WIFI calling not working without GSM network connection

[alexbb]

WIFI calling was meant to work when no mobile network signal is available, but in my case it does not. Also, when I'm in a WIFI call, is the mobile network signal is lost, I lose my phone call over WIFI. That happens a lot as I'm in a building with very poor indoor reception.

This has been going for months, I use a Google Pixel 6, and I can verify my calls work over WIFI just fine, as long I have mobile network signal, once it is lost, I can't make or receive any calls over WIFI.

What can I do to fix this?

[James_B]

Hi @alexbb,

The airplane mode test we discussed earlier confirms that WiFi Calling is working when your mobile network connection is disabled.

It sounds like your phone may not be using WiFi Calling when you've had issues, so the calls are dropping when you lose mobile coverage.

Are you sure the phone was was displaying the WiFi Calling indicator during the calls that have dropped? Perhaps you're just seeing the indicator start to show after you've lost mobile coverage and your call has dropped?

James

[alexbb]

Yes, 100% confirmed the phone displays wifi calling. I've spoken to a 2nd level support at EE and we could not find the option "switch to mobile data automatically" under wifi settings on Pixel 6, which allegedly could help with this as he suspects that is a handover problem between mobile network and wifi. My pixel 6 doesn't have that option, and I believe it is hardcoded as on, as when I have if I have any wifi problems (at a different location, not here where I am) the phone uses mobile network data instead without my intervention.

Not sure if this option indeed makes any tangible difference, but since my phone doesn't have this options, it was stated there is not much else that can be done. I'm not 100% sure of this.

[James_B]

Hi @alexbb,

Did the agent you spoke to raise a support ticket for your issue?

That would be the next step so our support team can investigate.

James

[alexbb]

Yes they did, as it was escalated to 2nd level, but on this brief conversation with 2nd level it was established there was nothing else that could be done as my phone doesn't have the mentioned above "switch to mobile data automatically" option

[James_B]

Hi @alexbb,

I'm sorry to hear the level 2 team weren't able to find a solution for you.

As a workaround, you could use the airplane mode method to force your phone onto WiFi Calling when needed.

James

[alexbb]

Not really a good work around that you need to remember to always have in place before making/receiving calls. It would be more convenient to find another network that doesn't have this limitation.

I'm not convinced the option "switch to mobile data automatically" makes any difference as that is just for when the WIFI is not good, not the other way around. The call initiated over WIFI, and is still over WIFI, but when mobile network drops the call drops. How would "switch to mobile data automatically" make any difference here? And if that is not enabled, means that when I'm in range of a WIFI network, and then eventually get out of range, the call will drop instead of switching to mobile network data.

To me, it seems there was more to troubleshoot. 

[James_B]

Hi @alexbb,

Our Technical Support Team will be happy to take another look at this if you get in touch.

James

[alexbb]

Tech support was not very helpful last time and very quick to dismiss at my phone's problem and no way to even if it was the case, send feedback to the phone manufacturer about this.

The support effort was not great, it was simply "yeah, I'm sorry, this is it and there is nothing we can do"

Still, I have never received a support ticket number, not a single email, not a single confirmation about what happened, transcripts, or anything like that. Not great experience at all.

[Galaxya14]

Wif call