Has VZW ever gotten support for making voice calls over WiFi?

[IIGood]

I know there had been rumblings going around for some time that voice calls on wifi would be coming to Verizon Wireless, but I'd never heard anything confirming that it happened or really any other progress on the idea. So does anybody know what happened with that? And what devices might support it? I see a lot about iPhone...but I don't want to go that route.

I'm getting more and more fed up with VZW's lack of service in my neighborhood (and I'm not in the boonies either...this is a pretty well-populated residential area)...I have one of their network extenders that just isn't cutting it anymore. Over the past few weeks while at home here, the voicemail alert would show up on my phone without my phone ever having rang. And then I'll drop the call...I'll be sitting within an arms length of the extender and my phone will still have one bar for signal. Add to that the whole impending price increase for anyone still on unlimited data...I'm just really now feeling that it's time to move on. I'm so done with this. If I can't make or receive calls from within my own home, what's the service really worth to me?

I really want to like Google's Project Fi but part of me can't get over the fact that it uses T-Mobile's towers...though if I'm doing wifi calling, would that really matter? Probably not. I don't know. I'm just torn, and tired of this lack of signal.

 

[Mustang02]

FCC just approved it.

 

[IIGood]

Interesting. I guess the next questions are:
- how long before its implemented and
- what devices will be able to utilize it?

Now the wait...

 

[Mustang02]

Iphones


Per the article,

The phones supported are the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. There is no support for any Android smartphones.

Verizon Wi-Fi Calling Imminent As FCC Gives The Green Light

 

[IIGood]

That figures. Looks like I'm off to find another carrier.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

I can see how wifi calling will benefit someone like you, but I think it's kinda crap for people like me who have good service at home. They've obviously switched their gameplan quite a bit over the years. I've got limited data and unlimited minutes now, so there's no good reason that I can see to use my home internet to make calls and lighten the load on the vzw network.

In your case though, if t-mobile and Sprint have decent coverage in your area, you're exactly right. You'll be able to use wifi calling at home and not have to worry about not having service in your living room.

 

[IIGood]

Yeah, it's hard to decide what to do. I'm going to have to check with my girlfriend and see what her VZW plan is like. She got a new contract back in 2013 or 2014 so I don't know if she's still on a minutes-based plan or what. If so, then my switching would impact her bill since she calls me every evening on her hour-long ride home from work. And it's still during peak times. Right now, it doesn't matter since we're both on Verizon but if I switch she's gonna be getting charged for minutes if she doesn't have unlimited minutes.

Decisions, decisions.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

Or if she's got that friends and family or whatever they call it, she could add you to the list. If she renewed in '14, she's probably on a More Everything Plan, unless she just renewed what she's always had. If she's on the More Everything though, she should have unlimited minutes.

 

[IIGood]

I forgot about that friends and family program. It might've been '13 when she renewed. She got a Galaxy S3 and that was just before the S4 dropped (VZW was starting the "fire sale" on the S3). I still had my GNex then...I must have 2014 in my head because that's when I actually got my Moto X (first gen) when those were on sale.

My plan dates back to 2010 I think, when the Droid X first came out. That's when i first got a smartphone and my plan hasn't changed since. I can't remember what all the plans were that Verizon has offered since then.