Telephone

Phones are essential tools of communication and socialization in The Sims series.
==The Sims==
Phones in The Sims are very simplistic compared to phones in later games or expansions. The original phone could make outgoing calls, but doing so would only result in the option to invite a Sim over - Sims could not have a conversation with another Sim over the phone. Phones could be used to hire service workers such as maids or gardeners, or to call the police or firefighter in case of an emergency. Friends would often call the house as a warning to the player that a friendship was about to end (the relationship score was dropping too low); these calls always took place at 4:00 pm. Random calls would often take place throughout the day (and night). They could sometimes result in cash rewards, but they could also be prank calls. Later expansions changed the phone menu multiple times, and added various features. Until Unleashed, a Sim's phonebook used the standard pie menu, and players would often have to press the Tab key to page through the menu in order to find the family they wanted the Sim to call. Starting with Unleashed, the phonebook became a dialog box which listed families on the left, and known members of the selected family on the right.
House Party gave Sims the ability to throw a party, both by inviting sims already known by the family, but also by inviting sims randomly throughout the neighborhood.
Hot Date gave Sims the ability to talk on the phone instead of simply inviting other Sims over, though players had no control over what the Sims would talk about and sometimes the call would end negatively with relationship points being deducted although if the call conversation had been going well for a decent amount of time before negatively ending, one relationship point would be added to both the caller and the sim being called. A positive phone call that doesn't add negatively will add five relationship points to both the caller and the sim being called. At other times, the sim being called will say they are watching their favorite TV show and will grumpily complain about being interrupted, also resulting in relationship points being deducted. The higher the relationship that the called sim has with the calling sim, the more likely the chance the phone call will be positive. With the introduction of community areas and community lots in Hot Date, Sims became able to use the phone to call a taxicab and go somewhere else for a while. Additionally, some custom content creators made "phone plugins", which added features to the phone. Different models of phones were introduced over the course of the game, but cell phones were never introduced.
A telephone curfew time of 1-6 am is imposed. During this period, Sims will not be able to talk to Sims or invite them over regardless of the relationship each sim has with each other, and will instead be shouted at and receive a negative and usually insulting message (although there is no effect on the relationship). Services can still be contacted, although many will not arrive until daytime, with the notable exception of police and firefighters, who will arrive at any hour of the day.
A family needed to have at least one telephone on the lot in order for other Sims to call them, and Sims would receive a message if they attempted to call someone that did not have a phone.
===List of telephones ===
====SCTC BR-8 Standard Telephone====
==== SCTC Cordless Wall Phone====
==== Revulcanized Eurethane Desk Phone====
==== Recycled Pay Phone====
==The Sims (console) ==
The phone in the console version of The Sims has the same functions as in the PC version, however the ability to talk and start a party is already included in the game.
Unlike the PC version, there is only the wall version "SCTC Cordless Wall Phone" and like all objects it has a different design.
==The Sims 2==
In The Sims 2, phones are white-ish tan and can be either table phones or wall phones. Phones are now truly cordless, unlike The Sims, and Sims can and will walk around while talking on the phone, although they cannot use it while sitting down. A Sim who wanders too far from the phone's base may put the handset down instead of hanging it up; if this happens, the player can click on the handset and select "Hang Up" to tell a Sim to hang it back up.
Sims can talk to other Sims on the phone, and other Sims may call to talk to a specific household member. This has been improved over what was possible in The Sims; players can now use the "Change Topic" interaction to affect what the Sims talk about, and phone conversations can have more than a minimal effect on the Sims' relationship with one another. The phone can be used to invite Sims over, and even to throw parties. Pets added an "Invite household" option, which will not appear when calling a Townie or a Sim who lives alone. When using this option, the player will be presented with a dialog which shows all other members of the called Sim's household, except for babies and toddlers, even if the caller hasn't met them. Much like The Sims, a Sim needed to live in a household with at least one phone in order to be called, or had to have a cell phone in their inventory. 
As expansion packs are added, the call menu remains largely the same as in the base game; categories are added as needed, but the layout of the menu is unaltered. In University, Sims can have cell phones, although playable Sims who live in households without a landline phone still cannot be contacted by phone. Pets and FreeTime each add a new style of phone. In FreeTime, 3-way calling is introduced as an aspiration benefit for Sims who have Popularity as a primary or secondary aspiration. When a Sim with this benefit is on the phone, the player can click on the phone (or on the Sim, if he or she is using a cell phone) and select "Make 3-way call". The Sim's phone book will open, and the player can then decide which Sim in the book will receive the second call. Players should note that, if this is done on a table or wall phone, the "Hang Up" option will be unavailable until the second call has ended. Even without FreeTime, more than two Sims can be involved in a phone conversation if a house has at least two table or wall phones. If a Sim is told to use a table or wall phone while another Sim is talking on one, the player will be asked whether to let that Sim join the conversation, or to have them hang up. Apartment Life introduced two "Silent Mode" options which allowed players to regulate incoming calls; players could "Screen Calls", which prevented the phone from ringing and instead directed incoming calls to a text notification on the top-right of the screen, or turn off the phone completely. These "Silent Mode" interactions are not available for cell phones.
Sims can call a taxi. A Sim can invite another Sim to meet him or her on a community lot, and, with Nightlife, can arrange outings and even dates. Sims can hire services, and order food deliveries. If the appropriate expansion packs are present, a Sim can apply for scholarships, start a home business, buy real estate, book a vacation, etc.
A bug in Apartment Life may cause a cell phone to disappear from inventory after it has been used for a while, at least for Sims who are living in apartments. This was fixed in the patch, though it is not mentioned in the list of fixes.
An unusual feature of phones in The Sims 2 is that the Sim on the other end of the call is, to some extent, considered to be on the lot. This occasionally results in that Sim being "teleported" to the lot after the call is ended. If that Sim is a child, this can result in one of his or her parents appearing on the lot to bring the kid home, even after the call has ended. The player will need to watch for this, as the parent will not need to be greeted, and will not leave unless the Ask to Leave/Say Goodbye interaction is used.J. M. Pescado's Phone Hack mod corrects this issue; with the mod installed, calling child Sims at night no longer results in their parents coming over. However, the "voice on the other end" that is heard during a phone call does not appear to be the voice of the Sim on the other end of the call.
Much like The Sims, there is a telephone curfew that is enforced between 2am and 7am. During this time, any calls made to Sims will be rejected with a cranky message and a drop in relationship score. Crank calls can still be made and victims may still show up, but will usually leave immediately afterwards due to the time. Vampires are exempt from the nighttime curfew, but have a daytime curfew of their own between 7am and 6pm. Services can still be called, although service Sims will generally not arrive until daytime, with the exception of police and firefighters.
===Crank call===
A crank call is an interaction in The Sims 2 that a Sim with one or no niceness points can do with a telephone. When a grouchy Sim is directed to make a crank call, the phone book will pop up, as with other phone calls. After the player selects which Sim to call, the Sim using the phone will place the call and yell into the receiver. A few minutes later, the victim of the crank call may come to the caller's lot. The victim's reaction will vary, possibly depending on the relationship between the two Sims; he or she may shove, poke or slap the Sim who made the call, then yell about college (even if University isn't installed); or may simply greet the grouchy Sim. This interaction can be used to effectively "invite" an acquaintance over, allowing a grouchy Sim to build a relationship more quickly, but it runs the risk of damaging a relationship and causing both Sims to be furious with each other for a long time.
===List of telephones===
====SimLine Table Phone====
==== SimLine Wall Phone====
==== NOYIN 2680 Cellular Phone====
The NOYIN 2680 Cellular Phone must be purchased from a Sellafone Gadget Kiosk. If Nightlife or later is installed, cell phones will appear in the Sim's inventory, and can be be used by left-clicking the Sim. Sims who are teens and older can only use this cellphone.If Nightlife or later is installed, a cell phone can be placed in a child's inventory; however, while the "cell phone buzz" will appear, children must use a wall or table phone to answer the call. The phone can also be put anywhere in the Sim's home; it will function, but is very small and may be hard to find with the cursor.
A Sim who has a cell phone can call other Sims and taxi from a community lot, and can invite them to the lot. In University, a Sim with a cell phone could not always use it when another Sim in the house was on the phone. However, in later expansion packs, Sims with cell phones can make or receive calls even if other Sims in the house are using their phones. While there is no "Hang Up" interaction for the cell phone, the player can still end a call by cancelling the action.
The phone is clearly based on the Nokia 2650, which was extremely popular at the time of The Sims 2: University's release.
====Talkatron 9000C by AEC Techtronics====
==== Talkatron 9000W by AEC Techtronics====
==== TalkTime Phonality ====
The phone comes in four recolors: white, black, blue, and pink.
==== TalkTime Phonality with Mounting Bracket====
The phone comes in four recolors: white, black, blue, and pink.
==The Sims 2 for console==
The console versions of The Sims 2 have very similar phones; however, they are black instead of the beige color. Given the limitations of a console, not as many options are available:
*Call: (Anyone in the Sim's social web): 'Invite over' or 'just talk'
*Services: SimCity Cleaning Service, SimCity Fire Department, SimCity Police Department, Repairman, Gardener and Therapist.
*Prank phone call: Fake names, Fake sweepstakes or Fart on phone.
*Throw a party: Invite everyone the Sim knows over to their house for a party (only requires one call.)
As in The Sims, Sims can receive prank calls and calls that give cash rewards.
== The Sims Castaway Stories==
Telephones in The Sims Castaway Stories are replaced with Shell Phones. They are basically the same as the phones from The Sims 2, only in the shape of a large shell. They are only available as a story reward object. They are more similar to mobile phones than telephones, since they're usually carried in the Sim's inventory and can be used by clicking on the Sim and selecting the option "Call...". Unlike the phones from The Sims 2, they can only be placed vertically.
==The Sims 3==
In The Sims 3 all Sims (except babies and toddlers) have an irremovable cellphone (smartphone in University Life) in their inventory from the beginning, meaning that Sims no longer needed to own a landline phone in order to be called, although landline phones can still be purchased for residential lots. Phones can be used to talk to Sims, invite them over or out on a date, check real estate, throw parties, call for services, and move. Cellphones can also be used to take pictures and teleport back to a teleportation pad. Sims can also change the ringtone of their cell phone. Sims who purchase the Future Sim lifetime reward get a HoloPhone, which only differs in appearance to regular cellphones.
Like in the previous game, certain expansions packs have expanded the pie menu and things that can be done with the phone. If World Adventures is installed, the player can plan a vacation for their Sims. With Late Night, a mixologist and butler have been added for the home service. The phone also acts as the transmittor for the callbox and electric gate in the expansion pack. If Generations is installed, teens can make prank calls, and Sims can use phones to enroll in boarding schools. With Showtime, NPC services have been added for each type of performer and DJ, as well the ability to request a Sing-A-Gram from anywhere for a Sim they know. If University Life is installed, phones can be used to enroll in university.
Calls can be made from active to inactive Sim or vice versa, which last an hour or two. If an active Sim receives and answers a phone call from somebody to chat, the player will be asked if they would like to proceed with the phone conversation or not. When a phone call is made to a non-rival Sim, they will always answer regardless what they're doing. Unlike the playable Sim, they don't physically pick up their cellphone and therefore are seen wondering in the world without holding it during the call.
Like previous games, a telephone curfew is enforced from 12AM to 6AM, during which any calls are rejected. However, there does not appear to be any effect in relationship if such a call is made. Calling a Sim who is currently at work will provide the player with the time that they should call back. Services can be called at any time of the day; however, the caller must be on their home lot or the option will be greyed out. Unlike previous games, children cannot call for any services, including emergency services.Children can hire any service if the "call services" module of the 'No Stretch' Children can series mod is installed.
A "cell phone buzz" will appear on the recipient of an incoming call; unlike previous games, landline phones will not ring for such calls. Landline phones will only ring for calls directed to the household at large, rather than for a single Sim. If the player instructs the Sim to answer the phone, the current interaction will get cancelled and the interaction to answer the phone will queue up immediately after it, rather than appearing at the end of the queue. Sims can also ignore an incoming call without answering it; this interaction works immediately and does not need to be queued. If the incoming phone call was for an opportunity, ignoring the call will cause the opportunity dialog to appear immediately. Players can also silence a phone to automatically reject all calls.
With University Life installed, numerous interactions are added that are related with the upgraded phones. These including sending various text messages (picture, friendly, insulting, secret admire, woohoo and breakup) from the phone, as well as social interactions of showing them a video or taking a picture with them. Tied with social networking skill, the player can change the Sim's phone skin color that are unlocked at certain levels. Those phones also have a chance of being slipped during use and falling down, leading to the phone being shown as having a large crack in the Sim's inventory.My sim cracked his smartphone screanToday I learned that my Sims can break their phones-- has this happened to any of you guys before? The crack can be fixed in the phone interactions for §150. The Future Phone is immune to getting cracks.
===Notes===
*If the household has a landline phone, phone calls informing the household when a close friend or relative dies or is about to die of old age will be routed to the landline.
* If World Adventures is installed, telephones are considered tomb objects. They can only be used to link triggers and cannot be linked to activate behaviors. Telephones have the "phone rang" trigger available to them.
* Sims can receive a phone call that's transmitted from the callbox when a visitor buzzes a household.
*As of Into the Future, the opportunity phone call doesn't work properly as Sims would answer the phone but no dialog would appear.A video of the bug can be seen here A mod at Mod The Sims can be used to fix this bug. The game doesn't properly check the required world of an opportunity a Sim is currently in, which causes the opportunity dialog not to appear. This occurs if Sims have advanced technology or laser rhythm-a-con skills. However, because the opportunities of both skills have unreasonably high weighted chance, these opportunities are more likely to be received than any other skill opportunities.
*Played Sim can only call up a member of their household to bring them home individually. The phone also has the option to call the full household to come home.
*The cell phones from The Sims 2: University, The Sims 3 and The Sims 3: University Life are all based on real life phones, with the NOYIN 2680 being based on the Nokia 2650, the cell phone in The Sims 3 being based on the Blackberry phone and the smartphone in The Sims 3: University Life being based on the iPhone, most likely the iPhone 4s. All real life counterparts were extremely popular at the time of each game's release.
===List of landline telephones===
Landline telephones can only be bought on residential lots.
====998 Table TopTopia Phone====
Note that The Sims 3 (Wii) appear to have swapped the names of this phone and the below Immobile Phone.
====Immobile Phone====
====Right On! Cordless Phone====
====Vintage Rotary Phone====
==The Sims 4 ==
There are no home telephones in The Sims 4. All Sims who are children or older automatically receive an irremovable smartphone, similar to The Sims 3. The phones are at the bottom of the screen on the desktop interface instead of in a Sim's inventory. Unlike previous games, Sims can use their phones while sitting down. In addition to most functions included in The Sims 3, Sims can use the phone to find jobs, pay bills, listen to music, and play games; and as of patch 142, they can also call adoption agency to adopt children (young adults and older), as well as adopting or selling/taking away pets for adoption. The player can also change their Sims phone case from multiple options. A Sim's mood will also allow a Sim to send a text message associated with that mood to another Sim (e.g. a flirty Sim will be able to send a flirty text), which in some cases may result in the latter inviting the former to another lot.
Sims cannot chat with other Sims over the phone between 11pm and 7am. A Sim who attempts to call another Sim during this time will suffer a slight drop in their relationship with the targeted Sim. Attempts to use the Invite to hangout... function will also be unsuccessful (i.e. message will say [Sim name] is sleeping), but the Sim who initiated it will not incur penalties. Sims can call to arrange social events at any time, and those who are invited will show up. Sims are able to text other Sims regardless of the time of day with no relationship point penalty. Most other services will be available between 11pm and 7am, An inactive Sim may leave a message, asking if they can come over to the household's home. The player can accept or ignore (decline) the Sim's self-invite.
===Get Famous===
If one has Get Famous installed, a myriad of texts and calls are added, mostly pertaining to reputation. Sims will receive texts that both alter their reputation and appear because of it. If a Sim despises the player, they will lose reputation, but will also get a follow up text from one of their friends stating "what people think about you matters - and I heard that someone absolutely despises you now! It's making me question my own opinion of you..." which results in even more reputation loss. 
This is also true for reputation gain; if a Sim becomes good friends with another, they will get the text "Hey, I heard you and [Sim name] are good friends now. You're getting more popular - clearly you're a good person to know!" which results in reputation gain.
In addition, having a notable reputation, positive or negative, opens your Sim up to various opportunities, including job offers, friendship opportunities, and blind dates. Sims with a positive reputation will occasionally be asked to donate to charity and Sims with a negative reputation will be asked to hold money because the other Sim needs someone who won't "ask any questions", implying they're aiding in money laundering.
=== Community Closeness===
With the addition of Eco Lifestyle, Sims are able to get Community Closeness texts and calls, which allow multiple events to happen. Each text has at least two responses, but most have three. They include but are not limited to:
*A friend calling the player and asking if they should Try for Baby with their partner. If the player tells them they should, then the Sim will become pregnant. Asking the Sim if they're "sure [they're] ready for that" will result in relationship gain and no pregnancy. However, the player can reply "You?! A parent?!" which results in large relationship loss and the Sim trying anyway out of spite.
*A friend calling the player and describing a dream they had about them, which only results in relationship gain or loss depending on the answer.
*A sibling texting the player with a meme they found on Simstagram, which only results in relationship gain or loss depending on the answer.
*A friend confessing a crush on the player. Depending on the option, the call results in romance gain, no change, or a -10 to romance.
*A parent complaining that the player does not visit them anymore. One can reply by saying they will visit them tomorrow, which results in relationship gain, though they are expected to actually visit. Not visiting has no consequences, however. Next, the player is able to invite the parent over immediately, which also results in relationship gain. Lastly, the player can tell the parent that they can't, which does not result in relationship loss, but grants the player's Sim a +1 sad moodlet over not visiting their parents. This call does not take into account a Sim's relationship with their parent; a Sim can be enemies with their parent and receive this call regardless.
* There are also soliciting calls, done by Bess Sterling by default, in which a Sim with the Entrepreneur NPC trait asks the player for money. Sometimes it is a large amount and regards starting a business, other times it's simply §1, referred to as all that is needed to be happy.
*A Sim calls the player and says that they're feeling down lately, and the player has the option to cheer them up or tell them to get over it. Trying to cheer them up results in relationship gain, while telling them to power through it results in relationship loss.
===Social Bunny===
Introduced in The Sims 4: High School Years, Social Bunny is a social networking app that is The Sims equivalent of Snapchat. Sims can post about their actions to other Sims following and reply using animated Freezer Bunny emojis. Using Social Bunny allows for passive gain or loss in relationship to following Sims.
===Cupid's Corner===
Introduced in The Sims 4: Lovestruck, Cupid's Corner is a dating app that allows sims to online date.
==The Sims Medieval==
There are no telephones in The Sims Medieval, as the game is set in medieval times, but pigeons serve as the equivalent item; they are used to talk and invite friends.
==Trivia== 
*In The Sims: House Party, Drew Carey uses a cellphone to communicate, making it the object's first appearance there despite them not being ownable.
*In The Sims 2 base game, at the beginning of the Shicka Shicka Zoom music video on SimSation Dance, the protagonist uses a cellphone to call a taxi, but he's actually reusing the wall phone animation (with the phone itself being reused from the object) due to cellphones not making an appearance until University.
== Gallery==
TS1-Telephone used.png|A sim talking with another sim on his home telephone in The Sims
Sims 2 talking via Phone.jpg|A sim talking with another sim on her home telephone in The Sims 2
TS3-Mobile phone used.png|A sim using his mobile phone in The Sims 3
TS3-UL-Smartphone used.png|A sim watching a video on his smartphone in The Sims 3: University Life
TS3-UL-Smartphone covers.gif|All smartphone covers from University Life
Cracked smartphone screen Sims 3.png|A cracked phone screen with University Life
Mobile phone Sims 4.jpg|A sim using her mobile phone in The Sims 4
==Notes==
==References==
ru:Телефон
Category:Objects that appear in all games
Category:Objects in Castaway Stories
Category:Objects in Bustin' Out
Category:Objects in The Urbz