ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Autopatch

Autopatch is like having a magic remote control that lets you connect two phones together so you can talk to someone far away.

Imagine you’re at home and your friend is on vacation across the country. You can call them on your phone, but what if you want to talk to them on a landline phone instead of a mobile phone? That’s where autopatch comes in.

Autopatch is a machine that connects two phones together so you can talk to someone far away. It’s like a bridge that helps you cross the river to get to the other side.

To use autopatch, you pick up the phone and listen to the dial tone. Then you enter a special code followed by the phone number you want to call (like a secret password). The autopatch machine connects your phone to the other person’s phone and voila! You’re talking to your friend on their landline phone just like you were sitting next to them.

Autopatch is great because it can connect phones across long distances, but it does take a little bit of know-how to use. So if you ever want to talk to someone far away using a landline phone, just remember that autopatch is like a magic remote control that lets you make those connections happen!
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