Mobile Phone

The cell phone is a portable phone that has been carried by the protagonist of the Grand Theft Auto games since Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, excluding Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. The phone is usually used to communicate with other characters without being in person, but its use has been expanded in Grand Theft Auto IV.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Tommy Vercetti receives missions from his cell phone as well as calls from in-game characters about random topics.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Carl Johnson has a cell phone which he uses on missions. He also gets after-missions calls for storyline purposes and frequently gets tips from other characters, as well as a few prank calls from a certain ex-girlfriend.

Grand Theft Auto IV
The use of the cell phone is greatly expanded in Grand Theft Auto IV. Niko Bellic can use the phone (given to him by his cousin Roman during the second mission) to make calls, a new feature.

He can now call his friends and girlfriends to hang out or go on dates respectively, and can now receive text and picture messages from people. Niko can also use his phone to access cheats, go to multiplayer, and call emergency vehicles (like Police Cars, Ambulances, and Fire Trucks) for assistance. The second model of phone is equipped with a camera, used in certain missions. Use of the phone can also trigger some missions, like the The Holland Play, and preemptively calling some characters will occasionally trigger story-related dialogue early.

The theme and ringtone of the phone can be changed via a website on the in-game internet. The two phones held by Niko at different stages of the game are Badger and Whiz.

If the player has damaged a vehicle so far that the engine won't start, the cell phone can be used to repair it by calling any number or contact. If in a hurry, after starting to call the number/contact, as soon as the screen says "Calling..." cancel the call and the vehicle should start.