Redial

Redial refers to the action or function of dialing a telephone number that was dialed previously, most commonly the last outgoing number. On many devices, pressing a redial button or selecting redial from a call history yields the number to be called again without re-entering it. The term originated in the era of mechanical and touch-tone telephones, where memory features began to store the most recent dialed number and later multiple numbers.

In modern phones, redial is part of the call history or the recent calls list. Users can select a contact or number from the list to place a new call. Some devices offer auto-redial or busy-redial options, which automatically retries the call after a failed attempt or when the line becomes free. The specifics of how redial works—how many numbers are stored, how long the memory persists, and whether auto-redial is available—vary by device, operating system, carrier, and region.

Redialing can reduce dialing effort and errors but may raise privacy concerns if call history is accessible by others. On many systems, the features are built into the phone's firmware, the mobile OS, or the network's service features and can differ significantly across legacy landlines, mobile phones, and VoIP systems.