How to Use the Cell Phone in "GTA IV"

New to the series as an interactive device, Niko's cell phone grants him access to several conveniences in "Grand Theft Auto IV." For example, he can call a friend and invite him out, call for public services or even find out what song is making him bob his head as he drives away in his dented stolen car.

Complete "It's Your Call," the second mission of the game. Only after Niko acts as bodyguard for his cousin does he get a phone to keep.

Press "Up" on the directional pad or keyboard to bring up your mobile phone in-game. Because you use the directional pad and arrow keys to control the phone, you can interact with it on the road. Just don't crash into a cop car; Liberty City's finest won't think twice about bringing you to justice.

Select "Phonebook" to list your contacts. You can't add any yourself; the game adds them as you meet new characters and obtain their phone numbers behind the scenes. Calling contacts lets you take advantage of their bonus when unlocked, such as Roman's taxi or Little Jacob's guns. Alternatively, you can invite them out for drinks, pool, bowling or a number of other activities.

Pick "Messages" to list any texts that contacts have sent Niko. You cannot send personalized messages or reply to anything sent to you. If Niko dies while he's on a mission, he might have a message here offering to transport him back to the starting point.

Select "Organizer" to review Niko's upcoming appointments. Again, you can't manually add something; it's automatic and related to missions in the game.

Open "Camera" to take pictures of your surroundings. This function doesn't become available until the middle of Playboy X's mission "Photo Shoot." There's also no true purpose to this function outside of the missions that require it.

Select "Multiplayer" to enter online gameplay. You'll be asked to confirm whether you'd like to enter multiplayer, losing any unsaved progress. You can enter typical game modes like Team Deathmatch or Liberty City-geared ones like Team Car Jack City. You can also play cooperative modes or enter races.

Select "Options" to configure your mobile phone. For example, you can change the size of the text displayed on-screen, disable the keypad tone and enable sleep mode. Sleep mode stops mission calls, which means the story may not progress if the next mission relies on Niko receiving a text.

Press "B" on the Xbox 360, "Circle" on the PlayStation 3 or "Backspace" on the PC to put the phone away.