# Invite Participants to an Audio Conference Call

When a call needs another person on the line, you can dial them in without hanging up. The moment your invitation goes out, the existing call becomes an audio conference.

## Before you start

The Cloud Voice App for Web must be set to Web Client mode. If it isn't, the option to add participants won't be available.

![The call mode selector set to Web Client mode](/images/pbx/audio-conference-in-softphone-mode.png)

:::caution
Web Client mode is required. If the app is in any other mode, the **Add Participant** button never appears and you cannot start a conference from an active call. Check the mode selector before you dial the extra person.
:::

## Add participants during a call

1. While the call is active, click **Add Participant** in the lower-left corner of the call window.
2. Use the panel on the right to bring people in, using either of the approaches below.

### Pick from a list

Choose a list, then click the extension user or contact you want to dial.

![Selecting a person to add from a contact list](/images/pbx/add-member-fixed-contacts.png)

### Search for someone specific

![Searching for a person to invite in the add-participant panel](/images/pbx/invite-participants-to-an-audio-conference-call-1.png)

1. In the search field, look up extension users or native contacts using any of the supported filters, or reach an external party by typing their phone number directly.

   | Invitee | Search by |
   | --- | --- |
   | Extension users | Extension name, extension number, email address, or mobile number |
   | Native contacts | Contact name, company name, email address, or mobile number |
   | External users | External number |

2. Click the person you want in the search results.

:::tip
To reach someone who is not saved as an extension or a native contact, type their full phone number in the search field and pick the result. External parties can only be found this way (by number), never by name.
:::

## What happens next

- The call becomes an audio conference. You'll see the invitation being placed to the new person while your current conversation continues uninterrupted.

  ![An active call showing an invitation in progress after it becomes a conference](/images/pbx/turn-to-audio-conference-call.png)

  :::note
  - If the person you invite is an extension user with call forwarding rules in place, the Cloud Voice App keeps ringing them until the call times out.
  - To withdraw an invitation, click ![End call](/images/pbx/phone-end.png) beneath that invitee.
  :::

- Whoever sends the first invitation becomes the conference **Host** and can manage the call. For the full set of host controls, see [Control an In-progress Audio Conference](/pbx/web-client-user-guide/audio-conference-call-operations/#topic_xxk_my1_g5b).

  ![The conference view identifying the host of the audio conference](/images/pbx/host-of-audio-conference-call.png)