To make a conference call on a Kenyan mobile line, call the first person, tap Add call (on iPhone, More then Add People), call the second person, then tap Merge. Repeat to add more people. Apple says an iPhone can hold up to five people if the carrier supports it, and the limit is set by your carrier. Every person you dial is a normal outgoing call from your line. For regular meetings, a dial-in conference number is simpler: everyone calls one number instead of you calling each of them.
Conference calling on a mobile phone works by merging calls. You call each person, one at a time, and join them into one call. Your network has to support it; if the Merge button doesn't appear, it doesn't on your line.
iPhone (Apple's steps):
- Dial the first person and wait for the call to connect.
- Tap More, then Add People, and choose the second person.
- When they answer, tap Merge.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 to add more people.
If someone calls you during a conference, tap Accept, then Merge to bring them in. Only the person who started the call can see all the participants' names.
Samsung Galaxy (Samsung's steps):
- Call the first person and wait for them to answer.
- Tap Add call and choose the second person.
- When they answer, tap Merge.
- Use the conference call menu to split someone off or end their part of the call.
Other Android phones using Google's Phone app: during a call, tap Add call, dial the next number, then tap Call merge to join the calls.
How many. Apple says up to five people, "if your carrier supports it", and that the carrier sets the number you can add. As of 23 September 2026, Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom do not publish a merge limit on their websites. Test it with your own line before a meeting that matters.
What it costs. Each person you add is an outgoing call you placed, so each one is charged to you at your normal calling rate, for as long as they stay on. A 30-minute call with four people you dialled is four 30-minute calls on your bill.
If you merge, you can't record on Android. Google's Phone app can't record a call once you've made it a conference call.
Safaricom offers a Conference Bridge Service for organisations. Under its published terms, you apply, pay a non-refundable booking fee set in Safaricom's tariff guide, and receive a dial-in number, meeting ID and password for the session. Each participant is charged the rate for calling a Safaricom mobile number. The password expires when the session ends. Contact Safaricom Business for the current fee.
Airtel and Telkom do not describe a phone conference bridge on their websites as of 23 September 2026. Telkom lists web and video conferencing for businesses. Check with them for a voice option.
Merging calls works for a quick three-way chat. For a weekly team call, a client briefing or a support line where a supervisor joins, it has drawbacks: the host must dial everyone, the host pays for every leg, and every call runs through the host's phone.
A Sautikit number can host a conference room instead:
- Everyone dials in. Participants call the number and join a named room. Calls coming in to a Sautikit number are free for your business; each caller pays for their own call, as they would to any Kenyan number.
- Hold music until the host arrives. The room can play music until the host joins, then start.
- Dial people in. Your system can call someone and drop them straight into the room, for example an agent or a manager. Each call you place costs KES 3.00 a minute, billed per second.
- Mute, warm transfers and recording. Participants can join muted, a second agent can join before the first leaves, and the whole session can be recorded and downloaded afterwards.
- You choose who ends it. The room can end when the host hangs up, or keep going while others remain.
The number is KES 116 a month including VAT, with no setup fee, and you pay per second for the calls you place from a prepaid wallet topped up with M-Pesa or card. Team members can join from the SautiKit Phone app on the web, Android or Windows (iPhone and Mac in beta).
Setting up a room takes a developer: it uses the Conference action in your call flow. The steps, with JavaScript examples, are in our guide to building a call center with conferences. For how a local number affects call quality for East African participants, see cut conference call lag in East Africa.
Call the first person, tap Add call (on iPhone, More then Add People), call the second person, then tap Merge. Repeat to add more. If you don't see Merge, the feature isn't available on your line or phone; ask Safaricom on 100 (prepay) or 200 (postpay).
Apple says an iPhone supports up to five people if the carrier supports it, and that the carrier sets the limit. Kenyan operators don't publish a limit, so test with your line. A dial-in conference room on a business number isn't tied to your phone's merge limit, because people call in rather than being merged by you.
On a merged call, the person who dials pays for every call they place, at their normal rate. On a dial-in number, each participant pays for their own call to the number. On a Sautikit number, calls coming in are free for the business.
Not with Google's Phone app, which can't record once calls are merged into a conference. On a Sautikit conference room, the whole session can be recorded and downloaded. Anyone recording should tell participants first; see our call recording guide.
They are the same thing: several people on one phone call. "Call conferencing" usually refers to the feature or service, and "conference call" to the call itself.