|
What is Wi-Fi Calling?
From a user experience perspective, Wi-Fi calling behaves just like a regular phone call—you dial a phone number as you normally would. You can use all of the same features you’re used to, like three-way calling and speakerphone, as you would with any other phone call.
The difference between Wi-Fi calling and regular phone calls happens behind the scenes. With Wi-Fi calling, the call is routed to a Wi-Fi network instead of your phone service provider’s network. We’ve all experienced at least one time where our phone provider’s coverage was spotty. In these scenarios, Wi-Fi calling can be a great alternative for when your smartphone is connected to a wireless network. If the call is being routed through a Wi-Fi network, it does not use data from your cellphone plan.
How Wi-Fi Calling Works
When Wi-Fi calling is enabled, your phone will automatically identify the strongest network available after you dial. Then, it will route the call through a cellular or Wi-Fi network—whichever happens to be the strongest at the time of the call. Enabling Wi-Fi calling doesn’t mean that you commit to routing calls solely through Wi-Fi. Instead, your call will route through a Wi-Fi network only if it is stronger than your carrier’s cellular network.
In most instances, your cellphone carrier will treat Wi-Fi calls as if they were regular calls. That means there typically aren’t any additional fees to use this feature, and your Wi-Fi call minutes will be deducted from your phone plan’s monthly allotment.
How You Can Use Wi-Fi Calling When There's Not Enough Cellular Signal
If your carrier has an outage, or if you're heading somewhere with a sparse cellular signal, you can likely still make calls or text using the internet. Despite the name, Wi-Fi calling also includes texting and video calls, effectively extending your mobile phone carrier services through the use of your home internet connection. In addition to the iPhone and Android smartphones, many basic flip phones also now include Wi-Fi calling support, making it a broadly accessible feature. Even SMS and MMS texts can be sent and received over Wi-Fi when this is set up.
Turn on Wi-Fi calling on iPhone
Wi-Fi calling can be turned on from within the iPhone's Settings app, and the options you'll see might vary slightly depending on the carrier you're using.
To get Wi-Fi calling activated, Settings > Cellular > Wi-Fi Calling, and enable Wi-Fi Calling on This iPhone. You'll then be prompted to input your address for emergency services, which will be used in the event cellular service isn't available when calling 911 but Wi-Fi is.
You can also allow other Apple devices to make Wi-Fi calls even when your iPhone isn't nearby. From within that Wi-Fi Calling menu, enabling Add Wi-Fi Calling For Other Devices will bring up any other Mac computers or iPads that are also able to place calls (carrier dependent). You can then turn the feature on for each individual device. The Apple Watch is automatically enabled for Wi-Fi calling when this feature is turned on.
Turn on Wi-Fi calling on Android
The exact steps for turning on Wi-Fi calling from an Android phone will vary depending on your device, but broadly speaking you can also turn the feature on from the device's settings app.
After opening Settings > Connections. This option might be labeled Network & Internet. If you see a Wi-Fi calling option, tap it. You might first have to tap Mobile Network before seeing it. You can also opt to use the Settings menu's search box to find "Wi-Fi calling." If your device supports the feature, you'll then be able to turn the Wi-Fi calling option on.
| 
