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By: Gordon Kinlaw

WiFi Calling

Where has this been?? Don’t they know how bad cell signals are inside an office building in rural NC? After thousands of cellular repeaters have been installed, iOS 9.3 brought us WiFi-assisted calling. Prior to this we could only make Facetime Audio calls to another iPhone user over the WiFi network.

This means that you MAY be able to make and get calls in your office or warehouse. You must have good WiFi service. It must be included in your carrier’s service, it must be turned on in settings and not blocked on your phone plan.

It works by routing your calls via the web to some carrier’s server. By switching the setting on, you let your carrier know that you are available on WiFi for calls and then the calls are routed when your cell signal is weak. So far, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile support WiFi calling. US Cellular is not there yet. There are no additional charges unless you are being charged for using WiFi.

I have mine turned on and do not know how to determine if a WiFi call was placed vs Cellular. Here’s how to turn it on: Go to Settings/Phone/WiFi calling and toggle it on. As soon as you do that a 911 calling information screen will pop up. They want your home address for a 911 call but I’m pretty sure location data may also be provided via the local network.

When you finish, you will notice that your carrier’s name will be followed by “Wi-Fi”.

If you do not find this method workable for calls in your building or home, get a local computer dealer to install a cellular repeater. If you are a DIY’er, find one online. Search for your carrier and 4G cellular booster. ie “verizon 4g cellular booster”.

The southeast side of E-town near the airport has a very poor Verizon signal. Give the

WiFi assist method a try in that area.