Many individuals rely on their mobile phones as a primary means of communication. As we have all experienced at one time or another, there are locations where cellular reception is poor or sometimes not available, yet Wi-Fi is available. AT&T provides a service known as Wi-Fi Calling. Wi-Fi Calling can be used to talk and text over an active Wi-Fi connection, even from indoor locations where it’s hard or impossible for a strong cellular signal to reach. It allows calls and texts (SMS/MMS) to be made and received as one normally does on the cellular network, and doesn’t require the people on the other end to be using Wi-Fi Calling. Poor reception? No signal? No problem. You can still talk and text using your number as long as you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network.
We recognize that there are some places on campus where AT&T cellular reception is poor or unavailable due to building structures. To obviate this, we encourage individuals with a compatible device to enable this feature, as it is available to AT&T customers at no charge. It’s easy to do, and below provides the information on how to do so.
- Ensure you have a compatible device that supports Wi-Fi Calling.
- Setup Wi-Fi Calling on your phone.
- iPhone: Go to the phone settings menu on your device and turn on Wi-Fi Calling.
- Android: Go to Call Settings, Quick Settings, or Connections Settings on your device and turn on Wi-Fi Calling.
- During setup, you’ll need to provide an address for 911 emergency call routing. You don’t need any additional software or apps.
- Once Wi-Fi Calling is enabled on your device, your phone will need to connect to an available Wi-Fi network. Remember, Wi-Fi Calling is used automatically if your cellular signal is weak or unavailable, or if you are traveling outside the Domestic Coverage Area and connected to a Wi-Fi network.
- You’ll know calls are being carried over Wi-Fi by:
- For iPhone: The word “AT&T Wi-Fi” will appear next to the standard Wi-Fi icon in the status bar.
- For Android: A plus (+) sign will appear next to the standard Wi-Fi icon in the status bar. You will also see a Wi-Fi icon on the start and end call buttons as well as on the active call status indicator.
- In the event Wi-Fi Calling isn’t working, double check with AT&T to ensure this feature was activated on your account when you acquired your compatible phone.
- Compatible phones on the University’s cellular plan have this feature enabled on the plans. Individuals only need to enable the Wi-Fi calling on the device following the steps above.
Further information can be found by visiting AT&T’s site and clicking on the FAQ tab.
Other carriers provide Wi-Fi calling. Check with your provider for availability and configuration.