From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

If I turn on Wifi Calling on a Samsung phone (Android 15) does it allow
calls to be received *either* by mobile (first preference) or wifi
(second preference if there is no mobile signal)? Or does it mean *only*
wifi? I'm got Wifi Calling enabled on my account.

I want to know whether I can leave it turned on permanently, and receive calls/texts both at home and when I'm out and about. My mobile signal at
home is rather variable, even though Vodafone's coverage map says "Good Indoors and Outdoors" for 2G and 4G.
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

In message <1060s8i$16rpo$1@dont-email.me>
NY <me@privacy.net> wrote:

If I turn on Wifi Calling on a Samsung phone (Android 15) does it allow calls to be received *either* by mobile (first preference) or wifi (second preference if there is no mobile signal)? Or does it mean *only* wifi? I'm got Wifi Calling enabled on my account.

I want to know whether I can leave it turned on permanently, and receive calls/texts both at home and when I'm out and about. My mobile signal at home is rather variable, even though Vodafone's coverage map says "Good Indoors and Outdoors" for 2G and 4G.

I leave it permanently on, and I can make and receive calls and texts
in three situations: at home via wifi calling; out and about via the
mobile network when I'm not using wifi (which is the usual situation
when I'm out and about); and when I'm out and logged into a wifi
network that is not my own.

David
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 7/25/2025 2:17 PM, NY wrote:

If I turn on Wifi Calling on a Samsung phone (Android 15) does it
allow calls to be received *either* by mobile (first preference) or
wifi (second preference if there is no mobile signal)? Or does it
mean *only* wifi? I'm got Wifi Calling enabled on my account. I want
to know whether I can leave it turned on permanently, and receive
calls/texts both at home and when I'm out and about. My mobile
signal at home is rather variable, even though Vodafone's coverage
map says "Good Indoors and Outdoors" for 2G and 4G.

I've left my Samsung Galaxy S10+ (Android 12) WiFi calling on
permanently now for several years. It works great and I've never had a
problem. But it may depend on your phone and WiFi/internet connection. I suggest you try it and see...
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 25.07.25 23:17, NY wrote:

If I turn on Wifi Calling on a Samsung phone (Android 15) does it allow
calls to be received *either* by mobile (first preference) or wifi
(second preference if there is no mobile signal)? Or does it mean *only* wifi? I'm got Wifi Calling enabled on my account.

I want to know whether I can leave it turned on permanently, and receive calls/texts both at home and when I'm out and about. My mobile signal at
home is rather variable, even though Vodafone's coverage map says "Good Indoors and Outdoors" for 2G and 4G.

You can leave it permanently on. The phone decides which is signal is
stronger and uses it. Your intervention is not needed. And the phone is
even switching during a call if needed.
--
"Roma locuta, causa finita" (Augustinus)
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

NY wrote:

If I turn on Wifi Calling on a Samsung phone (Android 15) does it allow calls to be received *either* by mobile (first preference) or wifi
(second preference if there is no mobile signal)? Or does it mean *only* wifi? I'm got Wifi Calling enabled on my account.

I want to know whether I can leave it turned on permanently, and receive calls/texts both at home and when I'm out and about. My mobile signal at home is rather variable, even though Vodafone's coverage map says "Good Indoors and Outdoors" for 2G and 4G.

I have my Pixel configured to prefer* wifi calling when I'm at home or a customer's site, anywhere else it automatically drops back to 2/3/4/5G.


[*] not everyone seems to have the option to set preferred wifi/mobile connection.
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 26.07.2025 09:24, Andy Burns wrote:

NY wrote:

If I turn on Wifi Calling on a Samsung phone (Android 15) does it allow
calls to be received *either* by mobile (first preference) or wifi
(second preference if there is no mobile signal)? Or does it mean *only*
wifi? I'm got Wifi Calling enabled on my account.

I want to know whether I can leave it turned on permanently, and receive
calls/texts both at home and when I'm out and about. My mobile signal at
home is rather variable, even though Vodafone's coverage map says "Good
Indoors and Outdoors" for 2G and 4G.

I have my Pixel configured to prefer* wifi calling when I'm at home or a customer's site, anywhere else it automatically drops back to 2/3/4/5G.

[*] not everyone seems to have the option to set preferred wifi/mobile connection.

Correct. Does not work on my Pixel7 with Android 16.
--
"Roma locuta, causa finita" (Augustinus)
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 26.07.2025 09:29, Jörg Lorenz wrote:

On 26.07.2025 09:24, Andy Burns wrote:

NY wrote:

If I turn on Wifi Calling on a Samsung phone (Android 15) does it allow >>> calls to be received *either* by mobile (first preference) or wifi
(second preference if there is no mobile signal)? Or does it mean *only* >>> wifi? I'm got Wifi Calling enabled on my account.

I want to know whether I can leave it turned on permanently, and receive >>> calls/texts both at home and when I'm out and about. My mobile signal at >>> home is rather variable, even though Vodafone's coverage map says "Good >>> Indoors and Outdoors" for 2G and 4G.

I have my Pixel configured to prefer* wifi calling when I'm at home or a
customer's site, anywhere else it automatically drops back to 2/3/4/5G.


[*] not everyone seems to have the option to set preferred wifi/mobile
connection.

Correct. Does not work on my Pixel7 with Android 16.

BTW: It is not relevant for what telecom providers charges for a call
here in Switzerland. With that in mind it is clever to leave the choice
to the phone based on technical criterias.
--
"Roma locuta, causa finita" (Augustinus)
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Jörg Lorenz wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

[*] not everyone seems to have the option to set preferred wifi/mobile
connection.

Correct. Does not work on my Pixel7 with Android 16.

I've never fully understood why/how. I started trying to use
wifi-calling with a grey-imported Pixel 5a, but it wasn't supported by
Virgin (an O2 MVNO), trying to get it to work, I enrolled on the beta
version of the phone app.

Later, Virgin migrated their customers over to O2, so without changing
SIM, wifi-calling started working, and has continued after I upgraded to
a Pixel 8a

I'm loathe to revert to the non-beta version in case the wifi/mobile preference is lost.


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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Jörg Lorenz wrote:

It is not relevant for what telecom providers charges for a call
here in Switzerland.

Almost all of my calls are included in my contract, so charges aren't an
issue either way.

With that in mind it is clever to leave the choice
to the phone based on technical criterias.

My wifi+broadband provides a better signal than O2's network does at my
house.

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

Jörg Lorenz wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

[*] not everyone seems to have the option to set preferred wifi/mobile
connection.

Correct. Does not work on my Pixel7 with Android 16.

I've never fully understood why/how. I started trying to use
wifi-calling with a grey-imported Pixel 5a, but it wasn't supported by Virgin (an O2 MVNO), trying to get it to work, I enrolled on the beta version of the phone app.

Later, Virgin migrated their customers over to O2, so without changing
SIM, wifi-calling started working, and has continued after I upgraded to
a Pixel 8a

I'm loathe to revert to the non-beta version in case the wifi/mobile preference is lost.

VoLTE and wifi calling (VoWifi) are part of IMS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Multimedia_Subsystem

eg wifi calling is "IMS Profile for Voice, Video and SMS over untrusted
Wi-Fi access": https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/wp-content/uploads//IR.51-v8.0-2.pdf

IMS enablement on a particular phone requires an IMS profile to be pushed to the phone. It seems like different versions of Android and maybe different phone/silicon vendors do things differently, so I haven't fully untangled
how this works. It seems like it's mostly baked into the OS/firmware and
the network just has to enable it, but there is also a route for a network
app to contain the profile.

Android 9:
https://source.android.com/docs/core/connect/ims

Android 12: https://source.android.com/docs/core/connect/ims-service-entitlement

There are also hacks to manual force IMS enablement on different versions: https://github.com/herlesupreeth/CoIMS_Wiki https://github.com/kyujin-cho/pixel-volte-patch/

and supposedly there's a toggle in Developer Options on Android 15 to force
IMS ('IMS TS32 Profile Enable'), which I don't have (P7Pro/A16/GrapheneOS) - could
be a Samsungism: https://www.reddit.com/r/UniversalProfile/comments/1jdj6bu/new_ims_setting_on_android_15/

This post describes the 'VoLTE mess' but I think much of it also applies to wifi
calling too:
https://nickvsnetworking.com/background-to-the-volte-mess/


TL;DR I think what happened is when you were migrated to O2 the MNC code in your SIM changed from Virgin to that of O2 and then the IMS successfully pattern-matched a profile that was already baked into the OS. I doubt it's
to do with the app, although there *is* a way to apps to contain IMS
profiles I doubt it's in operation in your case, but I don't know for
sure.

Theo
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On Sat, 26 Jul 2025 09:29:27 +0200, Jörg Lorenz wrote:

[*] not everyone seems to have the option to set preferred wifi/mobile connection.

Correct. Does not work on my Pixel7 with Android 16.

That would surprise me since Pixel 6 Android 16 has this.

Settings > Network and internet > SIM cards > [select SIM] > Calling >
Calling over wifi > [check/uncheck ] Use calling over wifi

Preference for calling

Calling over wifi OR Calling over mobile network

(I translated from Dutch, so there could be some differences.)
--
s|b
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 26.07.25 13:37, s|b wrote:

On Sat, 26 Jul 2025 09:29:27 +0200, Jörg Lorenz wrote:

[*] not everyone seems to have the option to set preferred wifi/mobile
connection.

Correct. Does not work on my Pixel7 with Android 16.

That would surprise me since Pixel 6 Android 16 has this.

Settings > Network and internet > SIM cards > [select SIM] > Calling > Calling over wifi > [check/uncheck ] Use calling over wifi

Preference for calling

Calling over wifi OR Calling over mobile network

(I translated from Dutch, so there could be some differences.)

Indeed. I found the setting.
--
"Roma locuta, causa finita." (Augustinus)
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

s|b wrote:

Preference for calling
Calling over wifi OR Calling over mobile network

There are (or were a few months ago) some users in uk.telecom.mobile who
swore blind they didn't have that setting ...
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 26.07.25 15:48, Andy Burns wrote:

s|b wrote:

Preference for calling
Calling over wifi OR Calling over mobile network

There are (or were a few months ago) some users in uk.telecom.mobile who swore blind they didn't have that setting ...

If you think about the logic behind it: A kind of a blind switch.
Or in other words: It does not make sense and on my iPhone it does not
exist at all.
--
"Roma locuta, causa finita." (Augustinus)
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On Sat, 26 Jul 2025 14:48:56 +0100, Andy Burns wrote:

Preference for calling
Calling over wifi OR Calling over mobile network

There are (or were a few months ago) some users in uk.telecom.mobile who swore blind they didn't have that setting ...

I can not set this specifically to home or another site. The setting is:

Wifi calling
Use mobile network if there is no wifi available

So whenever I'm connected to wifi it will be used to call.
--
s|b
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

s|b wrote:

I can not set this specifically to home or another site.

I'm not saying I can tell wifi-calling which specific SSID to use, it
just uses whatever the phone is connected to (if any).
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On Sat, 26 Jul 2025 08:55:50 +0100, Andy Burns wrote :

Andy Burns wrote:

[*] not everyone seems to have the option to set preferred wifi/mobile
connection.

Correct. Does not work on my Pixel7 with Android 16.

I've never fully understood why/how. I started trying to use
wifi-calling with a grey-imported Pixel 5a, but it wasn't supported by Virgin (an O2 MVNO), trying to get it to work, I enrolled on the beta version of the phone app.

Later, Virgin migrated their customers over to O2, so without changing
SIM, wifi-calling started working, and has continued after I upgraded to
a Pixel 8a

I'm loathe to revert to the non-beta version in case the wifi/mobile preference is lost.

To be helpful, I looked at my Galaxy A32-5G Android 13 T-Mobile USA,
Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi Calling = on/off (mine is always on)

Longpress on "Wi-Fi Calling" and you get
Calling Preference = {cellular-preferred, wi-fi preferred}
Emergency Address = blank
Talk and text over Wi-Fi networks

When T-Mobile went to 5G we didn't need Wi-Fi calling all that much since
we all already had femtocells and/or cellular repeaters free in the home.

But now we don't really even need them, and, truth be told, my cellular repeater and femtocells may be so old that they may be 3G or 4G anyway.

Hope this data helps those who are trying to figure out Wi-Fi calling.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

s|b wrote:

Preference for calling
Calling over wifi OR Calling over mobile network

There are (or were a few months ago) some users in uk.telecom.mobile who swore blind they didn't have that setting ...

This part of the discussion is about Pixels (the OP was about
Samsung), but I can imagine that some people on some phones/brands might
think they don't have it, because for example on my Samsung phone
(Galaxy A56, Android 15) it's also quite 'hidden'.

I could only find the Wi-Fi Calling on/off toggle (on the Quick
Settings panel), but not a preference setting. Searching Settings on
'Wi-Fi calling' etc. didn't find anything.

Browsing (not searching) Settings, revealed that the preference
setting is 'hidden' behind the 'Data switching and backup calling'
switch, which was off. Tapping that setting revealed a 'link' "Go to
Wi-Fi Calling" and tapping that, gave a Wifi-Calling -> Calling
Preference setting with choices of 'Mobile network preferred' and 'Wi-Fi preferred'.

Mine is a dual-SIM phone, so the 'Data switching' part ("Switch to
another SIM for mobile data if the preferred SIM can't connect.")) was
switched off, but the Wi-Fi calling preference was hidden behind that
switch.

Note to self: In future, looked behind any switched off switch! :-)
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On Sat, 26 Jul 2025 17:57:54 +0100, Andy Burns wrote :

s|b wrote:

I can not set this specifically to home or another site.

I'm not saying I can tell wifi-calling which specific SSID to use, it
just uses whatever the phone is connected to (if any).

Andy is correct as far as I'm aware that you can't tell the Wi-Fi calling
to use any given SSID/BSSID but... to flesh out this concept a bit more...

I think you *can tell* when it's using (one of your) SSIDs versus towers.
If it's using a tower, you can see the tower cell ID & signal strength.

It has been years (and years!) since I last surveyed this on my phone.
But I used to study when my phone used the femtocell tower versus repeater.

The cell ID and signal strength and frequency (and everything else!) was different between when a tower was being used and when the femtocell was.

I would think it would be the same when you're using the router SSID/BSSID. Although the caveat is I haven't ever bothered to look at that situation.
<https://i.postimg.cc/GhJg447S/celldebug.jpg>

Without cleaning it up, from my logs are *plenty* of apps to do that.
(in alphabetical order of what is installed on my phone)

<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.blueline.signalchecklite>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.etwok.netspotapp>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.keuwl.wifi>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.manageengine.wifimonitor>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.netgear.netgearup>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.novvia.fispy>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.qtrun.QuickTest>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tools.netgel.netx>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tts.imnos_mobile>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ubnt.usurvey>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vrem.wifianalyzer>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wilysis.cellinfolite>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cz.mroczis.netmonster>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.avm.android.wlanapp>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=make.more.r2d2.cellular_z>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.simplyadvanced.ltediscovery>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.andr7e.wifimonitor>
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 26 Jul 2025 17:36:48 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote :

This part of the discussion is about Pixels (the OP was about
Samsung), but I can imagine that some people on some phones/brands might think they don't have it, because for example on my Samsung phone
(Galaxy A56, Android 15) it's also quite 'hidden'.

I could only find the Wi-Fi Calling on/off toggle (on the Quick
Settings panel), but not a preference setting. Searching Settings on
'Wi-Fi calling' etc. didn't find anything.

Browsing (not searching) Settings, revealed that the preference
setting is 'hidden' behind the 'Data switching and backup calling'
switch, which was off. Tapping that setting revealed a 'link' "Go to
Wi-Fi Calling" and tapping that, gave a Wifi-Calling -> Calling
Preference setting with choices of 'Mobile network preferred' and 'Wi-Fi preferred'.

Mine is a dual-SIM phone, so the 'Data switching' part ("Switch to
another SIM for mobile data if the preferred SIM can't connect.")) was switched off, but the Wi-Fi calling preference was hidden behind that
switch.

Note to self: In future, looked behind any switched off switch! :-)

While I agree with Frank that Samsung moves the settings around versus what
the naked Android would be on a Pixel, in my Android 13 Samsung, it was
where you'd expect it to be.
Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi Calling = on/off (mine is always on)

Longpress on "Wi-Fi Calling" and up pops another activity to set stuff.
Calling Preference = {cellular-preferred, wi-fi preferred}
Emergency Address = blank
Talk and text over Wi-Fi networks

But to Frank's point, there are plenty of hard-to-get-to settings where
what I do for those is make a one-tap shortcut & put it in a folder.

SO I have a ton of one-tap shortcuts in my homescreen shortcuts folder.
Most are related to privacy (e.g., turn off Google Location Accuracy).

But some are related to Wi-Fi.

My helpful suggestion to anyone who finds that the settings they want to
use a few times are "buried" deeply is to make a one-tap shortcut to 'em.

While there are uncountable ways to make one-tap shortcuts on Android, the method I think is the simplest is to use Muntashirakon App Manager for it.

1. All you do is use Muntashirakon to find the activity & press a button.
2. Generally also modify using an icon I pull off images.google.com.
3. Then I put it in the desktop one-tap shortcuts folder & Voila.
Instant one-tap access to *any* setting (even if deeply buried)

The point is if you're tapping more than once, then it's too much.
Make everything you do on Android no more than one tap (if possible).
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

s|b wrote:

Preference for calling
Calling over wifi OR Calling over mobile network

There are (or were a few months ago) some users in uk.telecom.mobile who swore blind they didn't have that setting ...

I don't have it, because my carrier (Spusu) don't support wifi calling on Pixels. My other SIM doean't as O2 don't support it on PAYG. No IMS profile,
no toggle.

If I dial *#*#INFO#*#* (*#*#4636#*#*) all the toggles in Phone Info:
VoLTE provisioned
Video calling provisioned
Wi-Fi calling provisioned
EAB/Presence provisioned

are greyed out and unselectable.

If I press the 3 dots top right and select IMS service status, O2 says:

IMS registration: not registered
Voice over LTE: unavailable
Voice over Wifi: unavailable
Video calling: unavailable
UT interface: unavailable

Spusu says the same except:
IMS registration: registered
Voice over LTE: available

which I think must be a recent thing (Android 16?), as previously the VoLTE toggle in SIM settings wasn't there.

So until the carrier enables it in the IMS profile the wifi calling toggle
will be missing.

Tgeo
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> writes:

I don't have it, because my carrier (Spusu) don't support wifi calling on Pixels. My other SIM doean't as O2 don't support it on PAYG. No IMS profile, no toggle.

My O2 PAYG SIM does not support WIFI calling on my Galaxy A14, but the
same SIM did support it on my Motorola.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

In comp.mobile.android, on Fri, 25 Jul 2025 22:17:06 +0100, NY
<me@privacy.net> wrote:

If I turn on Wifi Calling on a Samsung phone (Android 15) does it allow >calls to be received *either* by mobile (first preference) or wifi
(second preference if there is no mobile signal)? Or does it mean *only* >wifi? I'm got Wifi Calling enabled on my account.

I want to know whether I can leave it turned on permanently, and receive >calls/texts both at home and when I'm out and about. My mobile signal at >home is rather variable, even though Vodafone's coverage map says "Good >Indoors and Outdoors" for 2G and 4G.

I see you've gotten plenty of answers but my 2 cents are:

1 cent, I've only had it on for a month or so but I've gotten and placed
calls without wifi.

2nd'cent: The method for turning it on and off is too difficult for the designers to have made that necessary. If there were a spot on the
window shade or even a setting, that would be conceivable, but it would
be programming malpractice to make people turn it on and off with a code
I can't remember even now.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

In comp.mobile.android, on Sat, 26 Jul 2025 13:37:43 +0200, "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> wrote:

On Sat, 26 Jul 2025 09:29:27 +0200, Jörg Lorenz wrote:

[*] not everyone seems to have the option to set preferred wifi/mobile
connection.

Correct. Does not work on my Pixel7 with Android 16.

That would surprise me since Pixel 6 Android 16 has this.

Settings > Network and internet > SIM cards > [select SIM] > Calling > >Calling over wifi > [check/uncheck ] Use calling over wifi

Well I guess what I said at the end of this thread was a false
assumption. Sine my phone didn't have a setting for this, I figured
none did. For such situations, I retract the seconcd of my 2 cents
worth.

Preference for calling

Calling over wifi OR Calling over mobile network

(I translated from Dutch, so there could be some differences.)

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On Sat, 26 Jul 2025 09:55:11 +0200, Jörg Lorenz <hugybear@gmx.net>
wrote:

On 26.07.2025 09:29, Jörg Lorenz wrote:

On 26.07.2025 09:24, Andy Burns wrote:

NY wrote:

If I turn on Wifi Calling on a Samsung phone (Android 15) does it allow >>>> calls to be received *either* by mobile (first preference) or wifi
(second preference if there is no mobile signal)? Or does it mean *only* >>>> wifi? I'm got Wifi Calling enabled on my account.

I want to know whether I can leave it turned on permanently, and receive >>>> calls/texts both at home and when I'm out and about. My mobile signal at >>>> home is rather variable, even though Vodafone's coverage map says "Good >>>> Indoors and Outdoors" for 2G and 4G.

I have my Pixel configured to prefer* wifi calling when I'm at home or a >>> customer's site, anywhere else it automatically drops back to 2/3/4/5G.


[*] not everyone seems to have the option to set preferred wifi/mobile
connection.

Correct. Does not work on my Pixel7 with Android 16.

BTW: It is not relevant for what telecom providers charges for a call
here in Switzerland. With that in mind it is clever to leave the choice
to the phone based on technical criterias.

It's the same here in the UK. Call charges are the same whether your
phone is connecting via the mobile network itself or via Wi-Fi
Calling.

I believe many of the US networks charge for Wi-Fi Calling calls
differently, even when overseas. So if you travel outside the US and
call home while your phone is connected via Wi-Fi Calling you get
charged the same rate as if you were in the US.

Chris
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Jörg Lorenz wrote:

it is clever to leave the choice
to the phone based on technical criterias.

I don't have an option "no preference",
just "prefer wifi" or "prefer mobile".
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Andy Burns wrote:

Jörg Lorenz wrote:

 it is clever to leave the choice
to the phone based on technical criterias.

I don't have an option "no preference",
just "prefer wifi" or "prefer mobile".

Alternatively I can disable wifi-calling altogether, of course.

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 27.07.25 10:25, Andy Burns wrote:

Jörg Lorenz wrote:

it is clever to leave the choice
to the phone based on technical criterias.

I don't have an option "no preference",
just "prefer wifi" or "prefer mobile".

"Prefer Wifi" is/seems to be default. My Pixel 7 is still set to the
default value.
--
"Roma locuta, causa finita" (Augustinus)
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 27.07.25 10:29, Andy Burns wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

Jörg Lorenz wrote:

 it is clever to leave the choice
to the phone based on technical criterias.

I don't have an option "no preference",
just "prefer wifi" or "prefer mobile".

Alternatively I can disable wifi-calling altogether, of course.

You would be losing comfort and stability in a big way. I use the
function for over 10 years now and I'm more than happy.
--
"Roma locuta, causa finita" (Augustinus)
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 7/27/25 7:37 AM, Jörg Lorenz wrote:

On 27.07.25 10:25, Andy Burns wrote:

Jörg Lorenz wrote:

it is clever to leave the choice
to the phone based on technical criterias.

I don't have an option "no preference",
just "prefer wifi" or "prefer mobile".

"Prefer Wifi" is/seems to be default. My Pixel 7 is still set to the
default value.

Likewise my Samsung Galaxy S10+. Years ago I walked around outside my house
to see where WiFi calling switched to a tower. I got all my yard plus about
30 ft down the street. I'm not sure if that meant I had a good WiFi or a
poor or busy tower. It didn't prove anything but was an interesting test.
Bottom line: I got rid of my landline years ago and never noticed a
difference...


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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On Sun, 27 Jul 2025 15:28:20 -0000 (UTC), AJL wrote :

"Prefer Wifi" is/seems to be default. My Pixel 7 is still set to the >>default value.

Likewise my Samsung Galaxy S10+. Years ago I walked around outside my house
to see where WiFi calling switched to a tower. I got all my yard plus about
30 ft down the street. I'm not sure if that meant I had a good WiFi or a
poor or busy tower. It didn't prove anything but was an interesting test.
Bottom line: I got rid of my landline years ago and never noticed a
difference...

On that topic, any good free no ad no registration cellular debugger will provide your current signal strength where, oh, more than -100dBm is good.

When you switch the debugger to Wi-Fi, more than, oh, about -60dBm is good.

For those interested, there are "heat map" apps which map out your signal.
I didn't read this article (as I've tested them all) but this may help:
*The Top 5 Best Apps to Measure Wi-Fi Signal Strength on Android*
<https://www.netspotapp.com/wifi-signal-strength/best-apps-to-measure-wifi-signal-strength-android.html>

There's also Android Network Cell Analyzer on GitHub, which is a
customizable signal-strength tracker which syncs data to a backend server.
<https://github.com/sargonradiyeh/Android-Network-Cell-Analyzer>

For cellular signal, again, I tested them all years ago, but this may help.
*Best Apps To Test Cell Phone Signal Strength*
<https://www.signalboosters.com/blog/best-smartphone-apps-to-find-your-cell-signal-strength/>

Funny thing, Apple forbids these kinds of useful graphical debugging tools
on iOS, but even the brain-dead iOS can do what Android can do textually.
Settings > About Phone > SIM Status > look for signal strength readings
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 2025-07-27 16:39, Jörg Lorenz wrote:

On 27.07.25 10:29, Andy Burns wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

Jörg Lorenz wrote:

  it is clever to leave the choice
to the phone based on technical criterias.

I don't have an option "no preference",
just "prefer wifi" or "prefer mobile".

Alternatively I can disable wifi-calling altogether, of course.

You would be losing comfort and stability in a big way. I use the
function for over 10 years now and I'm more than happy.

I have never used it and never missed it. My mobile phones work
perfectly inside my home.
--
Cheers, Carlos.
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:

On 7/27/25 7:37 AM, Jörg Lorenz wrote:

On 27.07.25 10:25, Andy Burns wrote:

Jörg Lorenz wrote:

it is clever to leave the choice
to the phone based on technical criterias.

I don't have an option "no preference",
just "prefer wifi" or "prefer mobile".

"Prefer Wifi" is/seems to be default. My Pixel 7 is still set to the >default value.

Likewise my Samsung Galaxy S10+. Years ago I walked around outside my house
to see where WiFi calling switched to a tower. I got all my yard plus about
30 ft down the street. I'm not sure if that meant I had a good WiFi or a
poor or busy tower. It didn't prove anything but was an interesting test.
Bottom line: I got rid of my landline years ago and never noticed a
difference...

For my new Samsung Galaxy A56, the default is 'Mobile network
preferred' (for both SIMs (dual-SIM phone)). I'll leave it at that
setting and will see what happens when I'm at a known place which has
bad coverage.

BTW, I also got rid of my landlord ... Oops!
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 27.07.25 17:28, AJL wrote:

On 7/27/25 7:37 AM, Jörg Lorenz wrote:

On 27.07.25 10:25, Andy Burns wrote:

Jörg Lorenz wrote:

it is clever to leave the choice
to the phone based on technical criterias.

I don't have an option "no preference",
just "prefer wifi" or "prefer mobile".

"Prefer Wifi" is/seems to be default. My Pixel 7 is still set to the
default value.

Likewise my Samsung Galaxy S10+. Years ago I walked around outside my house
to see where WiFi calling switched to a tower. I got all my yard plus about
30 ft down the street. I'm not sure if that meant I had a good WiFi or a
poor or busy tower. It didn't prove anything but was an interesting test.
Bottom line: I got rid of my landline years ago and never noticed a
difference...

Very much the same here. I keep my landline just because it is part of
the triple play package we have consisting of 1 Gbit-internet symmetric,
IP-TV and IP-telephony. The landline-telephony is a goody because we
need the fiber-mainline for internet and TV anyway. Domestic calls are free.

Our kids (30-45) do not use the landline-telephony anymore.
--
"Roma locuta, causa finita." (Augustinus)
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On Sun, 27 Jul 2025 19:58:33 +0200, Carlos E.R. wrote :

  it is clever to leave the choice
to the phone based on technical criterias.

I don't have an option "no preference",
just "prefer wifi" or "prefer mobile".

Alternatively I can disable wifi-calling altogether, of course.

You would be losing comfort and stability in a big way. I use the
function for over 10 years now and I'm more than happy.

I have never used it and never missed it. My mobile phones work
perfectly inside my home.

Hi Carlos,

It's great that you have good signal strength where wi-fi calling isn't
needed. I live in the boonies above Silicon Valley where it is needed.

It's needed less and less each year as 5GHz Wi-Fi takes over, but ten or fifteen years ago we all had to ask our carriers for "tiny home towers".

Oh, I don't know, maybe about fifteen years ago the carrier used to give
us, for free, a wi-fi capable router so we could do Wi-Fi calling at home.

Then, oh, I don't know, maybe about ten years ago, the carrier would give
us a free cellular repeater pair (one receiver & one transmitter).

The cellular repeater is a purely analog receiver transmitter, where you
put the receiver in an upstairs window & the transmitter somewhere else.

That picks up a signal from miles away and amplifies it (repeats it).
About five or ten years ago they started giving us femtocell microtowers.

The micro/femto tower is a tiny little cellular tower connected to your
router which acts like an extra tiny cellular tower for the carrier.

Now that 5GHz is all the rage, they don't give us anything anymore. :)
<https://i.postimg.cc/zf9w1tGZ/speedtest07.jpg> *255Mbps* 5G home speed
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 25/7/25 10:17 pm, NY wrote:

If I turn on Wifi Calling on a Samsung phone (Android 15) does it allow
calls to be received *either* by mobile (first preference) or wifi
(second preference if there is no mobile signal)? Or does it mean *only* wifi? I'm got Wifi Calling enabled on my account.

I want to know whether I can leave it turned on permanently, and receive calls/texts both at home and when I'm out and about. My mobile signal at
home is rather variable, even though Vodafone's coverage map says "Good Indoors and Outdoors" for 2G and 4G.

I would leave it permanently on but for the fact that I sometimes get a problem here with WiFi calls. Most of mine are good and clearer than the
local mobile calls, but occasionally I get a difficult call where
everything I say is delayed and echoed fractionally later and makes conversation very difficult. To give an idea of the delay if I said "I
am speaking a sentence with ten words in it" and then stopped I would
hear "with ten words in it" echoed back. In a conversation, of course,
this would be over the top of the rest of the speech and make life very difficult.

I suspect (no proof whatever) that this is when I call someone with a
poor internet/phone connection that is injecting the delay. Mine, at
this end, is good and handles multiple items including streaming HD TV without difficulty and, normally WiFi calls. The more technically minded
here will no doubt tell me if my explanation is a load of rubbish.

Anyway, switch your phone to WiFi calling and try it - if you get no
such problems (and you probably won't), then leave it set - it's an
asset. You can always turn it off again if you hit any snags. Around
here it's very rural and a surprising number of places like pubs and restaurants have no mobile phone signal at all still - and are never
likely to get one - so the WiFi calling helps. Mind you, a lot of
places round here don't have WiFi either (and a lot of folk have never
heard of WiFi) - but that's another story altogether.
--
Tetbury, Gloucestershirel, UK
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 27.07.25 20:34, Frank Slootweg wrote:

AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:

On 7/27/25 7:37 AM, Jörg Lorenz wrote:

On 27.07.25 10:25, Andy Burns wrote:

Jörg Lorenz wrote:

it is clever to leave the choice
to the phone based on technical criterias.

I don't have an option "no preference",
just "prefer wifi" or "prefer mobile".

"Prefer Wifi" is/seems to be default. My Pixel 7 is still set to the
default value.

Likewise my Samsung Galaxy S10+. Years ago I walked around outside my house >> to see where WiFi calling switched to a tower. I got all my yard plus about >> 30 ft down the street. I'm not sure if that meant I had a good WiFi or a
poor or busy tower. It didn't prove anything but was an interesting test. >> Bottom line: I got rid of my landline years ago and never noticed a
difference...

For my new Samsung Galaxy A56, the default is 'Mobile network
preferred' (for both SIMs (dual-SIM phone)). I'll leave it at that
setting and will see what happens when I'm at a known place which has
bad coverage.

I think it will make a difference for the user only where the cost are different. AFAIK is it not really hugely relevant from a technical
perspective.
--
"De gustibus non est disputandum."
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 27/07/2025 18:58, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2025-07-27 16:39, Jörg Lorenz wrote:

On 27.07.25 10:29, Andy Burns wrote:

Alternatively I can disable wifi-calling altogether, of course.

You would be losing comfort and stability in a big way. I use the
function for over 10 years now and I'm more than happy.

I have never used it and never missed it. My mobile phones work
perfectly inside my home.

Then you are lucky. Vodafone's coverage map predicts good signal even
indoors for our house, but it has been lousy since 3G stopped a few
years ago. And that's even for voice calls and not for the more
demanding mobile internet.

I've noticed that incoming calls often don't ring the phone, but
Vodafone's voicemail does a few minutes later if the caller has left a message. And it's not that my phone's ringer volume is too low to hear
because the ringer for Voicemail is loud enough to hear. And I've not
done anything fancy like different ring tones for different callers in
my phone's address book.

As a matter of interest, is WiFi calling (where the phone uses its wifi
signal to contact the router and hence the internet) regarded as better
or worse than a picocell (which transmits a mobile signal from an
Ethernet connection to the router and hence the internet)? Two different solutions, provided by different mobile phone carriers.
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 30/07/2025 19:21, NY wrote:

On 27/07/2025 18:58, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2025-07-27 16:39, Jörg Lorenz wrote:

On 27.07.25 10:29, Andy Burns wrote:

Alternatively I can disable wifi-calling altogether, of course.

You would be losing comfort and stability in a big way. I use the
function for over 10 years now and I'm more than happy.

I have never used it and never missed it. My mobile phones work
perfectly inside my home.

Then you are lucky. Vodafone's coverage map predicts good signal even indoors for our house, but it has been lousy since 3G stopped a few
years ago. And that's even for voice calls and not for the more
demanding mobile internet.

And that's from a mast which is about 1/4 mile away on a hill that gives
clear line of sight to the house - assuming that is the mast that
Vodafone use. Certainly there have been cases when most of our village
has experienced loss of mobile phone (as reported on out village's
Facebook group) which tends to point to a single point of failure (that
mast) for Vodafone, EE, Orange etc.
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 27/07/2025 22:02, Jörg Lorenz wrote:

On 27.07.25 17:28, AJL wrote:

On 7/27/25 7:37 AM, Jörg Lorenz wrote:

On 27.07.25 10:25, Andy Burns wrote:

Jörg Lorenz wrote:

   it is clever to leave the choice
to the phone based on technical criterias.

I don't have an option "no preference",
just "prefer wifi" or "prefer mobile".

"Prefer Wifi" is/seems to be default. My Pixel 7 is still set to the
default value.

Likewise my Samsung Galaxy S10+. Years ago I walked around outside my
house
  to see where WiFi calling switched to a tower. I got all my yard
plus about
  30 ft down the street. I'm not sure if that meant I had a good WiFi
or a
  poor or busy tower. It didn't prove anything but was an interesting
test.
  Bottom line: I got rid of my landline years ago and never noticed a
  difference...

Very much the same here. I keep my landline just because it is part of
the triple play package we have consisting of 1 Gbit-internet symmetric, IP-TV and IP-telephony. The landline-telephony is a goody because we
need the fiber-mainline for internet and TV anyway. Domestic calls are
free.

Our kids (30-45) do not use the landline-telephony anymore.

I still use the landline for phone calls, mainly because up to now
(until I started using wifi calling) I couldn't rely on the mobile a)
ringing on incoming calls; b) finding a signal when I want to make an
outgoing call; c) giving sufficiently good call quality that I can have
an intelligible conversation without dropouts on the important words in
a sentence.

And a landline is essential for the internet connection (FTTC, then VDSL
to the house). One day we may get offered FTTP, or even get forced to
have FTTP if BT OpenReach remove copper wiring to our house.

It's had to remember the days of ADSL and copper all the way to the
exchange which may be a few miles away - the days when 8 Mbps down and
0.5 Mbps up was regarded as "very fast". Nowadays we get about 30 down
and 8 up, and we'd probably get slightly more if I moved the router
closer to the master socket (which would mean routing at least one Cat 5 Ethernet cable to the living room (*) which is a good central point for
the parent node of our mesh network and gives faster Ethernet for my
study and for the TV than wifi gives).

(*) Sod's law comes into effect: the route between the master socket and
the living room crosses a hardwood floor, so there is no edge of a
carpet to tuck a cable into nor metal strips in doorways to allow a
cable under. So we use the phone wiring that was already installed in
conduits within the walls to get VDSL to the router, rather than trying
to route Cat 5 from a remote router to the point where we need Ethernet.
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 2025-07-30 20:21, NY wrote:

On 27/07/2025 18:58, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2025-07-27 16:39, Jörg Lorenz wrote:

On 27.07.25 10:29, Andy Burns wrote:

Alternatively I can disable wifi-calling altogether, of course.

You would be losing comfort and stability in a big way. I use the
function for over 10 years now and I'm more than happy.

I have never used it and never missed it. My mobile phones work
perfectly inside my home.

Then you are lucky. Vodafone's coverage map predicts good signal even indoors for our house, but it has been lousy since 3G stopped a few
years ago. And that's even for voice calls and not for the more
demanding mobile internet.

I've noticed that incoming calls often don't ring the phone, but
Vodafone's voicemail does a few minutes later if the caller has left a message. And it's not that my phone's ringer volume is too low to hear because the ringer for Voicemail is loud enough to hear. And I've not
done anything fancy like different ring tones for different callers in
my phone's address book.

As a matter of interest, is WiFi calling (where the phone uses its wifi signal to contact the router and hence the internet) regarded as better
or worse than a picocell (which transmits a mobile signal from an
Ethernet connection to the router and hence the internet)? Two different solutions, provided by different mobile phone carriers.

It is cheaper for the provider. And possibly for you, if they charge for
the installation of the picocell. In any case, it is less hardware.
--
Cheers, Carlos.
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