Rotary App Icon

Rotary Support

Your guide to Rotary — Type, Click, Call

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🚀 Getting Started with Rotary

Making Your First Call

Rotary lives in your Mac's menu bar and does exactly one thing — dial a number fast:

  1. Click the Rotary icon in your menu bar
  2. Type a phone number — Rotary formats it for you as you go: (555) 123-4567
  3. Press Return or click the arrow button to call
💡 Tip: Rotary hands the call off to your Mac's default calling app (typically FaceTime), then closes itself automatically.

Finding the Menu Bar Icon

Rotary has no Dock icon and no application window — it's a lightweight menu bar–only utility. Look for its icon among your other menu bar extras near the top-right of the screen.

Quitting Rotary

Click the Rotary icon, then choose Quit Rotary from the popover, or press ⌘Q while the popover is open.

✨ Key Features

⌨️Live Formatting

Just type digits — Rotary formats them into a standard U.S. phone number as you go, up to 10 digits.

📞One-Click Calling

Press Return or click the arrow button to hand the number off to your Mac's default calling app.

🪶Lightweight & Fast

No accounts, no setup, no Dock icon. Click the menu bar, dial, and Rotary gets out of your way.

🔒Nothing Stored

Rotary doesn't keep a call history or contact list — it doesn't store or transmit anything you type.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What does Rotary actually do?

Rotary formats a phone number as you type it, then opens a tel: link with that number — your Mac's default calling app (usually FaceTime) takes it from there and places the call.

Which app does Rotary use to make the call?

Whichever app is registered on your Mac as the default handler for phone numbers — for most people that's FaceTime. Rotary doesn't place calls itself.

Does Rotary save my call history or the numbers I type?

No. Rotary doesn't keep a history, doesn't sync anywhere, and doesn't send anything over the network. Once you close the popover, the number is gone.

Can I dial international numbers?

Rotary's formatter is currently built around 10-digit U.S. phone numbers. International numbers and country codes aren't specially formatted yet.

Why is the call (arrow) button greyed out?

The call button enables once you've typed at least 7 digits — enough for a valid local number.

How do I see what version of Rotary I have?

Click the Rotary menu bar icon, then choose About Rotary to see the current version number.

How do I report a bug or request a feature?

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at support@orangemac.com with your macOS version and a description of the issue or idea.

🔧 Troubleshooting

I can't find the Rotary icon in my menu bar

Solution:

  • If your menu bar is crowded, macOS may tuck extra icons away — check for a chevron or overflow area near the clock
  • Hold ⌘ and drag menu bar icons to rearrange them and free up space
  • Confirm Rotary is actually running by checking Activity Monitor

Nothing happens when I press Return or click the arrow

Solution: Make sure you have a default app installed and signed in to handle phone calls, such as FaceTime with your Apple ID. Without one, macOS has nowhere to send the call.

The formatted number looks wrong

Solution: Rotary formats plain 10-digit U.S. numbers only. Extra digits are ignored beyond the 10th, and non-numeric characters (letters, symbols, "+") are filtered out automatically.

Still having issues?

If you're experiencing a problem not listed here:

  1. Quit and reopen Rotary
  2. Make sure you're running the latest version from the App Store
  3. Contact support with your macOS version and a description of the issue