Published 19:33 IST, January 17th 2020
What is Wifi Calling: All you need to know about Airtel and Jio Wifi calling
Since Airtel and Jio Wifi calling launched in India, users are asking what is wifi calling, how it works, what does it cost and more. Here are all the details.
- Tech
- 6 min read
Even though mobile network companies claim to steadily add capacity and take other measures to improve cellular reception and call quality, there could be a situation where the network strength is insufficient for clear voice calls. Till now, there wasn't much respite in these situations. However, Wifi calling seems to be an alternative that could help reduce occurrences of call drop issues and other difficulties faced by mobile phone users, in locations where the Wifi network is stronger than the cell phone network. Know more about what is Wifi calling below:
What is Wifi Calling?
Wifi calling allows the users to use any Wifi connection seamlessly to make and receive voice and video calls when the cellular network is weak. If your mobile device has Wifi calling support, it can automatically switch to the nearest connected Wifi network in case of low mobile signal. Once the device switches over to the Wifi network, it would use the Wifi connection to make and receive voice and video calls.
Also read: Airtel Wifi Calling: How To Enable Wifi Calling For Android And IOS? A Step-by-step Guide
Can I notice any differences between a Wifi Call and a regular voice/video call?
According to the Jio website, Wifi calling leads to stable and clearer calls with no difference in terms of the calling experience for the user, as compared to a regular call. Users might only notice the icon in the notification bar change to a phone receiver with a WiFi above it or a VoLTE (voice over LTE ) icon would appear in the notification area. Apart from the notification shade and the call quality, there is nothing that differentiates Wifi calling and regular calling. In fact, like a regular voice/video call, users can make a Wifi call while roaming as well.
Things to note while using Wifi Calling
- All the calls you make and receive using Wifi calling are stored in the device call logs and can be accessed there.
- Although Wifi calling is capable of handing over the calls to the cellular network in case you move out of the range of the Wifi router, there is a chance of a pause or drop of the ongoing call during the process of handover. The likelihood of this depends on the carrier, Wifi network and device.
Is Wifi calling available in India?
Wifi calling is supported in India. At the time of writing, Reliance Jio and Airtel are the two leading Indian carriers that offer Wifi calling to their users. However, the geographical availability of their service varies.
What is Jio Wifi Calling?
Jio Wifi Calling or VoWiFi (what Jio terms it) is Jio’s official technology enabling support for Wifi calling on mobile phones having a Reliance Jio Network. Jio Wifi calling was announced earlier this year and is supported on select Android and iOS devices. Reliance is offering Jio Wifi calling to all its users for free with no extra costs attached, and no special recharges required.
Jio Wifi Calling availability
At the time of the announcement, Jio Wifi calling was announced to have support across the country. Users can make calls using Jio Wifi calling from any part of the country and to any part of the country. However, the quality of the call depends on the device and the Wifi network.
Also read: Jio Wifi Calling: How To Enable Wifi Calling On Android And IOS? A Step-by-step User Guide
What is Airtel Wifi Calling?
Airtel Wifi Calling is Bharti Airtel’s proprietary technology that enables Airtel users to take advantage of Wifi calling. Airtel is the leading Indian telecom network that brought Wifi calling into the country. Airtel, just like its competitor Reliance Jio is offering Wifi calling to their users free of cost. However, at the time of writing, Airtel Wifi calling support is not available throughout India.
Airtel Wifi Calling availability
At the time of launch, Airtel Wifi Calling was supported only in Delhi and the NCR regions. However, recently Airtel announced their extension of service to leading telecom circles across the country. Even with their extended service provision, Airtel Wifi calling is still not supported pan India.
Is there a specific network or broadband that I need to connect to for using Wifi calling?
At the time of launch, Airtel had limited their Wifi calling service availability to people having an Airtel Xstream Fiber broadband connection. However, at the time of writing, it has been confirmed that both Airtel and Jio offer Wifi calling support on all broadband networks. Thus, users can use Wifi calling with their existing broadband internet connections.
Wifi Calling Supported devices
Though Airtel and Jio Wifi calling are available in several telecom circles across the country, the list of devices supporting the technology is limited. Below is an official list of supported devices that can make use of the latest technology while making calls. The list has been drawn from the official websites of Airtel and Reliance Jio:
Which devices support Jio Wifi Calling?
- Apple: All the iPhones that are running on iOS 10.3 or higher have support for the Jio Wifi calling feature.
- Samsung: Galaxy Note 10, Note 10+, Note 9, Note 8, Note 6, Note 5, Note 5 Duos, Note 4, Note 4 Edge. Galaxy S10, S10e, S10+, S9, S9+, S8, S8+, S7, S7 Edge, S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge Plus. Galaxy A10, A10s, A30, A30s, A50, A50s, A70, A70s, A80. Galaxy M10, M20, M30, M40. Galaxy A8 (2018), A8+, A8 Star, A9 (2018), A9 Pro, A7 (2018), A7, A7 (2016), A6, A6+, A5, A5 (2017), A5 (2016). Galaxy J8, J7, J7 Duo, J7 Pro, J7 Prime, J7 Prime 2, J7 Pro, J7 Max, J7 Nxt, J7 (2016), J6, J6+, J5, J5 Prime, J5 (2016), J4+, J4 (2018), J3 (2016), J3 Pro (2016), J2 Ace, J2, J2 (2016), J2 Pro, J2 Hybrid Tray, J1 (2016). Galaxy On 5 Pro, On 6, On 7 Prime, On 7 Pro, On 8. Galaxy C9 Pro, C7 Pro. Galaxy Core Prime 4G.
- Coolpad: CoolPlay 6, Mega 5, Mega 5C
- Google: Pixel 3, Pixel 3XL, Pixel 3A, Pixel 3A XL
- Motorola: Moto G6
- Vivo: V11, V11 Pro, V15, V15 Pro, V9, V9 Pro, Y81, Y81i, Y91, Y91i, Y93, Y95, Y15, Y17, Z1 Pro
- Xiaomi: Poco F1, Redmi K20, Redmi K20 Pro
Which devices support Airtel Wifi Calling?
- Apple: iPhone XR, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro
- OnePlus: OnePlus 6, OnePlus 6T, OnePlus 7, OnePlus 7 Pro, OnePlus 7T, OnePlus 7T Pro
- Samsung: Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, Galaxy S10e, Galaxy M20, Samsung Galaxy J6, Samsung Galaxy On 6, Samsung Galaxy M30s, Samsung Galaxy A10s, Samsung Galaxy A50s, Samsung Galaxy Note 9
- Xiaomi: Poco F1, Redmi K20, Redmi K20 Pro, Redmi 7A, Redmi Note 7 Pro, Redmi Y3, Redmi 7, Poco F1, Redmi K20, Redmi K20 Pro
Updated 19:33 IST, January 17th 2020