Re: Wifi Calling Service on BYOD Unlocked Phones
Intel1919
Enthusiast - Level 1

@ boaringusername....  I never said anything about VZW "is so shady and terrible" -- in fact, I stated "....  VZW, IMO, is still a superior network for how/where I use it.  How you made the jump to your statement is interesting, at best.  My comments are valid that they do not like WiFI calling for the reasons I post.  Sales/marketing won that round vs. Engineering. 

I am stating my observed behavior with this feature (and another one).  I can tell you from experience, someone that is very technical in the Enterprise Mobile space + who has experience with VZW (10,000 + lines of service, manage complex in-building cellular (iDAS) deployments for 3G/4G coverage within large venues (shared architecture for all carriers to join), and they were the last ones to support WiFi calling.  My team would beat them up continuously about this feature so our teams could use WiFi in areas of our properties that had better WiFi coverage vs. cellular.    I am referencing a culture there, i.e. VZW NJ (Headquarters) culture.  They have a chip on their shoulder, have a great network for past 10 years, and only recently (last few years) realizing they have competition from folks like TMO and handful of MVNOs as well. 

Thanks for the suggestion (obvious) -- I have a choice at this point, either get a VZW sourced device or move to another carrier. 

Re: Wifi Calling Service on BYOD Unlocked Phones
IronJoe
Enthusiast - Level 1

There is a lot of misleading information here.  Verizon WiFi calling is not different than T-Mobile WiFi calling.  Wifi Calling is WiFi calling now in 2019.  I had a iPhone Xs and had WiFi calling enabled.  I returned this phone to go back to my OnePlus 6T (OnePlus is a better phone for me) and WiFi calling WAS working until I updated my IMEI on My Verizon.  Now it doesn't even show up on my phone settings.

I also have a Mint Mobile SIM in the same phone and Wifi calling and text both works just fine.  Same as visual voicemail.

It's VZ limiting us from using it on unlocked phones because I am assuming they make money by selling phones. 😉

Re: Wifi Calling Service on BYOD Unlocked Phones
JoeyRoda
Enthusiast - Level 1

@IronJoe wrote:

There is a lot of misleading information here.  Verizon WiFi calling is not different than T-Mobile WiFi calling.  Wifi Calling is WiFi calling now in 2019.  I had a iPhone Xs and had WiFi calling enabled.  I returned this phone to go back to my OnePlus 6T (OnePlus is a better phone for me) and WiFi calling WAS working until I updated my IMEI on My Verizon.  Now it doesn't even show up on my phone settings.

I also have a Mint Mobile SIM in the same phone and Wifi calling and text both works just fine.  Same as visual voicemail.

It's VZ limiting us from using it on unlocked phones because I am assuming they make money by selling phones. 😉


This is true, I have a Moto G6 Unlocked XT1925-6. I switched from Metro by TMobile and I had WiFi calling with their sim card and upon switching and putting the Verizon sim card in, the WiFi calling option in my settings is not there anymore.

Re: Wifi Calling Service on BYOD Unlocked Phones
kidhudi
Enthusiast - Level 2

so basically to have wifi calling on a oneplus device is not going to happen on the verizon network even though it is an accepted BYOD?

https://www.verizonwireless.com/articles/unlocked-oneplus-6t-smartphone-at-verizon/

 

guess we gotta start looking at t-mobile or metropcs then 

terrible

 

 

Re: Wifi Calling Service on BYOD Unlocked Phones
MIElectric
Enthusiast - Level 2

God I love it, someone says that wifi on unlocked phone wont work because each side (phone and carrier) are blaming eachothers software. And then a Verizon rep comes on and says it will work, and then explains why it wont work blaming the phones software.

They offer a perfectly valid, completely useless answer. Thanks guys. Software is maliable to say something wont work on their system when it absolutely works on another means that one of a few things is going on. 1. the carrier refuses to allow their system to have software installed on other phones to work with their network, due to "proprietary" concerns. The manufacturer obviously has the protocols for each carrier so they COULD put the software in there on a universal setup, probably COULD have a setting in the system to select which carrier software to use, BUT they dont BECAUSE they were told not to do that. 2. Government regulation restricts them from being able to setup said software for some reason or another. 3. the manufacturers refuse to set the software up to work because they have bound the carriers in some agreement.

But whatever the case, as we have seen with wifi hotspots, until someone takes them all to court they wont change until they are forced to. If there is a software person out there that can modify even 1 phone to do it, then the claim that it cant be done will fall and the courts could force them to do it.

 

So basically it cant be done, they arent going to tell you why exactly, mostly because the people who answer these probably arent high enough on the food chain to know exactly why, and they will give the answer they are told to give. But in the end it doesnt work because they dont want it to, if they wanted it to they would figure it out, so if you want it to, you'll have to figure it out, which is unlikely because they arent going to be helpful in the process.

The first carrier who figures out how to allow this to happen will get a huge boost to their market share though, just saying.

Re: Wifi Calling Service on BYOD Unlocked Phones
MIElectric
Enthusiast - Level 2

your comment was unhelpful, unproductive, unneeded, and very unintelligent. Which makes you a troll. Please refrain from unintelligent comments like, "well if you dont like it then just leave it" the whole purpose of discussion groups is to improve things, If you cant complain then people who can implement changes dont know what to change to make peoples use of their products better. With your thinking we should have kept slavery and just moved somewhere that didnt have it.

 

I for one would like to see phone makers, and service providers open up the market and allow all services on any phone to be transferable to another service provider. I understand the difference of cdma and gsm, and it does seem a bit much to have both in a single device, but it can be done. But even if that was the limitation that a cdma phone cant got to a gsm network, it would be nice is everything else worked.

 

Think about it, I buy a phone because it suits me, now I chose which service provider works for me, but what if I move and that service provider doesnt have service, now I have to get another phone and move all the apps/settings/etc to a new phone? It would be much better to be able to have it work in all aspects with another service provider.

Re: Wifi Calling Service on BYOD Unlocked Phones
billymac108
Enthusiast - Level 1

you are correct. verizon is intentionally blocking wifi calling as well as using your phone as a hotspot/tether

Re: Wifi Calling Service on BYOD Unlocked Phones
boringusername
Master - Level 1

@billymac108 wrote:

you are correct. verizon is intentionally blocking wifi calling as well as using your phone as a hotspot/tether


Wrong. Yes wi-calling is blocked on some unlocked phones. Not a Verizon thing blame the phone manufactures. Apple, Samsung, Google devices have no such issues They do not block hotspot/tether. Quit with the conspiracy theories If you dislike and don't trust Verizon why are you still giving them money?

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Re: Wifi Calling Service on BYOD Unlocked Phones
saintsteve
Enthusiast - Level 1

@boringusername wrote:

@billymac108 wrote:

you are correct. verizon is intentionally blocking wifi calling as well as using your phone as a hotspot/tether


Wrong. Yes wi-calling is blocked on some unlocked phones. Not a Verizon thing blame the phone manufactures. Apple, Samsung, Google devices have no such issues They do not block hotspot/tether. Quit with the conspiracy theories If you dislike and don't trust Verizon why are you still giving them money?


Wrong. VZW intentionally blocks wifi calling on unlocked non verizon phones. The only work around other than buying a verizon phone is to have the Verizon firmware flashed to your unlocked phone.

Verizon is playing the "good cop bad cop" game by blaming the manufacturers. It is true that they provide the firmware on the phones but are blocking wifi calling on non verizon phones in accordance with their contact with verizon.

I had two identical Moto g6 phones, one unlocked and one Verizon branded. No option for wifi calling on the unlocked phone and wifi calling working perfectly on the VZW model.

After several calls to Moto tech support it was established that Verizon blocks wifi calling on non VZW phones.

Look out Verizon, John Lagere is coming to get you!

 

Re: Wifi Calling Service on BYOD Unlocked Phones
garne2t
Enthusiast - Level 2

Verizon, I am VERY disappointed that you are not allowing us to use WiFi calling for unlocked devices! I've been a Verizon customer for many years and recently changed from a Verizon Samsung Note 4 phone (with WiFi calling) to a newer Samsung Galaxy S7 (No WiFi calling. Unlocked phone from Samsung.) Nowhere was I told that an unlocked phone would be missing critical features!

I'm going to be investigating changing providers (easy to do with an unlocked phone) now that my phone doesn't support important features. 

I urge you to change your business practice, and provide WiFi calling for ALL phones, to better support your customers!