Guy I met online wants to talk on the phone

He is most likely enjoying the conversation and wants it to feel more real. Texting has a built-in lag, and a call removes it. Plenty of people ask for a call because they are shy in writing and more comfortable out loud. Others ask because they have already moved past the stage where they want to keep talking through an app. Look at how he has been texting. If he has been putting real effort into replies, asking questions, and remembering things you said, the call is a natural next step. If the messages have been thin and he is suddenly eager to move off the app, be a little more careful about what you share.

Pay attention to the wording. Asking to talk this week with a specific day in mind reads as interest. Asking whether you ever do phone calls, with nothing else around it, can be curiosity or a way to skip ahead. Neither reading settles the question, so the next step is to see how he handles your answer.

The simplest reply is a plain yes, no, or not yet, with a time or reason attached. Yes with a window, such as Thursday after 7 or Saturday afternoon, gives him something to confirm. Not yet with a reason, such as wanting to finish a busy week first, tells him you are interested but on your own schedule. What you want to avoid is answering with a question that hands the decision back to him, because that turns a simple request into a negotiation.

If you do want the call, say so in the same message you agree to the time. Keep it short and specific. Long explanations about how much you have been looking forward to it read as pressure. A reply that is warm, direct, and gives a time is enough to move things forward without over-explaining.

Timing matters more than most people expect. A call request sent at midnight usually means he wants to talk then, and you can decide whether that works for you. You do not have to answer at the same hour he wrote. A reply the next day, once you have looked at your calendar, is perfectly normal and often reads as more considered than an instant answer. If you wait a few hours, that is fine too. What you should not do is go silent for days after he asks, because a quiet gap makes the call feel like something you are avoiding.

If you agree to a time and he does not confirm, send one light check the morning of, like looking forward to it tonight, still good for you? If he still does not answer, let it go. Mismatched availability happens. A pattern of cancelling or going silent around plans is worth noticing, and one missed call is not a verdict on him.