AppleInsider Staff
While not mentioned by name during Apple's WWDC keynote on Monday, the company is rolling out a Wi-Fi voice calling feature in iOS 8 when the operating system launches this fall. T-Mobile has confirmed the iPhone function will work on its network.
In a post to its official blog shortly after the WWDC 2014 keynote ended, T-Mobile confirmed that it will support iOS 8's Wi-Fi calling feature when it rolls out to iPhones later this year.
T-Mobile's chief marketing officer Mike Sievert noted that the telecom was the first U.S. provider to introduce Wi-Fi calling for certain Android and Windows devices in 2007. Sievert said that when iOS 8 debuts, over 90 percent of T-Mobile's smartphones will support the function.
As with other carriers' Wi-Fi calling implementations, T-Mobile's solution allows users to connect to and make calls from Wi-Fi networks for free. Advantages on the subscriber side include a more reliable and stable connection as well as enhanced audio quality and better battery performance. For the carrier, Wi-Fi calling takes load off the cellular backbone and can help ease bandwidth issues in congested areas.
Apple listed Wi-Fi calling in a single slide that lumped together new iOS features too small to mention or spend significant time explaining during the keynote.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
43 Comments
Is this something that's already available on AT&T and Verizon?
Is this something that's already available on AT&T and Verizon?
No. It's only available on T-Mobile for now for any phone. This function is related to VoLTE, so it's not surprising it's happening now.
AT&T and Verizon use microcells to accomplish the same result.
Is this something that's already available on AT&T and Verizon?
Pretty sure its been available on all carriers for some time via Google Hangouts, but you'd have to be willing to run a Google product on your phone
[quote name="konqerror" url="/t/180433/t-mobile-confirms-support-for-wi-fi-calling-on-iphones-running-ios-8#post_2544506"] No. It's only available on T-Mobile for now for any phone. This function is related to VoLTE, so it's not surprising it's happening now. AT&T and Verizon use microcells to accomplish the same result. [/quote] It's not related to VoLTE. It's using a wifi network to make phone calls. The two have nothing to do with each other. I believe Sprint also has the same feature.
That's not really the same thing though. For example, AT&T's MicroCell kind of sucks. The range is limited and it won't hand off from MicroCell to MicroCell. The result is that in our house, you can't move from one area to another without the call dropping. Plus you have to buy the MicroCells and have them positioned near a window for a GPS signal. It works, but it's not nearly the same as being able to simply roam around the house and be on a call anywhere with WiFi.
Also, AT&T's MicroCell limits the number of people who can be registered to connect, again, much different from allowing guest access to your WiFi network. They also have to be an AT&T subscriber.