Few things annoy us as much as a phone call drop due to spotty cellular coverage. For some, the cellular outage is a constant concern. And weak cellular reception also affects your phone’s battery life. Fortunately, many wireless carriers including AT&T and T-Mobile are now supporting WiFi calling on their network. It means you can use WiFi to make and receive phone calls if you are in an area with little or no cellular coverage.
How to enable the feature on your iPhone
Unlike FaceTime Audio, WiFi calling is a carrier-based technology. When using WiFi calling, the voice packets aren’t routed through your carrier’s cellular tower. Instead, the packets are channeled through the Internet to your carrier’s controller, from where they bounce across the network. It is an absolute savior if you have inconsistent cellular reception.
If your carrier supports WiFi calling, you can enable it to enjoy crisper, clearer calls with your friends and family. Here’s the step-by-step guide to enable it:
- Launch the Settings app
- Tap Phone and then WiFi Calling
- Toggle on the ‘WiFi Calling on This iPhone’
- Now you’ll get a warning about location data and the information your carrier collects. Tap Enable on the popup
- Go through the Terms of Service and accept them
- Depending on the carrier, you may be asked to provide an Emergency Call Address (when you dial 911 but they cannot locate you on WiFi, the Emergency Call Address gives them a place to send assistance)
- Now tap Save and Close
Enable WiFi calling on other devices
You can also turn it on for other devices. If your carrier supports the feature on iCloud-connected devices, you can make and receive calls on other devices even when your iPhone isn’t turned on or on the same WiFi network. Here’s how to enable the feature on other devices:
- Go to Settings app
- Head over to Phone and then WiFi Calling
- Select Add WiFi Calling for Other Devices
- You’ll get a prompt to set up sync for other devices in a Safari WebView.
- When you are finished, you would receive alerts on other devices confirming that the feature has been enabled
