the dialing menu that appears, enter suitable combination keys to activate DTMF. You can find it using the instructions for the device.
6. If we use a regular push-button telephone, right during the call we press and hold * or +.

Please note that all modern mobile devices by default they are already switched to tone mode. However, if such a translation is required from us by an answering machine or a support specialist, it is obvious that this setting has been previously changed.

This applies not only to mobile devices, but also to home devices.

If our cell phone does not allow us to enter data from the keyboard during a conversation, it is recommended to contact a service center. Problems may also be related to the firmware or the presence of viruses.

Imagine this situation: you call the customer support service of, say, an Internet provider. To get to the support service, and not the sales service, you need to switch the phone to tone mode and dial a number. This is where some users fall into a stupor - they say, what kind of tone mode is this and how to switch the phone to it?

Tone mode (from the English DTMF, Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency) is a two-tone multi-frequency analog signal that is used for a telephone number.

There is another type of mode - pulse, it is outdated and used very rarely. The main advantage of the tone mode over the pulse mode is the dialing speed, which is much higher.

How to put your phone into tone mode?

If you are calling from a mobile phone or smartphone, then no way. The fact is that mobile devices initially operate in tone mode. Accordingly, if the autoinformer asks you to switch your phone to tone mode, you simply ignore this message and press the desired number on your smartphone to connect with the operator.

If the call comes from a landline phone, most likely it operates in pulse mode, since most Russian PBXs operate in this mode. Typically, tone mode is activated by pressing the * (asterisk) key. In some cases, the telephone has separate buttons for two modes - P and T, respectively.

on Sep 13, 2018 1,334 Views

Often, when contacting support or calling a hotline, the subscriber is urged to switch to touch-tone dialing. As a rule, this happens when trying to call a multi-channel number, which requires pressing numbers on the handset of the phone to confirm the choice. It’s not difficult even for a beginner to understand such nuances.

Telephone communication is a complex thing, but at the same time incredibly interesting. For this reason, before switching the phone to tone mode, it is worth understanding its essence and considering what other dialing options are available. Telecommunication technologies are moving far ahead every year, and even now modern devices support only the tone type. For older devices, you still have to switch between the two:

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• pulse, which involves closing the telephone line in a special way, where each dialed digit corresponds to the number of pulses.
• tone, using an analog signal to dial the required combination of numbers.

A user who does not understand the intricacies of this topic will be able to distinguish these methods of entering numbers by ear. Remember the old rotary phones: when you scrolled the disk, you heard some clicks that varied depending on the number. Some devices released even 10-15 years ago still have the ability to switch to pulse mode. Another input method will give itself away as a difference in the signal height, which will depend on the key pressed. The advantage of tone digital input over pulse input lies primarily in the speed of dialing and connection with the subscriber.

Tone mode on a landline phone

With the passage of time and the development of internal telephone networks, the abandonment of outdated pulse dialing looks quite logical. Multifunctional office phones, similar to those produced by Avaya, do not even have the ability to change modes. This is understandable, since in large companies work is constantly in full swing, and the speed of dialing to a client or partner is important.

Home devices will make you worry about how to enable tone mode on your phone. For example, the list of characteristics of the wired model of a Panasonic device states that both options are available. In some cases, pressing buttons is not enough to switch between them, and you should contact your communications service company for help. It is a mistake to believe that absolutely all radio telephones, unlike wired telephones, have only tone dialing. Voxtel Select series devices support both methods of transmitting a telephone number.

Tone mode on a mobile phone

It is more profitable to make calls to long-distance hotlines, where you have to listen to an answering machine for a long time, from a mobile phone. Most devices are equipped with only one input method, so the question of how to switch a cell phone to tone mode does not arise. To switch to the extension line of the desired operator, you will need to press keys with certain numbers, which is only possible with the tone option. A person dialing a call center number will hear a characteristic signal, indicating that communication has been established with the selected operator.

There has never been a pulse connection on mobile phones, since this is a feature of telephone networks for landline devices, and the modernization of Russian telephone exchanges has made it possible to abandon this option forever. However, it may not be necessary to switch between input methods, but to enable the desired type of connection that was disabled for some reason. Without activating this function, some devices will not allow you to dial a number.

How to put a mobile phone into tone mode

If we answer this question in general and in relation to each gadget, but there is only one answer - nothing! By default, all phones support and operate in tone mode and do not provide any other selection options. However, there are exceptions to the rules: you cannot transfer to another set, but you can simply turn off the existing tone set. This instruction explains how to switch to tone mode on a mobile phone with touch controls:

1. Dial the phone number.
2. Once the connection is established, bring up the on-screen keyboard.
3. Press the star or plus key. For different gadget models, you may need to hold these buttons for a while.

This algorithm will also be effective for owners of push-button phone models. Here the situation is even somewhat simpler: you don’t need to open the keyboard on the screen. Having reached the dialed number and heard a request to turn on tone input, which was probably turned off, you only need to press and hold one of the keys (usually “star”, “pound” or “plus”) until a characteristic signal.

Switching a landline phone to tone mode

The internal structure of home communication devices, like telephone lines, determines the choice of mode change method. In most cases, this can be done without leaving the apartment or private house. How to put your phone into tone mode in the classic way described in the following instructions:

1. Pick up the phone if you have a corded one, or press the call key on your radiotelephone.
2. Hold the star button for a second.
3. Try pressing the number keys: if they make sounds that are different in tone, then everything is done correctly.

Another option is suitable only for some models:

1. Inspect the tube from all sides for the location of additional levers on it.
2. If you notice a switch with the Latin letters P and T, meaning pulse and tone dialing, then move the lever to the T position.
3. You can check by pressing the number buttons.

Video: Tone Mode

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Enabling the phone's tone mode is necessary to navigate through the menu system when making outgoing calls to service numbers and hotlines that provide services. Navigation through the menu of such systems is carried out by turning on the phone's tone mode and selecting the required item by pressing the corresponding key.

All modern smartphones support tone dialing mode; depending on the platform, it is enabled in one way or another.

Enable dialing

In the Android operating system, you can configure tone dialing. It is designated in the menu as DTMF (Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency).

We go to the call settings menu and see the following:

You can read about how to turn on the phone's tone mode in the instructions for the device; in addition, depending on the phone's operating system, the tone mode is turned on by pressing one or more keys.

If your smartphone runs on the Android operating system, you must complete the following steps during an outgoing call:

• open the main menu;
• select the icon with the numeric keypad in the menu;
• press the required key.

Periodically entered numbers can be deleted using the cross in the right corner. If you entered the command incorrectly, just return to the main menu of the system and select the required item again. Please note that tone mode also works in conference mode; if a call to a touch-tone system is active, all other calls do not support the touch-tone system. Tone mode, depending on the features of your device, supports entering numbers from the touch keyboard and a regular keyboard. If necessary, you can return from tone dialing mode by opening the icon with an active call in the system menu.

Set on Windows and iOS

Users of modern smartphones on Windows and iOS often wonder how to enable the phone's tone mode when making calls to numbers that support touch-tone dialing. To enable tone mode on smartphones with the specified operating system, you will need to perform several steps:

1. during an outgoing active call, press the green key;
2. select the required number key on the keyboard;
3. if necessary, erase the entered data and hide the numeric keypad.

Navigation through menu systems on numbers with tone dialing support is carried out using numeric keys, as well as the system voice input depending on the design of the menu system. Please note that several seconds pass from the moment you enter numbers until the system responds; most often, during an active call, a proximity sensor protects against accidental entry of numbers, which turns off the screen when approaching the ear. If you need to dial, you need to remove the phone from your ear, turn on tone dialing, enter the required command and continue working with the automated system.

You can return to the main menu of any automated system using the star or hash key. If the system supports a connection with an operator, just listen to all menu items or select a connection with an operator by pressing the corresponding number key.

By default, all mobile devices support touch-tone functionality, please note that it may not work for outgoing calls to numbers that do not support menu navigation using the touch-tone function. As a rule, this concerns telephone numbers of consumer service hotlines. Tone dialing can be enabled according to the above principle for an incoming call, if it is active and the automated system supports tone dialing mode.

You can find out whether tone mode support is available when calling by listening to the points of the automated system. If you are offered navigation using the phone keys, it means that the system supports touch-tone dialing mode. If you have keyboard sounds enabled on your device, when you press keys after touch tone is activated, you will hear the keyboard sounds that are generated when you dial a number.

Features of tone dialing

Tone dialing in the phone works on the principle of a new call during an incoming or outgoing active call to a number that supports navigation by automated system using tone dialing. Until the call key is pressed, the entered commands are transmitted to the automated system and are recognized by it as navigation commands.

Please note that tone dialing mode for navigation only works when you make a call to a number with an automated menu navigation system. When making a regular call, tone dialing will allow you to connect a new subscriber to the conversation, send commands to activate services, and write down the phone number in the phone book. The tone dialing mode allows you to independently select the necessary items in the automated system when calling a number that supports tone dialing.