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Software integration

macOS call automation

Make Voxbi your default macOS phone app for tel links and Automator scripts.

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macOS call automation lets the Voxbi desktop app act as your Mac's default phone application. Once set up, clicking any telephone link on a web page opens a call in Voxbi instead of FaceTime. Beyond links, a keyboard shortcut lets you highlight any phone number anywhere on your Mac, whether it is in a web page, a PDF, a spreadsheet, or an image your Mac can read text from, press a key combination, and Voxbi dials that number.

The feature combines two macOS capabilities: the system-level default phone app setting, and a quick action with an assigned keyboard shortcut. Voxbi ships with the automation script already packaged inside the application, so setup is straightforward. Both mechanisms work independently: you can set up one or both depending on how your team works.

When you'd use macOS call automation

  • A Mac-based team that visits supplier or client websites regularly: any phone number displayed as a link dials immediately in Voxbi without needing to switch to a separate dialler or copy-paste the number.

  • An operations role that works with PDFs, invoices, or documents where numbers appear as plain text: select the number with the cursor, press the keyboard shortcut, and the call starts without manual dialling.

  • A business where the same person uses the Voxbi desktop app for calls and wants the Mac to behave consistently: setting Voxbi as the default phone app means telephone links from any application on the machine, not just the browser, open in Voxbi.

How macOS call automation works in Voxbi

  1. Set Voxbi as the default phone app for telephone links

    Open FaceTime on your Mac, go to FaceTime Settings, select the General tab, and at the bottom change the default-for-calls dropdown to Voxbi. After this, clicking any `tel://` link on your Mac opens a call in Voxbi.

  2. Install the automation script for text-selection dialling

    Open a Terminal and run the single command that copies the "Call with Voxbi" workflow from inside the Voxbi application bundle into your macOS Services folder. Voxbi includes this script pre-built so you do not have to write it.

  3. Assign a keyboard shortcut to the script

    In macOS System Settings, open Keyboard, then Keyboard Shortcuts, and navigate to Services. Find "Call with Voxbi" under the Text category and double-click to assign any key combination you prefer.

  4. Select and dial

    Highlight any phone number on screen using the cursor, press your shortcut, and Voxbi launches and dials the number. On the first use from each application, macOS will ask you to authorise the script to control that app. You confirm once per application.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to write the automation script myself?

No. Voxbi includes the script inside the application package. The setup guide provides a one-line Terminal command that copies it to the right location. If you prefer to write the script from scratch, the source is also documented, but the pre-built option is faster for most users.

Does the keyboard shortcut work in every application on the Mac?

It works in most macOS applications where you can select text. It does not require a browser and is not limited to web pages: it has been tested in regular pages, apps, and even images where macOS can recognise text. Each application you use it from will prompt once for permission to let the script control the system in that context.

What if I already have FaceTime set as my default calling app?

Changing the default in FaceTime Settings is non-destructive. You can switch it back to FaceTime at any time through the same setting. The change only affects how telephone links are opened; it does not affect FaceTime video calls.

Is there a Windows equivalent of this feature?

Voxbi for Windows supports both click to call via telephone links and hotkey dialling, where you select a number on screen and press a keyboard shortcut to dial. The Windows and macOS approaches are similar in outcome but use different underlying mechanisms on each operating system.

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