topic Re: iPhone not making calls to UK when abroad in Mobile Services

iPhone not making calls to UK when abroad

TriciaTailored — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 12:11:49 GMT

I'm not able to make calls while abroad even though I have contract that allows this. I'm in the US, but calls back to the UK do not work. I get 'calling' and then 'dial assist'. Then fail! I was able to make a call from here about a week ago. I can't even call EE to get help. Any suggestions? I have turned my phone on/off and have tried choosing different networks. I have 4 bars.

Re: iPhone not making calls to UK when abroad

bristolian — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 12:15:16 GMT

Do local calls within the US, connect? Are you able to send text messages?

Re: iPhone not making calls to UK when abroad

XRaySpeX — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 12:15:32 GMT

@TriciaTailored : Are you on contract or PAYG? Had you used that SIM for making calls or texts in UK before you left to go abroad?

If you are on contract, did you activate roaming on your EE a/c before you left UK by texting ROAMING to 150? Having a roaming billing add-on doesn't of itself activate roaming on your a/c. Having roaming activated on your EE a/c, not just on your device, is crucial to using your contract SIM abroad.

Often just rebooting the phone is the simple remedy. Also try selecting a network manually rather than auto.

Otherwise you need to call CS to get your roaming activated. Try calling CS on the Freephone no. in my sig. on Skype over WiFi. It should be free.

Re: iPhone not making calls to UK when abroad

bristolian — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 12:32:47 GMT

@TriciaTailored wrote:

I was able to make a call from here about a week ago.

I am taking this comment to mean that a network connection was certainly available "about a week ago", thus roaming was enabled.

Re: iPhone not making calls to UK when abroad

TriciaTailored — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 12:59:18 GMT

Yes. Roaming is on. I have a contract that allows me to make international calls when in Europe and the USA, etc. as if I'm in the UK. I was just in Spain and it was fine. I don't need to text aboard. And I make a call from the US to the UK last Friday when in the US.

I have tried turning my phone on/off. I can't even call the costumer services number at 7953966250 or the 150 number.

Re: iPhone not making calls to UK when abroad

TriciaTailored — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 12:58:09 GMT

My plan is called: Business All Rounder SIM 10GB which means I have free roaming when abroad (in many countries).

I have tried turning my phone on/off and changing the network.

I can't even call the costumer services number at 7953966250 or the 150 number.

Can I call EE CS via Whatsapp?

Re: iPhone not making calls to UK when abroad

TriciaTailored — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 13:17:50 GMT

No. Calls in the US don't work either.

Re: iPhone not making calls to UK when abroad

Schockwave — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 13:27:46 GMT

@TriciaTailored , do you have signal showing? As @XRaySpeX has written, did you enable roaming before going abroad on your account?

If that is the case, you would need to ring customer service using something like Skype using the free number @XRaySpeX has given you.

In settings on your phone, is roaming showing as enabled?

Re: iPhone not making calls to UK when abroad

TriciaTailored — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 14:42:23 GMT

Thanks all,

@bristolian @XRaySpeX

I have done all the things that you have suggested. In the end, I had to drive about 3 miles from where I am to make the phone call, although the quality was extremely poor.

It seems odd that I would have to leave where I am, considering I'm getting four bars from T-Mobile, which is a major US network. Also, other people I am staying with can make and receive calls using the cellular network. I am not in a rural area.

Thank you!

Re: iPhone not making calls to UK when abroad

bristolian — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 16:28:39 GMT

The clue may be in your statement "the quality was extremely poor".

I suspect this was a VoLTE issue, perhaps TAC-specific where you were. Your call may have subsequently been carried over 2G, with a poorer voice codec.

Re: iPhone not making calls to UK when abroad

Rafikibob — Thu, 09 May 2024 04:02:01 GMT

I have the same problem.

I’m in the US every other week and have the world roaming blah blah. Works perfectly in Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Germany, The Netherlands, so assume it’s fine across Europe.

But in the US it’s hard to place calls, it rarely connects at all, but when it does the sound is choppy and broken, and it’s very hard to hear or be heard, and then it may disconnect anyway.

I have full signal and 5G connected to AT&T. Tried it with and without Wifi calling.

It’s been like this for over a year.

Rebooting doesn’t work. Network reset doesn’t work. Tried SIM in another phone, just as bad. They swapped the SIM, just as bad.

It must be a “them” thing.

Re: iPhone not making calls to UK when abroad

Christopher_G — Thu, 09 May 2024 07:27:36 GMT

Have you tried changing the network mode to 4G, @Rafikibob? Just to see if it makes a difference?
Chris

Re: iPhone not making calls to UK when abroad

bristolian — Thu, 09 May 2024 07:43:52 GMT

@Rafikibob wrote:

I have the same problem.

I’m in the US every other week and have the world roaming blah blah

Not sure what you mean by "the world roaming blah blah"? If you mean a billing add-on, it's irrelevant for anything other than mitigating your costs. Global roaming is self-evidently enabled by virtue of your phone working in non-EU countries.

The thread you'd added to had a potential explanation for this in previous posts - poor voice quality is often caused by a call being carried over non-VoLTE radio layers, which don't always have the current wideband voice codecs available. An excellent test is to try using mobile data whilst on a voice call - this will not work over 2G.

5G networks in NSA mode will use 4G for voice calls by default.

Re: iPhone not making calls to UK when abroad

Rafikibob — Wed, 15 May 2024 23:04:07 GMT

Yep, it did not

Re: iPhone not making calls to UK when abroad

step_hen — Thu, 16 May 2024 13:43:34 GMT

I'm in the US (Wisconsin) at the moment using an iPhone 14. I've had no problems making calls back to the UK. Maybe try a different Network? I find Verizon and AT and T have the best coverage.