What is Wi-fi Calling and how to do it?

Apart from calling, there is a new word in the telecoms industry: Wi-Fi calling. Because this word is relatively new, we recognise that the vast majority of people have not heard of it. However, it is important to understand what Wi-Fi calling entails because it is the future of calling and a fantastic feature.

So, if this is your first time hearing about WiFi calling, it is essentially a means to make calls over a strong network while still dialling from the same mobile number. Consider a situation in which you have a fantastic WiFi network but bad cell service; here is when WiFi calling comes in handy.

With the aid of WiFi calling, you will no longer need to make calls through your service provider and will be able to call over WiFi. This implies that even if you have good WiFi but your mobile connection is weak for any reason, you can still make calls. Furthermore, this will open up a whole new use case, such as basement offices where people frequently complain about not receiving calls or messages despite the fact that they have WiFi since it is wired but no network signals because it is wireless.

It is worth mentioning that both Apple and Android smartphones allow WiFi calling, implying that there are no limitations to this technology. Aside from the convenience, it should be mentioned that making calls via a powerful WiFi network will enhance call quality, which means that call dropouts and similar occurrences will be a thing of the past.

WiFi calling is further distinguished by the fact that calls over WiFi are made using the VoIP protocol, which stands for Voice over Internet, rather than the VoLTE protocol, which stands for Voice over LTE network. To further understand this, applications like WhatsApp, Skype, and Facebook Messenger also make calls through the VoIP network, which is essentially WiFi calling, because VoLTE calls require a cellular network, which may not be accessible in some distant places.

It is also worth mentioning that there are no additional fees for this service. It operates just like regular phone calls via a cellular network, and the cost that applies to conventional calls will also apply to WiFi calls.

As previously said, WiFi calling is enabled on both iOS and Android devices, and you only need to select the option to call through WiFi. When you activate it, you will be able to make calls over WiFi even when no signals are available, and this will happen automatically.

To activate WiFi calling on an iOS device, follow the steps outlined below:

On your iPhone, go to Settings and then to the Mobile Data area.
If your network supports it, you will see a WiFi calling option here.
Enable the “Wi-Fi Calling on This iPhone” option, and WiFi calling will be enabled.

Follow the instructions below to enable WiFi calling on your Android device:

On your Android smartphone, go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi Preferences > Advanced. (Alternatively, depending on the Android Skin on your device, there may be a direct choice for Advanced Calling.)

You will notice the Wi-Fi calling option here, which must be activated.