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I'm making my CV with Overleaf (as an article) and I'm trying to make the telephone number clickable using the tel: protocol. If I click on it in the pdf view inside of Overleaf, then Google Chrome opens a window that allows me to select the device with which I want to call. But when I export the project in a pdf format and I open it with pdf readers, the link doesn't work.

Here I'll list the pdf readers/viewers in which I tested the link:

  • Foxit Reader and Adobe Acrobat Reader: the link opens Chrome and nothing else
  • Built-in pdf viewer of Chrome, Edge, and Opera: does nothing
  • Built-in pdf viewer of Firefox: ask to choose to open the link with an external app (Skype, Chrome, Edge, Microsoft Contacts, etc...)

Here is the MWE:

\documentclass{article} \usepackage{hyperref} \usepackage{fontawesome} \begin{document} % a couple of tests test 1: \href{tel:+012345}{0000} test 2: \href{tel:+012345}{\faPhone\ telephone number} \end{document}

I also used the fontawesome package because I would like to add the telephone icon (I used the letter icon for the email with mailto: and it works smoothly).

Why the tel: protocol doesn't seem to work outside of the Overleaf environment?

Thanks in advance for the answers!

Edit: I tried to open the link in an android smartphone and it worked correctly. Maybe it's just a windows 10 problem.

Edit2 & current answer: As @Marjin pointed out, the link works only on mobile phones. The only way to make it work on a PC is to open the pdf with Chrome, right-click on the link and there is the option to call from the mobile phone.

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    that is not really a latex problem, the link itself is correct. Commented May 3, 2021 at 18:17
  • Maybe callto: is better supported than tel:? On my system (Ubuntu Linux) that tries to open a calling program, whereas tel: does nothing. Of course it is very viewer- and OS-dependent, so you can't count on somebody that reads your cv to be able to click the link to call you. Commented May 3, 2021 at 18:50
  • @Marijn unfortunately callto: doesn't work at all, neither in Overleaf nor in any other pdf viewer. I guess it is how you guys are saying, that is not a LaTeX related issue. Too bad, it would have been very useful (and cool) to have it working. Commented May 5, 2021 at 8:20
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    As you note in your edit the tel: protocol was mainly intended to be used on mobile devices that have a native call functionality, and pdf links will work correctly on such devices. For desktop OS'es such as Windows the support is much more limited. See also for example blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2015/01/07/…, where Abode mentions that "If the recipient opens the PDF on a desktop or tablet device, the link will be ignored". Commented May 5, 2021 at 8:44
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    @Stefano to follow the Question-Answer model of the site you can put your second edit as an answer (in the answer box below) and then accept this answer (you have to wait some time, 48h I think, before the system allows you to accept when you answer the question yourself). Then the question will be removed from the list of unanswered questions. Commented May 6, 2021 at 11:57

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As @Marjin pointed out, the link works only on mobile phones. The only way to make it work on a PC is to open the pdf with Chrome, right-click on the link and there is the option to call from the mobile phone.

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