Calendar Event Location: Diallable Conference call number with host/participant code

Question

In attending/hosting conference calls, I'd like to be able to dial the conference call provider and enter the required PIN code directly from the entry in my calendar.

The process I currently use is:

1. When scheduling the call - create the calendar entry for the call, including in the field [Where - Event Location] the number and PIN to dial in the format +CCAAANNNNNNN,,PPPPPP#, where CC = country code, AAA = area code, NNNNNNN is the conference call telephone number, PPPPPP = the PIN code needed. The first two commas are to wait long enough, the third comma is to stop the # required to enter the PIN from not being recognised.
2. When setting up or dialling into the call: 1. Open the calendar entry, 2. Edit, 3. Select the text in the "Where- event location" field, 4. Copy, 5. Switch to the dialler, 6. Paste, and then 7. Dial.

Whilst this works, is is clearly not as efficient as clicking a link in the Calendar Event +CCAAANNNNNNN,,PPPPPP#,. Frustratingly, this even comes up as a hyperlink, but Android gives me the options Earth & Maps (as well as two other proprietary links - Radar which is part of the App "GPS Status", and ZVVFahrplan - part of the Zürich city public transports system's app).

I have tried all permutations that I can think of rfc3966.txt: The tel URI for Telephone Numbers. For example tel:+442012345555,,123456#, or, tel:+442012345555","","123456"#""," or tel:+442012345555PP123456FP

If if put the number in the Notes field within the Calendar event, it turns into a diallable link, but chopped up. I can dial the number, but not the PIN.

Any thoughts or ideas?

Answer 1

Thanks to Doug Plenty for providing the answer to me directly. This is the subject of an Apple patent and over which they are suing HTC (amongst others) who customise Android in a way that the stock OS doesn't dare.

See for example http://mashable.com/2011/12/19/apple-patent-victory/

Answer 2

Why don't you just use an app for it? Try MeetingMogul, that's what I use.

It fills out all the bridge info for you by picking it up from your calendar. So you can dial in by just tapping the phone icon it gives next to each conference call. It's a totally free app and doesn't charge for anything unlike other apps I've tried.

Plus it gives you a lot of other features like being able to notify meeting participants with one tap by text or email, taking voice or text notes against an event with one tap, setting up new conference calls with just a few taps from the app, viewing details from your CRM related to an upcoming call or meeting like emails, proposals, quotes, team notes, LinkedIn profiles, etc.

Answer 3

I have an Android phone. Samsung Galaxy victory. I tried this with calendar: in the Description field, I pasted a phone number (with two waits and a hash symbol) copied and pasted from my phone contacts using clipboard. A long touch on the resulting link resulted in a search of my phone contacts including the phone number both with and without the PIN. I chose to dial with the PIN and confirmation after wait prompts, and I was in.