Verizon Introducing Wi-Fi Calling To Android Smartphones This Week, iPhones Next Year
This week, Verizon will be rolling out a software update that will allow Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge users to make and receive calls and start video calls over Wi-Fi internet connections. The wireless network feature will be available to Verizon customers with Advanced Calling and will be useful whenever Verizon customers experience weak or no cellular coverage. The move makes Verizon the last major US carrier to offer Wi-Fi calling.
According to the telecommunications giant, the software update will be released in phases, with Samsung's flagship Android devices receiving the update this week. The feature will be made available to other Android smartphones and iPhones via software updates next year.
Calls over Wi-Fi networks have been promoted by telecommunications companies as a better way of communicating, as the technology allows for better call quality and a wider coverage of voice networks. Sprint and T-Mobile launched their Wi-Fi calling features in 2014, with AT&T following in their footsteps in October this year for Apple iPhones with iOS 9.
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Verizon is the last of the big US carriers to activate Wi-Fi calling, in part because it had to wait for the Federal Communications Commission to grant it the waiver allowing it to offer the service. The FCC waiver was required because Wi-Fi calling failed to meet the regulating body's rules on accessibility for hearing- and speech-impaired individuals.
Aside from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint, there are Wi-Fi-based carriers that connect to Wi-Fi by default and only connect to cellular networks when necessary. These Wi-Fi-only carriers include Scratch Wireless, Republic Wireless, and Google's Project Fi. Project Fi, which was introduced in April, can be accessed through the Google Nexus 6P, 5X, and 6.
According to Verizon, Wi-Fi calls to U.S. phone numbers are free of charge. Calls to foreign numbers will be charged at international long-distance rates.
