Tutor
•
8 Messages
Does WiFi Calling Use Minutes ?
I have an iPhone & am on Consumer Cellular in the USA with a 250 minute talk plan. My carrier is AT&T. When I use WiFi calling am I using talk minutes? It would appear that I am. Thanks! Bob
Tutor
•
8 Messages
I have an iPhone & am on Consumer Cellular in the USA with a 250 minute talk plan. My carrier is AT&T. When I use WiFi calling am I using talk minutes? It would appear that I am. Thanks! Bob
Accepted Solution
Official Solution
sandblaster
ACE - Expert
•
64.7K Messages
6 years ago
Yes. WiFi calling means you are connected to the carrier’s network through WiFi instead of a cell tower but you are still using the cellular network. Therefore, your calls still use minutes. There is a difference between WiFi calling and calls over WiFi. FaceTime is an example of a call over WiFi. FaceTime calls do not use minutes because they do not use the cellular voice network.
0
BobbyC777
Tutor
•
8 Messages
6 years ago
Sandblaster,
Thanks. I guess it depends on what carrier one uses. I read that Sprint does not charge against minutes for WiFi calling but T-Mobile does. I could not find what the AT&T policy was. I had assumed that they were free. You are listed as ACE Expert. Is that a forum designation based on your # of posts or are you an AT&T employee? Thanks!
0
0
gr8sho
ACE - Professor
•
5.5K Messages
6 years ago
@BobbyC777
And furthermore, if you were already paying for a service like Vonage or Magicjack just to name a few, the apps for those could be used to make Wifi calls as well. If you were to use a VoIP service off of wifi, it would consume whatever data usage you were paying for, so it's a tricky game to play.
0
0
BobbyC777
Tutor
•
8 Messages
6 years ago
gr8sho -
Thanks - my head is spinning!
-b
0
0
sandblaster
ACE - Expert
•
64.7K Messages
6 years ago
@BobbyC777 I do not work for ATT. ATT employees are clearly marked. The “expert” designation is assigned by the forum based on number of posts, just as your “contributor” was. Where did you read Sprint does not charge minutes, I find that hard to believe. Of course, most plans have unlimited minutes so in most cases, it does not matter. As far as whether minutes are counted or not, it is not ATT’s policy that matters, in your case it is Consumer Cellular. ATT may be providing the network, but Consumar Cellular handles all of your billing, including whether or not they count minutes on WiFi calls.
0
0
formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
•
117.3K Messages
6 years ago
Scroll to the detailed information at the bottom.
https://www.att.com/shop/wireless/features/wifi-calling.html
0
0
BobbyC777
Tutor
•
8 Messages
6 years ago
snippet:
Wi-Fi Calling calls do not count against any minute limits on your Sprint
plan. With Wi-Fi Calling, you can still use the internet and apps while on
an active call.
https://www.sprint.com/en/support/solutions/services/faqs-about-wi-fi-calling.html
Perhaps if someone was using a MVNO with Sprint as the underlying carrier
they might be charged?
Fairly academic about the minutes but I just wanted to understand what was
happening.
Good forum here with a lot of knowledgeable people and good response time.
Thanks!
0
0
BobbyC777
Tutor
•
8 Messages
6 years ago
I read about Sprint not charging for minutes on their website. Here is a snippet:
Wi-Fi Calling calls do not count against any minute limits on your Sprint plan. With Wi-Fi Calling, you can still use the internet and apps while on an active call.
https://www.sprint.com/en/support/solutions/services/faqs-about-wi-fi-calling.html
If someone was using an MVNO with Sprint as the underlying carrier then perhaps they would be charged.
Great forum here with lots of knowledgeable people and good response time.
The minutes issue is not a huge one for me - more wanting to understand the plan as I was surprised to see WiFi Calling minutes showing up on my usage.
Thanks!
0
0
gr8sho
ACE - Professor
•
5.5K Messages
6 years ago
@BobbyC777
The other thing to point out is ATT is very strict about allowing use of value added features like wifi calling. For instance, you can't buy an Android device on Amazon, bring it to ATT and expect wifi calling to be activated for you. This doesn't happen for iPhones. Other carries do not impose such restrictions is my understanding. Does Consumer Cellular allow choice of carrier to use?
0
0
BobbyC777
Tutor
•
8 Messages
6 years ago
Consumer Cellular allows use of either AT&T or T-Mobile. They choose but if you don't like their choice they will send you a SIM card for the other.
0
0