What Is Wifi Calling? Should You Care?

Wifi calling literally refers to the act of placing phone calls and sending text messages over a Wifi connection rather than the usual cellular network. Wifi calling technology was designed for situations where the cellular network is unavailable or spotty; you can simply get connected to the Wifi and make calls.

what is Wifi calling

Modern day applications like Whatsapp, Facebook messenger, Skype and others have provided some form of Wifi calling which requires users to have one or more of the apps installed. You’d then make the call or send the message through one of these apps as long as you’re connected to the internet via cellular data or Wifi.

Wifi calling is different. You don’t need any of these apps. Wifi calling enabled handsets have the Wifi calling feature baked right into the dialer. When you don’t have cellular network, you can use a Wifi connection instead.

Both your handset and your phone carrier should support this feature before you can use it. All four major US carriers (T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T and Verizon) provide built-in Wi-Fi calling. Most carriers in other countries don’t have this support. This makes it a less than ideal way to communicate with people from all over the world.

Do I Need Wifi Calling?

With the popularity of instant messaging,  voice calling and video calling apps growing, Wifi calling is not really necessary. With these apps, you can either use cellular data or Wifi to make calls and send messages.

Actually this Wifi calling feature was adopted by carriers to enable them increase the scope they cover without actually spending a lot of money on infrastructure. Although cheaper than roaming networks, some carriers will actually charge you for using Wifi calling.

Conclusion:

In my opinion, you can let Wifi calling go. Even without trying, you’re better off with Whatsapp,  Facebook messenger,  Skype e.t.c. Here is a better list of apps you can use to make free international calls over the internet.

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