WiFi calling on a mobile phone......

[ProDave]

Does anyone understand it, and why it has to be so complicated and difficult.

 

My phone is an old Samsung A3.  It used to belong to SWMBO but she bought a new one as she needed more memory.  

 

I currently have it on a Sky Mobile contract, which uses the O2 network.  It won't do wifi calling.  It should do, the option to turn wifi calling on is simply missing from the menu where everything tells me it should be.  And searching says if the wifi calling option is not there it is because your provider does not support it.  Sky mobile say they do and it is enabled.

 

I have recently got another phone, a OnePlus 3.  No idea who makes them.  So I tried my SIM in that.  Still no wifi calling option.  I found some complicated instructions on a web search to turn on wifi calling, even of your provider does not support it.  That gets me a little further, it now says "no mobile network found, connect to a wireless network to make a call"   I assume when it says "wireless network" it means wifi?  Well I AM connected to the home wifi.  So another attempt failed.

 

I then tried SWMBO's sim in my phone, wifi calling works on her phone, but her sim does not enable the wifi calling on my phone.  While the cards were out, I tried my sim on her phone and blow my socks off, wifi calling works, so the sim does support it?

 

I then found an old out of service plusnet sim, and tried that in my phone, and up pops the missing wifi calling option, even though that sim is long since out of service.

 

So why does it have to be so complicated, wifi calling will only work with a certain combination of phone and SIM and no way pf predicting what will work until you try it, so no I am not going to go and buy another phone only to find I am out of luck again.

 

Sky mobile are next to useless, all they can say is wifi calling is enables which must be true as it works is SWMBO's phone.

 

So where do I go from here to get something you would have thought was simple, to actually work?

[RichardL]

I can't help with your specific issue - but a parallel which might help shed some light.

I use wifi calling on my work phone, when a new phone was issued - same number but new sim the option went away.I had to call the network provider to get it re-enabled on the specific SIM serial # (rather than phone #) and a cold re-start on the phone.

Wifi calling was enabled on my account but not on the new SIM.

It may be a case of getting through to the network helpcentre?

Update/thought - I also had to take the phone to an area with a signal to get it to turn on the wifi - which is daft right - but it seems like it had to 'phone home' on the phone network to see the permission to turn on WIFI calling.

Edited January 8, 2023 by RichardL

[TerryE]

Not all networks offer this as standard. See Which UK networks offer Wi-Fi Calling?  In short you get what you pay for and the low cost offering typically exclude this.  I have a sim-free Talkmobile deal which gives me effectively unlimited talk-time and texts and 15Gb data (usable in EU) but no Wifi calling at £7.50 PCM, so I am happy with this compromise: I use VoIP services such as WhatsApp for long calls, or take my mobile upstairs where I can get a good enough signal.

 

[ProDave]

The problem I am having is really a symptom of another problem.

 

We have always only had a weak mobile signal from O2 or Vodaphone.  So for years we have used O2.  No other provider has covered out house.  It is was a usable signal throughout most of the house.

 

It all started to go wrong last year.  Twice the one mast serving our house went off, I reported the fault, and it was back in a week and everything worked.  It went off again on 9th December.  According to O2 is is now back on, but i get absolutely no signal at home, even if I go outside and walk up and down the road.  I reported the fault again only to get another email 10 minutes later to say the fault is fixed.

 

My concern is we only ever got 2G indoors and 3G outdoors.  Most of the providers are planning to shut down their 2G and 3G services, though O2 have saif they will be the last to shut down 2G.  So my fear is that's it, they have gone and shut down the 2G service from this mast and not boosted or improved the 4G signal from it.  Of course you can't get to talk to anyone that actually knows what is going on to give you a proper technical description of what they have or have not done.

 

So the quest to get wifi calling has gone from something that has just niggled me that is does not work, to much more important.

 

With me retiring this year, I care less about customers not being able to contact me (though I expect there are some already that can't get hold of me) the landline (in itself a VOIP service) will do for calls and Whatsapp works for those that use it. BUT when you log into a lot of services they insist on sending an SMS verification code.  That does not work now unless I take at least a mile walk over the brow of the hill (by which time the code has time expired) or drive up the road to get it.  Pure nonsense.  So I need to get wifi calling working in the easiest / cheapest way.

[Kelvin]

Rather than phone your operator go in to one of their shops (dunno if sky offer this but presumably you could still go into an O2 place) WiFi calling generally has to be enabled by the operator. Trying to navigate their call centre is a pia. We’re with Vodafone and have Apple phones and, like the advert says, it just works. It also works on a Samsung A3 backup phone. 

[Pocster]

The issue as others have said is that ‘cheap ‘ providers won’t offer it . Also ‘old’ phones may be an issue .

Being in my underground mega complex we rely on WiFi calling on our superior Apple phones ( superior to Android junk 😎😉 ).

The more you ‘pay’ the more you get . You can purchase radio mast amplifiers for the various operators to extend to a poor signal area , but these are expensive .

@ProDave you know it to be your calling . Upgrade to a modern Apple phone ( not the latest models ! ) - then enjoy the benefits .

Join me young Jedi . Accept your fate , your destiny . I am your father !!!

 

You can scream Noooooooo! At that point and be a humble left handed , vegetarian , Android user ( who had a zx spectrum ) .

Edited January 8, 2023 by pocster

[IanR]

2 hours ago, ProDave said:

...the landline (in itself a VOIP service) will do for calls and Whatsapp works for those that use it. BUT when you log into a lot of services they insist on sending an SMS verification code.  That does not work now ...

 

VOIP Services can send/receive SMS messages. Don't know if all offer it though. Works with Yay.com and the others I trialled before deciding on Yay.

[Tosh]

I've used Lebara for a number of years which uses the Voda network. Intially couldn't use wifi calling on Lebara whereas Vod did offer it to their own customers. Thankfully Lebara now offer it. I believe Vod/O2 entered into an agreement 2021 to share infrastructure thus I wonder whether that 'merger' has impacted your local mast?

[ProDave]

8 minutes ago, Tosh said:

I've used Lebara for a number of years which uses the Voda network. Intially couldn't use wifi calling on Lebara whereas Vod did offer it to their own customers. Thankfully Lebara now offer it. I believe Vod/O2 entered into an agreement 2021 to share infrastructure thus I wonder whether that 'merger' has impacted your local mast?

The point is, Sky say it is offered and say it is enabled on my sim, but of all the phones I have yet been able to try it in, only one works.

 

I have taken the easy option and ordered a replacement sim.  If that does not work I will have to phone them again.

[Tosh]

Was mobile data turned off on the phones that it didn't work on? Read somewhere that it can cause conflict with wifi calling.

[ProDave]

42 minutes ago, Tosh said:

Was mobile data turned off on the phones that it didn't work on? Read somewhere that it can cause conflict with wifi calling.

No, been round all the settinga again and again and followed every guide I can find.  It really looks like wifi calling is not enabled on the sim, except it works in wifes phone.

[Jenki]

not an answer to the problem, but buy the same phone as the Mrs? 

[Kelvin]

11 hours ago, ProDave said:

No, been round all the settinga again and again and followed every guide I can find.  It really looks like wifi calling is not enabled on the sim, except it works in wifes phone.

ergo it must be enabled on the SIM. 

[SteamyTea]

15 hours ago, pocster said:

Join me young Jedi

Padawan.

 

The only way Dave will touch a phone made in the last 5 years is if he finds one.

[Nickfromwales]

7 hours ago, Jenki said:

not an answer to the problem, but buy the same phone as the Mrs? 

I feel a crowd-fund event a-coming........ 

[SteamyTea]

Just now, Nickfromwales said:

I feel a crowd-fund event a-coming........ 

Here is my two penneth.

Charity begins at home.

[Nickfromwales]

Just now, SteamyTea said:

Here is my two penneth.

Charity begins at home.

Not even half a pasty?

[SteamyTea]

Just now, Nickfromwales said:

Not even half a pasty?

There is never that much left, unless it is a large one from Phelps. 

[ProDave]

Okay finally a resolution to the wifi calling issue.

 

Sky have been spectacularly unhelpful, all they can say is wifi calling should be enabled and they even sent me a replacement sim but it did not work still and they could offer no other help.

 

Regarding the lack of signal at home they say the fault at the local mast is fixed but I don't get a signal still.  So to try and investigate I asked them to give me the location of the local mast so I could do a signal survey and see if the mast is actually working if I go closer to it.  No response from sky and no further help.

 

So i started looking at alternatives.  1P Mobile was one that came up, it uses the EE network and claims to do wifi calling.  So i ordered their cheapest PAYG sim to try it.

 

That arrived today, activated it and put it in my phone, and as if by magic, the wifi calling option appeared in the phones menu.  The phone can do wifi calling, it just needs to be told by the sim card that the provider supports that, and in spite of what Sky say, it would appear they do not.

 

So I can now once again make and receive calls at home.  My next job is get a PAC code, transfer my proper number over to 1P and then tell Sky where to stick their lousy "service".  And when the PAYG sim runs out of credit swap it to one of the pay monthly options.

 

The worst part of this has been the untruths and lack of help from Sky mobile.  I definitely could not recommend them to anyone.

[Kelvin]

Good stuff. As I said before, it’s generally better to go into one of the phone store branches if possible. The call centres are poor at resolving anything beyond the scripted stuff everyone phones about. 

[Adsibob]

Probably a stupid question, but have you:

checked the specs of the phone model to check that the phone itself supports wifi calling?

gone into network settings and enabled wifi calling? - I think you said you did that, but it wasn’t clear. There is a “wifi calling” setting, different to data.

i have actually disabled my wifi calling  as I find the call quality is better on 4G. But I guess that’s not an option in the sticks.

Edited January 14, 2023 by Adsibob

[ProDave]

57 minutes ago, Adsibob said:

checked the specs of the phone model to check that the phone itself supports wifi calling?

gone into network settings and enabled wifi calling? - I think you said you did that, but it wasn’t clear. There is a “wifi calling” setting,

What I have discovered is the option to turn on wifi calling only appears then the network operator supports it and enables it on the sim.  That was the whole problem.  It took a change of network operator to find one that does it properly.

[ProDave]

The plot thickens on the "poor signal at home" issue. (now solved with wifi calling so just academic interest)

 

Today i have been out with 2 phones, old Sky ()2) sim in one, and new 1p (EE) sim in the other.  Neither gets a signal at home in spite of both networks saying coverage should be good and no known network problems.

 

Go about a mile away from home up a hill a bit so I am looking down on the local town, both phones get a signal and work fine.

 

I have the app Network Cell Info lite on the phone that us supposed to tell you things like what network you are connected to what band and what signal strength.  When "out of signal" on the phone it gives some really weird readings like sometimes the signal strength pointer jumping up to maximum.

 

I am wondering if there is a local interference issue rather than a "fault" with one of the networks.  

 

Just musing possibilities, a portable spectrum analyser would be handy.....

[Temp]

Phone issues can be strange. We had three or four phones on Asda before they switched networks. After the switch one couldn't get a good signal. I guess that phone just didn't work as well on the new frequency. 

[Temp]

19 minutes ago, ProDave said:

 

I am wondering if there is a local interference issue rather than a "fault" with one of the networks.  

 

 

 

One of your neighbours got an illegal booster perhaps?