Wifi Calling texts not working

[aka_pseudonym]

I have two iPhones with two different Three numbers.  Neither are receiving texts over wifi calling.  Both are fine for actual calls using wifi calling.  "Three Wifi Call" is displayed at the top so they are connected.  Is there a current issue?  I've tried rebooting, resetting network, iMessage on and off, wifi calling off-on, and everything else I can think of - even swapped routers!  It's very irksome as logging on to some things require that I receive a security code. I have no mobile signal (for any network) where I live.  Always worked fine in the past - for years - but I first noticed texts weren't arriving late last week.  Any help please?

[JonathanB · Accepted solution]

Hi @aka_pseudonym,

Welcome to the Three Community.

That's very strange, I'm not aware of any current issues with receiving texts whilst on WiFi calling signal. 

Just to confirm, does it definitely seem to be relating to being on WiFi instead of mobile signal? Did all the missing texts arrive as soon as you went to an area where you were picking up signal again?

Are both routers on the same service provider, if so, can you potentially test on a friend, neighbour, or family members WiFi to see if the issue persists?

Let me know on the above, and I'll check into the next steps. 🙂

JonathanB

[aka_pseudonym]

Hello Jonathan - thanks for replying.  As you suggested I went to get a signal (1.5 miles away sat in the car) and a plethora of login security code texts arrived on both iPhones. So it was the wifi call element which was blocking them. Back with wifi only all now seems to be working.  However one phone took multiple reboots, wifi calling off/on, hard resets etc and about an hour before it would say "Three Wifi Call".  Other phone was fine almost immediately.

For reference one is a '6 on iOS 12.5 and the other an 'SE on iOS 15.7.  So it's not an iOS 16 bug surprisingly!  I also turned off iMessage on both so I could test by swapping texts when I had a mobile signal and that wouldn't turn back on on either - said it needed Mobile Data which it had.  So all very, very strange.

[JonathanB]

Hi @aka_pseudonym,

Thanks for confirming that it's started working again, that's great to hear. Let me know if this issue crops up again. Just to check, did this iMessage issue fix itself too, or is it still not reactivating?

JonathanB

[aka_pseudonym]

Yes @JonathanB , once the phones had wifi.  No idea why they didn't with mobile data.  And no idea what caused the problem in the first place.  Presumably it was either the Three text server not sending the messages, or it was the phones not accepting the messages, but no idea which, or why, or what messed it up initially, or why it was cured with a mobile signal. (Maybe I'll start a conspiracy theory and blame GCHQ for being slow getting around to reading my texts.)

[aka_pseudonym]

Stopped working again, so that didn't last long.  What is going on?  Any ideas @JonathanB ?

[PeteG]

That's not so good. Can you try placing the phones in Flight Mode/Airplane Mode and then manually turn the Wi-Fi back on to see if it's able to connect to Wi-Fi calling and texting then? 

Pete.

[aka_pseudonym]

@PeteG Both iPhones connect to wifi calling and display "wifi call" at the top.  Both phones can make and receive calls over wifi.  But neither phone is receiving texts. I would expect - from recent experience - if I take them to somewhere where they can get a mobile signal then missing texts will arrive, and they'll get texts over wifi until the next time they are shut down.  Once restarted they won't.  But "wifi call" will show and calls will be fine.

Incidentally - and I didn't realise this - turning on airplane mode on the phone running iOS12 switches off wifi too, but on the phone running iOS15 it doesn't.

[Skylark001]

We are in the same boat.  Please see my message below.  The problem still has not been solved by Three.  Several of their assistants have promised to fix the problem and to phone me on my landline but the problem remains and nobody at Three has phoned me.  If you're still having the problem, could we join forces?

[Skylark001]

@aka_pseudonym.  I am so pleased to have found your alarm call, as I have been having exactly the same problem for the last two weeks!  I live in a remote rural location, have no mobile signal, so am dependent upon connecting my phone to my broadband via wifi.  On my phone, via my wifi connection, I can email, browse the internet, and provided wifi-calling is switched on I can send and receive calls.  I can also receive texts from a neighbour whose account is with EE as long as my wifi-calling is switched on.  But for two weeks I have not been instantly receiving security codes (verification codes) from my bank, and online sellers.  Sometimes their security codes will appear on my phone a day late.  Sometimes their security codes have never appeared.  Like you, if I drive 30 minutes to my nearest town, where there is good mobile reception, I will receive a "dump" of late texts. 

This issue is serious for me as we are dependent upon receiving security codes within the brief window in which they have to be used to verify one's identify (usually within 10 minutes).  On Sunday I did the monthly grocery shopping and had to pay a hefty bill at check-out.  The supermarket diverted to my bank and my bank required me to type in a security code which they had sent to my phone, but of course the security code never appeared on my phone.

For over a week I have been reporting this to Three via their Twitter account and via their Chat facility.  The people operating Three's Twitter account speak good English and clearly understand what I tell them, but they always say they can't do anything to help and that I have to go to Three's Chat facility.  When I go to Three's Chat facility I always get someone who doesn't speak good English and, so far, I have had to explain how "Wifi-Calling" works to each one of them - because each one of them has clearly had absolutely no idea of what "Wifi-Calling" even is!  One person could only see the "Wifi-" part of "Wifi-Calling" and kept insisting that "for all wifi problems you must go to your broadband provider"!  I think I had to tell him half a dozen times before he accepted it that it obviously wasn't a wifi problem because he and I were "chatting" perfectly well via my mobile phone being connected to my broadband service via wifi!

Anyway the problem of not receiving security codes from Three via Wifi-Calling remains and I am at my wit's end.  I'm a pensioner and the final years of my life shouldn't be blighted by problems like this.  Beside needing security codes to purchase our groceries online, my doctor and my pharmacy contact me by way of texts.  Texting has become commonplace.  Some sites, like eBay, will not email security codes to customers.  So what am I to do?