Wifi Calling and 4G Calling

[tarantella]

What is the up-to-date situation on WiFi Calling and 4g Calling please, specifically in relation to iphones and Android devices NOT purchased from Three.

There are lots of conflicting bits of information floating around.

Will all new devices bought in 2023 now have Wifi Calling and 4g Calling fully enabled, or will there still be any restrictions or caveats?

I would really appreciate a full and comprehensive answer from one of the Moderators please: thanking you very much in advance.

[Peter_L]

Hello. I am using iPhone not purchased from Three and my 4G calls and WiFi Calls work perfectly fine.

[PeteG]

Hi, Tarantella. 

With WiFi calling (VoWifi) and 4G calling (VoLTE), it's not possible to give assurances that all handsets currently available, or going further into 2023 will be compatible. 

There are no active measures in place to prevent phones that are not sold by Three from working. This means most phones should work if the manufacturer has enabled these features.  

If you're unsure about a device though, we'd recommend contacting the manufacturer to ask if they support VoWifi and VoLTE, and if they lock the feature to certain networks. 

I can confirm I've used on Three - A Galaxy Note 9 bought from EE, an unlocked Galaxy S21, several unlocked Google Pixel devices ranging from the 4 to the 7, and these all worked with VoWifi and VoLTE. As you can probably see, @Peter_L has also mentioned below that he's using an iPhone that wasn't purchased from Three, and that works alright too. 

It's a good bet those manufacturers devices will work fine on Three, but it's always worth checking in with them before spending your money, just in case. 

Pete. 

[tarantella]

Hi @PeteG 

So, from what you have said do you think it would be safe to assume that Wifi-Calling and 4G Calling/VoLTE will work on my Three sim card on a Google Pixel 8A purchased directly from Google ?

[JonathanB]

Hey @tarantella,

We can't absolutely guarantee this when the handset is purchased elsewhere, but when sourced directly from the manufacturer you'll tend to get better results than unlocked from another provider who may have added their own carrier specific software.

As we do range Google Pixels, and I've personally used a Pixel 6 (direct from Google too) for 4g Calling and Wi-Fi calling, these are all good signs though.

I hope you can understand, we're obliged to add that small caveat that Google may be able to answer this more definitively, but should you run into any issues, we'll be happy to raise these with the relevant teams within Three. We ideally want VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling to work on as large a range of handsets and software versions as possible given the 3G switch offs completing this year.

Thanks,
Jonathan

[sc1999]

Samsung S21 FE not bought from 3 always seems to be on wifi calling. Also makes calls on 3, 4 and 5G.

[MZone]

My last 3 iPhones bought from Apple have worked fine on 3. Think non iPhones sometimes can cause problems dependant on the software. 

[PeppaSC]

I have a Motorola G82 and have just put a three payg SIM in (dual SIM phone), no VoLTE symbol is showing on the top of my screen for the three sim. My phone has these settings switched on and my 1pmobile (EE network) SIM still has 4g calling available for my phone. 

[PeppaSC]

Although I've just read elsewhere that not all providers offering 4g calling have VoLTE showing on the screen. Is this correct? I don't really want to add credit to the payg sim only to find it definitely doesn't. I've got this as a 2nd sim to try out signal at home, work etc before moving across. I definitely want wifi and 4g calling though and I know EE offer this. 

[sc1999]

On my Samsung the wifi calling symbol for 3 an Vodafone  is a phone with a wifi symbol above the mouthpiece.  I am on wifi but the wifi calling symbol is not showing as I have a strong mobile signal.