iPhone Verizon customers will be happy to hear that the latest iOS 9.3 beta has added support for the Wi-Fi Calling feature that AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint subscribers have had access to for the past couple months. The Wi-Fi Calling feature allows an iPhone to use a Wi-Fi network in favor of a weak cellular connection when making a phone call or sending a text message.
Currently, the Wi-Fi Calling feature is only available on the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Once the feature has been enabled and set up, the iPhone should automatically switch between Wi-Fi Calling and normal mode naturally without any assistance.
The reason it has taken so long for Verizon subscribers to gain access to Wi-Fi Calling is because the telecom company has had to wait on approval from the FCC to institute the feature. AT&T had a similar issue early this year, and even wrote a letter to the FCC claiming that T-Mobile and Sprint implemented Wi-Fi Calling without getting the correct clearance first, according to The Verge .
T-Mobile has offered Wi-Fi calling since 2007. AT&T blamed their own delay in supporting the feature following the letter of the law, having to wait for the FCC to grant a waiver relating to offering a teletypewriter (TTY) service for the deaf.
While iOS 9.3 is still in beta , to turn on Wi-Fi Calling once it has been released (or right now if you have AT&T, T-Mobile or Sprint), navigate to Settings --> Phone --> Wi-Fi Calling.
Once there, slide the toggle next to the button that says “Wi-Fi Calling on This iPhone” and a pop-up box should appear, confirming that you wish to enable Wi-Fi Calling.
The official iOS 9.3 release will bring with it a whole host of new features, including a new education app designed for use in classrooms to help instructors teaching with iPads, and Night Shift mode, which shifts the color balance of an iPhone screen depending on the time of day. During night time, Night Shift mode will mean an iPhone is less likely to strain a user’s eyesight.
