Poor reception is frustrating at the best of times, but having poor (or non-existant) service in your own home can deeply affect your ability to communicate with people around you, from having to go outside in the rain to get enough service to make a call, to having to pay for a landline phone you could otherwise do without.
The solution, though, could be simple!
What is Wi-Fi Calling?
Wi-Fi Calling is a setting some phones have that enables them to do regular calling and texting over Wi-Fi instead of cellular signal. When the phone determines signal quality to be marginal or worse, it will seamlessly switch to Wi-Fi Calling and allow you to make and receive calls exactly as you normally do. This means that even if you have no cell service at all, your phone will work just fine.
This article will help you get started.
What do I need?
- You need a phone on which your carrier supports Wi-Fi Calling. The majority of phones released in the last few years will likely work. Telus has a list available here: https://www.telus.com/en/bc/support/article/wifi-calling-explained
Note that in a few cases, if a phone wasnt purchased through your carrier it may not support wi-fi calling.
- Your plan and carrier must support Wi-Fi Calling. For Telus, this primarily means you cannot use Wi-Fi Calling on a prepaid account. Additionally, wi-fi calling will not function when you are out of the country.
- You must have both Wi-Fi and cell service at the time you initially activate Wi-Fi Calling.
How do I do it?
First, you need to find the setting on your phone.
On iPhones, open your Settings app, then navigate through:
| 1. Cellular | 2. Wi-Fi Calling | 3. Turn Wi-Fi Calling on |
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On most Android phones, you can find it under the connection settings, or in the setting in your phone app:
| 1. Open Phone/Dialer App | 2. Look for an option for settings, often 3 dots near the top | 3. Open Settings in the phone app |
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| 4. Wi-Fi Calling might be here, otherwise try looking under "calls" or "more settings" | 5. When you find it, choose "Wi-Fi Calling" | 6. Turn on Wi-Fi Calling |
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When you enable Wi-Fi Calling, you will be directed to a webpage from your carrier prompting for your cell phone number. They will then send you a code via text message, which you enter to continue. Lastly, it will require you to enter your address - this is used if you call 911, as Wi-Fi Calling does not transmit precise location information.
If you encounter an error when enabling wi-fi calling, check to make sure both LTE and VoLTE (voice over LTE) are enabled on your phone. Otherwise, contact your carrier for assistance.
If the option to enable Wi-Fi Calling is not present, it may not be supported by your phone.
Now what?
That's it! This setting doesn't need to be proactively changed; the phone will automatically use Wi-Fi Calling if required. You'll know which is in use by some indication at the top of your display, eg "Telus Wi-Fi" in place of just "Telus", but this makes no difference in terms of how you use you phone. Just make calls and send messages as you normally do.
If Wi-Fi Calling isn't an option for you, the solution may instead be found in a signal booster. As long as you have a bit of signal, a booster will likely turn it into something usable for calling. We offer boosters for both home and vehicles.
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