Wi-Fi Calling On The iPhone: How To Use It (In 4 Steps)
Wi-Fi Calling is probably a term you’ve heard thrown around for a while now–and you’ve most likely been wondering if your iPhone supports Wi-Fi Calling. The good news is all modern iPhones support Wi-Fi Calling.
But just what is a Wi-Fi call you ask? Many people assume it’s simply a VOIP call like you would place over Skype, but that’s not the case. Wi-Fi Calling allows you to use a wireless network to call people using your phone’s number–not a username (as traditional VOIP calling works).
Wi-Fi Calling is incredibly handy when you have a weak or non-existent cellular connection but still need to call someone. With Wi-Fi Calling, the iPhone will automatically reroute a call you place through your wireless router and the call will be sent as it would over a regular cellular network.
If you’ve ever been in your home or office in an area where your cellular signal drops off, you’ll see the immediate benefit of Wi-Fi Calling. It’s like giving your cellular signal a boost.
Wi-Fi Calling On iPhone: What Carriers Support It?
When Wi-Fi Calling first came out not many carriers supported it. That’s changed, however, in the last few years. Now virtually every major carrier supports Wi-Fi Calling.
In the U.S., carries that support Wi-Fi Calling includes:
- AT&T
- Sprint
- T-Mobile
- Verizon
In the U.K. carriers that support Wi-Fi Calling includes:
- BT Mobile
- EE
- FreedomPop
- iD Mobile
- O2
- Sky Mobile
- Three
- Vodafone
How To Set-Up An Use Wi-Fi Calling On iPhone
So, if your carrier supports Wi-Fi Calling, how do you set it up? Follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Phone.
- Tap Wi-Fi Calling.
- On the Wi-Fi Calling screen, toggle the “Wi-Fi Calling on This iPhone” switch to ON (green).
Depending on your carrier and location, you may be asked to confirm your physical address in case of an emergency. This is because, with Wi-Fi Calling, dialing emergency services will be routed through it if cellular isn’t available. If so, the emergency services will be able to see your device’s address and location, which could help aid in them reaching you faster.
Four steps? That’s it? Yep. Apple has made Wi-Fi Calling as simple as possible.
So now that your iPhone is set up for Wi-Fi Calling, how do you use it? Glad you asked. If your iPhone is connected to a Wi-Fi network, it will automatically route all calls through Wi-Fi calling if the signal is good enough.
This is because wireless networks often have a more stable connection than cellular networks in certain buildings (and depending on what the building is made from). So there’s no need to “activate” Wi-Fi Calling each time you call once you’ve set the future up on your device in the first place.
