You need to make a phone call on your iPhone. There’s only one problem: you’re in a dead zone where the cellular reception is weak or completely unavailable. Are you out of luck? No, not if a Wi-Fi network is within reach.
Thanks to Wi-Fi Calling, you can make and receive audio calls as well as video calls via FaceTime. You can also send and receive text messages through iMessage. Wi-Fi Calling can be especially valuable if you need to call 911 for an emergency and can’t get a good cellular signal. Using your iCloud account, you can tap into Wi-Fi Calling for calls on an iPad or an iPod touch, if your carrier supports it. And you can even make calls on an Apple Watch.
To take advantage of Wi-Fi Calling, you’ll need an iPhone 5c or later, and your carrier must support it. In the US, Wi-Fi Calling is supported by the four major US wireless carriers—AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. To check on other carriers both in the US and other countries, see this Apple support page.
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Enable Wi-Fi Calling
To enable Wi-Fi Calling on your iPhone, open Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling (or Settings > Cellular > Wi-Fi Calling). To learn about the feature, tap on the link for “About Wi-Fi Calling & Privacy.”
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Confirm Wi-Fi Calling
At the Wi-Fi Calling screen, turn on the option for “Wi-Fi Calling on This iPhone.” A message explains what information is sent to your carrier when you enable Wi-Fi Calling. Tap Enable to turn on the feature.
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Enter Emergency Address
The first time you enable Wi-Fi Calling, a screen prompts you to enter your address so you can make emergency calls. Enter the necessary information, tap on the option to agree to the terms and conditions, and then tap on Continue at the bottom of the screen. Your address is confirmed, and Wi-Fi Calling is enabled.
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Update Emergency Address
From the Wi-Fi Calling screen, you can always tap on the link to “Update Emergency Address” if your address changes. You can also enable Wi-Fi Calling when roaming to avoid mobile roaming charges if you’re outside your area of coverage. To do this, turn on the option to “Prefer Wi-Fi While Roaming.”
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Confirm Wi-Fi Calling
You can confirm that Wi-Fi Calling is turned on. On any iPhone except an iPhone X, the phrase Wi-Fi appears after your carrier name at the top of the Home screen. On an iPhone X, swipe down from the right top of the screen to display the Control Center. Your carrier name appears at the left top of the screen with the phrase Wi-Fi after it. The next time you need to make an audio or video call or text someone, your phone will use the nearest Wi-Fi network.
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Enabling Additional Devices
You can now extend Wi-Fi Calling to other devices, such as an iPad, iPod touch, or Apple Watch. Your iPad or iPod touch must be running iOS 9 or later, while your Apple Watch must have watchOS 2 or later. Your iPhone doesn’t need to be on the same network or even turned on for you to make calls on an iPad, iPod touch, or Apple Watch. In the case of your iPad or iPod touch, your carrier must support Wi-Fi Calling on supported iCloud-connected devices.
If your carrier is on board, return to Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling on your iPhone. Tap on the link to “Add Wi-Fi Calling For Other Devices.” The first time you do this, you’ll see an Integrated Calling Sign-up Page that explains how Wi-Fi Calling works on other devices and how you can make an emergency call from a device other than your iPhone. Tap on the option to agree to the terms and conditions and then tap on Continue.
Go back a screen by tapping on the link in the upper-left corner. Tap on the option for “Calls on Other Devices” to see what devices can receive calls and ensure that the necessary settings to “Allow Calls On” are enabled.
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Activate Wi-Fi Calling on Your Device
Segue to your iPad or iPod touch. You should see a Wi-Fi Calling message on the device telling you that you can use your phone number on it to make and receive calls using Wi-Fi. Tap on “Turn On” to enable Wi-Fi Calling on the device. The first time you do this, you’ll see a message asking if you want to upgrade to Wi-Fi Calling. Tap on Enable. Another message pops up telling you that your location will be used to make emergency calls. Tap on OK.
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Set Up Apps
Next, make sure you’re signed in to iCloud and FaceTime with the same Apple account that you use on your iPhone. You can now place a Wi-Fi phone call from a variety of different apps, including FaceTime, Contacts, Mail, Messages, or Safari. Just tap on or enter the phone number you want to call. You can also make a video call through FaceTime. The call then goes through your Wi-Fi connection. As a side note, you can also place a Wi-Fi call through a Mac as long as it’s a 2012 or later model running OS X 10.11 El Capitan or higher.
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Make a Phone Call
Finally, you can make calls on an Apple Watch using Wi-Fi Calling. On your watch, open the Phone app. Tap on Favorites, Recents, or Contacts and tap on a number to call. Alternatively, tap on Keypad and type a number to dial. For a contact, tap on the Phone icon and then choose FaceTime Audio or a specific phone number.