How to use Wi-Fi calling on your Android phone

With additional reporting by Palash Volvoikar

You can make calls and receive texts on your Android phone using Wi-Fi calling, even when you can't get a cell phone signal. Instead of using your carrier's cellular network, Wi-Fi calls and texts are routed through whatever Wi-Fi network your Android phone is connected to. This means you remain reachable in subterranean office levels, meeting room dead zones, and other areas with good Wi-Fi but no cellular signal.

What you need for Wi-Fi calling

Wi-Fi calling has to be supported by both your phone and your carrier. The major U.S. carriers all support it – AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon – along with many smaller carriers, including Google Fi, Mint Mobile, Visible, US Cellular, and Xfinity. And while Wi-Fi calling once was a postpaid plan perk, it is available now for most prepaid customers too.

On the hardware side, virtually all Android phones sold in the last decade support Wi-Fi calling. If your phone is unlocked and was not originally built for your carrier, though, you may not be able to use the feature. That is a carrier restriction, not a hardware one.

How to activate Wi-Fi calling

Wi-Fi calling is not automatically enabled on Android phones. It is easy to turn on, but the steps are slightly different depending on your phone manufacturer.

Activating on Google Pixel and stock Android phones

You will find Wi-Fi calling in your phone's system Settings, not in the Phone app. Go to Settings > Network & internet > SIMs, tap the name of your carrier's SIM, and then toggle on Wi-Fi Calling. If you have more than one SIM, you will need to enable it for each one separately.

Activating on Samsung phones

On Samsung Galaxy phones, go to Settings > Connections and toggle on Wi-Fi Calling. You can also get to it quickly by swiping down from the top of the screen to open your quick settings panel and looking for the Wi-Fi Calling tile. If you do not see the tile, you can add it by tapping the pencil icon to edit your quick settings layout.

Activating on all other Android phones

Most other Android manufacturers use the same settings structure as stock Android, so try the Pixel instructions above first. If those do not match what you see, open Settings, tap the search icon, and type in "Wi-Fi Calling." That should take you to the right spot regardless of your phone's manufacturer.

Note: When you first enable Wi-Fi calling, your carrier will likely ask you to register an emergency address. This is called your E911 address, and it is what emergency services use to locate you if you ever call 911 over Wi-Fi. You should enter the address where you spend the most time – usually your home – and update it if you move.

How to tell if Wi-Fi calling is working

Once Wi-Fi calling is enabled, your phone will switch between cellular and Wi-Fi automatically. There are a couple of ways to confirm it is actually active. Most Android phones display a small VoWi-Fi icon in the status bar – it looks like a phone handset with Wi-Fi waves coming off it. On some carriers and devices, you will also see your carrier name in the notification shade change to something like "T-Mobile Wi-Fi" or "AT&T Wi-Fi."

If you are connected to Wi-Fi but do not see these indicators, your phone is likely still routing calls through the cellular network. That brings us to an important setting.

Choosing Wi-Fi preferred or cellular preferred

Android gives you the option to prioritize which network handles your calls when both Wi-Fi and cellular are available. This setting is usually found inside the same Wi-Fi Calling menu where you turned the feature on. You will see options for "Wi-Fi Preferred" or "Cellular Preferred."

The default on many phones is Cellular Preferred, which means Wi-Fi calling only kicks in when your cellular signal drops to basically nothing. If you are in a building where you get one or two bars and your calls keep dropping, switching to Wi-Fi Preferred can help a lot. Your phone will route calls over Wi-Fi first and fall back to cellular only if it needs to.

Note: Not all carriers make this setting available. If you do not see the preference option, your carrier has likely locked it to their default.

How to make a WiFi call

Once you activate Wi-Fi calling, you dial and text as you normally would. The routing of your call or text happens automatically in the background.

If you ever need to call 911, you should still provide your address to the emergency operator. When you make a Wi-Fi call, emergency services receive the E911 address you registered during setup instead of a real-time GPS location. So if you are somewhere other than that registered address – at a friend's house, at work – the operator needs to know your actual location.

Wi-Fi calling costs

The Wi-Fi calling feature does not cost anything extra, but the same rates and fees that apply to your regular cellular calls also apply to Wi-Fi calls. This includes deducting minutes from your monthly allotment, if you do not have an unlimited plan, and fees for calls made to international numbers.

Wi-Fi calling is great for overseas travelers because there is typically no roaming or international charge for making calls or sending texts back home. Many carriers' plans include free calling to Canada and Mexico. Keep in mind, though, that you will be charged a rate based on your international calling plan if you call an international line using your U.S.-based smartphone. Also, Wi-Fi calling is not supported in some countries, including China, Cuba, and North Korea.

The airplane mode trick for travel

If you are heading overseas and want to use Wi-Fi calling without worrying about accidental roaming charges, there is a simple workaround. Turn on Airplane Mode first, which disconnects you from all cellular networks. Then turn Wi-Fi back on and connect to whatever local Wi-Fi network is available – your hotel, a cafe, wherever. This way, your phone can not accidentally latch onto a foreign cell tower and trigger roaming fees if the Wi-Fi signal drops for a moment.

Check out the Wi-Fi calling pages on your carrier's site for full details on included features, limitations, and charges. You can find them here: AT&T Wi-Fi calling, T-Mobile Wi-Fi calling, and Verizon Wi-Fi calling.

Need to set up an iPhone for Wi-Fi calling? Check out our story on How to use Wi-Fi calling on your iPhone.

[Image credit: Palash Volvoikar/Techlicious generated with Google Gemini]

Phones and Mobile, Mobile Apps, Tips & How-Tos