Not able to make phone call using UIWebView - ios

Question

I want to make phone call using UIWebView. I tried below code which works fine in if I simply put a button and on button click execute below code. But currently on button click, I call an api and on response I execute below code.
// Make a call to given phone number
- (void)callPhoneNumber:(NSString *)phoneNumber
{
if (!self.webView)
{
webView = [[UIWebView alloc] init];
[self.view addSubview:self.webView];
self.webView.delegate = self;
}
// Remove non-digits from phone number
phoneNumber = [[phoneNumber componentsSeparatedByCharactersInSet:[[NSCharacterSet decimalDigitCharacterSet] invertedSet]] componentsJoinedByString:#""];
// Make a call
NSURL * url = [NSURL URLWithString:[NSString stringWithFormat:#"tel:%#", phoneNumber]];
[self.webView loadRequest:[NSURLRequest requestWithURL:url]];
}
Its not even calling webview delegate methods.
What can be the reason?
Please note that I want to call using webview only, so please don't suggest to use native contact app. Using webview keeps flow within the app. When call is ended users is in app only. Using native app, if user wants to come back to my app user has to manually open the app.

Answer 1

To dial a phone number you have to call -[UIApplication openURL:]:
NSString *phoneNumber = #"[phone]";
NSURL *phoneNumberURL = [NSURL URLWithString:[NSString stringWithFormat:#"tel://%#", phoneNumber]];
[[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL:phoneNumberURL];

Answer 2

Why not use this?
NSString *phoneNumberURL = [#"telprompt://" stringByAppendingString: phoneNumber];
[[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL:[NSURL URLWithString:phoneNumberURL]];
This takes the user back to the app automatically once the call is finished. I hope that is what you want to achieve using webview.
https://stackoverflow.com/a/12065542/569497

Answer 3

Are you sure self.webView has been initialized?
Change: webView = [[UIWebView alloc] init];
To: self.webView = [[UIWebView alloc] init];
and this: [NSString stringWithFormat:#"tel:phoneNumber"] don't work; try: [NSString stringWithFormat:#"tel:%#",phoneNumber]
Personally, however, I never tried to make a phone call in this way.

Answer 4

If you want to call via UIWebView then use this example:
+ (void)callWithString:(NSString *)phoneString
{
[self callWithURL:[NSURL URLWithString:[NSString stringWithFormat:#"tel:%#",phoneString]]];
}
+ (void)callWithURL:(NSURL *)url
{
static UIWebView *webView = nil;
static dispatch_once_t onceToken;
dispatch_once(&onceToken, ^{
webView = [UIWebView new];
});
[webView loadRequest:[NSURLRequest requestWithURL:url]];
}