Hi Guys,
1. I am NOT an expert as to how VoLTE works in the back end.
VoLTE is the use of LTE to carry voice calls, as opposed to falling back onto 3G / 2G to carry the voice call. Advantages include, lower connection time, wideband audio, etc.
I've recently spent some time changing the CID and firmaware on my HTC 10 to one that is region specific to enable VoLTE on my handset.
It appears the way Apple implements carrier settings means that different carrier settings can be delivered to any iPhone, but it appears Android is currently managing this differently, as OEMs are creating variants of the software to cater for each region/carrier's variations.
What this means for me is, even if I purchase an unlocked device, if it isnt from my region, I will likely have to do extensive modification to enable VoLTE.
Does anyone know if Android N manages VoLTE differently? What's el-Goog thingking here?
I have tried this new feature coming with the stock Oreo ROM and received a message from my mobile carrier initially, welcoming me to WiFi calling. All network settings seemed to be working fine, I was also browsing internet with no problems, all apps were connecting and responding as expected. However the first time I tried dialing one of my contacts I've got a message "Server error. Try again later." on the dialing screen itself. It looked like the call couldn't be connected. This happened to all outgoing calls, I suppose to all incoming also although I couldn't confirm that.
I tried many things like restarting the phone, turning data on and off, going into flight mode and disabling it, in the end I reset all network settings disabling LTE advanced services before doing that and enabling them again after the reset, but I still get that error. If I disable LTE advanced, all calls get connected with no problems.
Does anyone know if this is something with a list of supported devices explicitly enabled by the mobile carrier in their network? I am considering calling my carrier for more information but the fact itself I have got a welcome message means the device has been detected as part of the advanced services network. Perhaps there are some network settings I need to enter? Anyone ever used Axon 7's WiFi calling/advanced LTE features on any network?
Does that maybe include VoLTE which the carrier may not support?
https://www.4g.co.uk/what-is-volte/
Well according to the link provided and what I know, LTE is supported by my operator, but I wonder if it needs to be specifically tailored to a phone model by them and/or the 8.0 update by itself is not providing such functionality or it is limited by default. And I think it may be the first since ZTE products are never on the list of supported phones by any operator. But I couldn't claim it for sure as otherwise ZTE would not have included it at all with the 8.0 ROM and there are so many basic or very old models like LG K8 or Microsoft Lumia 550 that are supported.
Has anyone tried using "LTE advanced" on their 8.0 yet?
Menergy said:
Well according to the link provided and what I know, LTE is supported by my operator, but I wonder if it needs to be specifically tailored to a phone model by them and/or the 8.0 update by itself is not providing such functionality or it is limited by default. And I think it may be the first since ZTE products are never on the list of supported phones by any operator. But I couldn't claim it for sure as otherwise ZTE would not have included it at all with the 8.0 ROM and there are so many basic or very old models like LG K8 or Microsoft Lumia 550 that are supported.
Has anyone tried using "LTE advanced" on their 8.0 yet?
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LTE Advanced = Volte
If your carrier does not support Volte, keep this option off.
WiFi Calling is something separate and not related.
If your carrier does not support WiFi calling, keep this option off.
You should still get LTE service with both of these options off. I personal find WiFi calling to work poorly, so I leave it off even though my carrier supports it. (TMobile US)
Also, there is a Q and A section for these types of posts. Don't post questions in the Guides and News section please.
Thanks for the input. Both of these options are reported to be supported by my carrier on their website. Also I always had LTE before 8.0 so simply wanted to try the new "HD voice and advanced communication service" as described in the latest firmware.
About posting this thread in the news & discussion section, this only relates to Oreo which was only recently released to the public so it is a completely new feature for the Axon. Most of the other threads are too general and since there will still be many people with 6.1 and 7.0/7.1, I would have hardly got any response whatsoever in there. For now I will keep this new option off and will contact my carrier for the support of the Axon and ZTE in general.
Hello,
I have read and found success making options for wifi calling appear in the stock menu when it was absent before, however the phone is nonetheless unable to make wifi calls after enabling. Tried placing phone in airplane and turning wifi on.... or just choosing the "wifi only" option for making calls in the network menu - Resulting message always states to connect to a wireless network to proceed with the call, even though I have an excellent connection and internet works fine.
I have done an exhaustive search for methods to successfully use T-Mobile's wifi calling feature on my phone.
My initial research revealed that the option should work so long as your phone supports wifi calling as well as your carrier.
The wifi calling option was absent (as well as VoLTE) on the stock ROM, so I had high hopes that a custom ROM which included the feature would allow me to utilize the service with T-Mobile (my current GSM carrier).
After a slew of unsuccessful attempts to make calls using wifi vs the mobile network, I finally called T-Mobile's tech support who was actually quite helpful, but essentially stated that wifi calling through T-Mobile requires the carriers own proprietary software to work... in other words, even though T-Mobile likes to promote the ease with which you can BYOD (bring your own device), it would appear that the wifi calling feature is only possible when buying a phone directly from T-Mobile unless a custom rom is built which is at least partially based upon T-Mobile's own proprietary software with regard to wifi calling.
If ANYONE has had any luck at all placing wifi calls on the T-Mobile network domestically in the U.S. using the global/MEG7 version of Redmi 5 Plus, your assistance would be immensely appreciated. I have found that, although my phone does not support multiple LTE bands used by T-Mobile, I am still able to make LTE calls quite frequently in my region using the single supported band.... however, my home is a "dead zone" so to speak and, even though I am smack dab in the middle of an excellent coverage zone, my service inside the house is poor enough that others' attempts to call are unsuccessful, leaving me unaware of the call unless a message is left.
At this point, I am getting ready to throw in the towel so any advice or success stories would be greatly appreciated - or, on the flipside, a validation that wifi calling is just not possible at this time so I don't have to drive myself crazy with a continued search for which a solution does not yet (or may never) exist.
Many thanks for your help!
I am having a BEAR of a time getting wifi calling working on my phone on Mint Mobile.
I swapped the SIM card to my older note 8 and wifi calling is perfectly humming along. But on this phone it isn't.
I even rooted the phone, used magisk, and the hide-config prop. I enabled as many wfc, ims permissions as I could and still no go.
Anyone have any input or success for themselves?
Wifi Calling Works
It works in India.Don't know about other countries ?
I can confirm WiFi calling works on this device. India, airtel here. You may have to enable it in settings>network & internet>mobile network>advanced>WiFi calling.
Your carrier has to also support this feature
This phone is a fail in the US in so many ways. How can Motorola launch a phone here without bands 12, 17, or 71? Reception will be so limited outside of major cities and in buildings.
So I got the phone and it's working really well. My biggest issue is the lack of VoWifi. I called T-Mobile and the tech felt it should have it.
When I dialed *#*#4636#*#* (I think it's that), VoWifi is greyed out. Is there any way to use ADB or anything to force-enable it? There's no way, with the LTE/5G bands it has that it cannot be enabled on T-Mobile...
Dometalican said:
So I got the phone and it's working really well. My biggest issue is the lack of VoWifi. I called T-Mobile and the tech felt it should have it.
When I dialed *#*#4636#*#* (I think it's that), VoWifi is greyed out. Is there any way to use ADB or anything to force-enable it? There's no way, with the LTE/5G bands it has that it cannot be enabled on T-Mobile...
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It can be related to your provider or it's SIM settings. I use Dual SIM. My Vodafone (NL) in SIM bay 1 has the WiFi-calling option. My KPN (NL) in bay 2 doesn't have it.
jordidejongh said:
It can be related to your provider or it's SIM settings. I use Dual SIM. My Vodafone (NL) in SIM bay 1 has the WiFi-calling option. My KPN (NL) in bay 2 doesn't have it.
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You will only get wifi calling on Google fi on xperia 1, xperia 1 ii and xperia 1 iii. I have used all three phones on tmobile and it doesnt get wifi calling but on Google fi they do.
leony74 said:
You will only get wifi calling on Google fi on xperia 1, xperia 1 ii and xperia 1 iii. I have used all three phones on tmobile and it doesnt get wifi calling but on Google fi they do.
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That's because Google has its own WiFi calling implementation, not using VoWIFI. It should work on just about any device.
I am able to get VoWIFI on T-Mobile after flashing Sony's Developer Binary (for the Xperia 1 ii), but unfortunately that one comes with some other unacceptable compromises (like no task switcher). Anyway the attached screenshot shows the service screen (dial *#*#INFO#*#*) on T-Mobile with this firmware. T-Mobile WiFi calling also works with even more out-of-fashion phones like my Nokia 9 PureView, so I would say this is definitely a Sony firmware issue.
In turn, the WiFi hotspot function does not work on Google Fi on any of my Xperias (1 ii, 5 ii, 1 iii). The client (e.g. laptop) connects to the phone and gets an IP address, but can never reach any website. It works fine with other phones (Nokia, Samsung,. ... and even the same developer image), and it works fine also with the Xperia on T-Mobile and AT&T. I suspect some iptables/firewall incompatibility between Fi and Sony's stock firmware.
I returned my phone back to sony because of missing vowifi.
T-mobile expert said its fully compatible but Sony expert said All Sony Phone dont have vowifi (disabled by software)
So I bought Xperia 1 III (along with a prepaid 3HK SIM card) when I was traveling in Hong Kong.
I inserted that 3HK SIM card to Sony phone, the Wi-Fi Calling was an option in the setting menu.
But after I returned to US, I swapped an Ultra Mobile SIM card to the Xperia 1 III, the Wi-Fi calling option is gone.
Before that, the Ultra Mobile SIM card worked perfectly on a Samsung Note 9 (also Hong Kong version) with Wi-Fi calling enabled. So it looks like it's a software problem.
Tried Google Fi SIM card, I was able to activate Wi-Fi Calling in Google Fi app, but not in phone setting menu.
T-Mobile VoWiFi is incompatible with the stock Sony firmware. You can get it back by flashing one of Sony's developer binaries onto your OEM partition (for "open devices" like the Xperia 1 ii and 5 ii but not 1 iii); however this also makes the phone not really suitable for day-to-day use (for instance, no "recent apps" switcher).
FWIW, T-Mobile VoWiFi works great on my older Nokia 9 PureView, which is definitely not a "known" device as far as T-Mobile is concerned. So the issue is limited to the combination of T-Mobile USA and stock Sony firmware. (Of course, VoWiFi also does not work on AT&T, but that's expected since they only provision AT&T-branded phones).
WiFi calling works on Google Fi, because they use their own implementation (not VoWiFi). Alas, WiFi hotspot functionality is broken on Fi - there seems to be something like a firewall/iptables incompatibilty between Fi and the Sony firrmware. The client (e.g. laptop) is able to obtain an IP address and ping the phone, but is not able to then connect to the Internet. (This, too, is fixed with the developer image above).
FWIW, as a workaround, you can install the T-Mobile DIGITS application and enable this feature on your account to make calls over WiFi. The only caveat, as I learned today, is that this does not let you make international calls. :-(
Hlorri said:
T-Mobile VoWiFi is incompatible with the stock Sony firmware. You can get it back by flashing one of Sony's developer binaries onto your OEM partition (for "open devices" like the Xperia 1 ii and 5 ii but not 1 iii); however this also makes the phone not really suitable for day-to-day use (for instance, no "recent apps" switcher).
FWIW, T-Mobile VoWiFi works great on my older Nokia 9 PureView, which is definitely not a "known" device as far as T-Mobile is concerned. So the issue is limited to the combination of T-Mobile USA and stock Sony firmware. (Of course, VoWiFi also does not work on AT&T, but that's expected since they only provision AT&T-branded phones).
WiFi calling works on Google Fi, because they use their own implementation (not VoWiFi). Alas, WiFi hotspot functionality is broken on Fi - there seems to be something like a firewall/iptables incompatibilty between Fi and the Sony firrmware. The client (e.g. laptop) is able to obtain an IP address and ping the phone, but is not able to then connect to the Internet. (This, too, is fixed with the developer image above).
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Click to collapse
What does developer binaries do? What can you achieve with this and how do you install it
Hazzay88 said:
What does developer binaries do? What can you achieve with this and how do you install it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are actually just meant to bring back some of the original Sony functionality (e.g. camera) on top of a plain-vanilla AOSP build. For instance you can build and install AOSP 12 and then flash this image to the OEM partition. Won't give you Google Play services though, so not really useful for most people.
However you can also flash it on a stock Sony firmware. (Just apply step 7 in the AOSP instructions above, without doing the rest). Fixes some issues, including VoWIFI on T-Mobile and WiFi hotspot on Google Fi, but unfortunately the recent apps switcher is then gone.
Only available for "Open Devices" like the Xperia 1 ii and 5 ii, but not 1 iii.
I know this is a roundabout solution, but it worked for me:
Port your number(s) to Google Voice. This will end your current wireless subscription.
Sign up for a new wireless plan, with new numbers. (*) If you order a new plan online, it's a good idea to do this first so that the SIMs arrive ready for activation before you start the previous step.
Set up Google Voice to forward your calls to that number. Or better yet, install the Voice app on your phone - you can redirect both inbound and outbound calls via this app/service. (I.e. you can use the native dialer to make Voice calls; however for text messages and voicemail you need to use the Voice app).
Optional: In the native phone app, block all inbound calls directly to the new number (remember, your primary one is now on Google Voice).
This also gives you the ability to send/receive calls, voicemail, text messages on a web browser. In other words, all of this is essentially a roundabout way of getting functionality similar to Google Fi; but remember, Fi's hotspot does not work on the Xperia.
(*) Apparently if your carrier is T-Mobile, cancelling 3+ lines and then signing up for 3+ new ones won't give you the same discount as the original signup. According to a local T-Mobile store rep I talked to, if you cancel and recreate service within 90 days, the system thinks you are trying to somehow cheat on discounts. Weird -- I ended up going (back) to AT&T for this reason. You may also consider T-Mobile MVNOs such as Mint Mobile. (**)
(**) Oddly enough, in addition to better overall coverage, I get much higher download speeds on AT&T LTE/LTE+ compared to T-Mobile 5G (NR/NSA) - even in a place with full bars on both carriers. I did a test today with two SIMs in the phone - on AT&T I got 100 Mbps down on first try, whereas on T-Mobile the best I ever got (20+ tries) was ~30 Mbps down; typically 15-20. Not sure if this is another artifact of the Sony firmware, YMMV.
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Course, if you only need to make domestic calls while on WiFi, T-Mobile DIGITS is the path of least resitance.