What is Wi-Fi calling? Is it worth turning on? What’re the PROS and CONS? Here’s everything you need to know about Wi-Fi calling on iPhone…
Back in the day, if you wanted to make a call over Wi-Fi on your iPhone, you’d have to use Apple’s FaceTime. Nowadays, however, you can make ACTUAL calls over Wi-Fi on your iPhone. And it is as easy as following these four simple steps…
How To Set Up Wi-Fi Calling on iPhone
- Open up Settings
- Tap Phone > Wi-Fi Calling
- Toggle Wi-Fi Calling to the on position
- A warning will show, click Enable
And that’s it, you’ve just enabled Wi-Fi calling on your iPhone. Simple, right?
Wi-Fi Calling vs. Cellular Calling – What’s The Difference?
You’re probably wondering what Wi-Fi calling on iPhone is, right? If you are, fret not, it’s simple enough to understand. Normally, when you make calls on your phone, your call is routed through the nearest cell tower for your carrier’s network. And this is fine if you live in an area with plenty of cell towers and you have good reception.
But if you live in an area with limited or poor reception, making and receiving calls over your network can become next to impossible. This is where Wi-Fi calling comes into play.
With Wi-Fi calling, your calls are packaged using an internet connection instead of a cell tower. This means, if you live in an area with poor cell tower coverage, you can make calls using Wi-Fi instead.
The only downside to Wi-Fi calling on iPhone is that your carrier must support it – and not all of them do. Make sure to check with your provider to ensure that you can make or receive Wi-Fi calls before setting up Wi-Fi Calling on your iPhone. Most major US and UK networks support Wi-Fi Calling, however, so the majority of people shouldn’t have any issues in this regard.
Benefits of Wi-Fi Calling
There are many benefits associated with Wi-Fi calling, but the most notable are as follows:
- Crisper, Clearer Call Quality – If you live in an area that has limited mobile reception, you can use Wi-Fi Calling to make calls. And these calls will be crystal clear and sound just as good as when you have full network coverage.
- You Can Make Calls Underground – If you use the subway a lot, and want to make calls, you can do this with Wi-Fi Calling, providing you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network. This applies to things like buses and other forms of transport as well.
- Calling When Abroad – If you’re on holiday and you don’t want to use your minutes by making calls over mobile data, simply switch to Wi-Fi calls and make all your calls over your home from home’s WiFi network.
Does My iPhone Support Wi-Fi Calling?
All modern iPhones support Wi-Fi Calling. All you have to do is make sure Wi-Fi Calling is set up correctly and that your network/carrier supports it if you’re using a locked iPhone. If you’re using an unlocked iPhone, just follow the steps at the top of this post to enable Wi-Fi Calling on your iPhone.
Things To Keep In Mind
Wi-Fi Calling is a super-handy feature to enable on your iPhone. Even if you have unlimited calls and texts, there are still scenarios where WiFi Calling will come in handy – like when you’re on holiday or in an area with zero mobile reception.
As noted throughout this post, you need to make sure your carrier/network supports WiFi Calling. Do this before you enable the feature. If you’re using an unlocked iPhone, the process is a lot simpler – just follow the steps above and you’re all set to start using Wi-Fi calling on your iPhone.
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Richard Goodwin
Richard Goodwin has been working as a tech journalist for over 10 years. He is the editor and owner of KnowYourMobile.