Among the new settings options and user interface tweaks in Monday's iOS 8 beta release, Apple has switched on Wi-Fi calling for T-Mobile handsets, granting developers with access to the software a chance to test out the feature.
As seen in the screenshot above, Wi-Fi calling is now a selectable option for T-Mobile iPhones running Apple's latest iOS 8 beta 3 software that was released alongside a new OS X 10.10 Yosemite developer preview build earlier today.
The addition comes one month after T-Mobile chief marketing officer Mike Sievert said the feature would be supported in Apple's final iOS 8 build. Canadian cellular provider Rogers Wireless also announced its network will be compatible with iOS 8's Wi-Fi calling function on rollout.
Like other carriers' Wi-Fi voice calling solutions, T-Mobile's version offloads incoming and outgoing calls to a local wireless network, offering a more reliable and stable connection as well as enhanced audio quality and better battery performance. As a plus, Wi-Fi calling takes load off the cellular network backbone and can help ease bandwidth issues in congested areas.
Under current terms, T-Mobile subscribers are allowed to connect to and make calls from Wi-Fi networks as part of their monthly subscription, though usage counts against plan messaging and minutes.
When Apple's iOS 8 debuts this fall, over 90 percent of T-Mobile's smartphone offerings will support the feature first rolled out with select Android and Windows devices in 2007.
39 Comments
Hmmm. At first, I though "This is how the cell carriers will degenerate into dumb pipes. They'll be little more than glorified ISPs. They'll have no value-add." On second thought, wi-fi calling will give them an excuse to drag their feet building out their LTE and next-gen "real 4G" networks*. And they'll be using ISP bandwidth to generate all that subscription revenue. Without giving ISPs a cut. Pretty sleazy. Of course, the consumer benefits, right? * LTE is not real 4G. LTE is just the last iteration of 3G. Real 4G will eventually provide 100Mbps in high mobility situations (trains and cars) and 1Gbps in low mobility situations (pedestrians and stationary.) And there will no longer be any need for separate voice and data connections. It will all be IP packetized data, the same way your dumb-pipe ISP now handles your emailing, texting, web surfing, Netflix-ing, etc. Will be funny to see if the carriers still try to sell separate "voice" and "data" plans when real 4G is finally rolled out.
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I am not seeing this option. I have tmo and iPhone 5.
And iOS 8?
[quote name="Tallest Skil" url="/t/181247/apple-activates-wi-fi-calling-for-t-mobile-iphones-with-latest-ios-8-beta#post_2560627"] And iOS 8? [/quote] Yep. 8 beta 3