Hello LotusPilot,
At my end, two different users with fully independent Apple IDs (Family Sharing invoked) and are on the same cellular plan and account with the carrier. Separate phone numbers, of course.
User1 (Me)
iPhone 15 Pro Max, M1 iPad Pro 12.9in, M1 MacBook Pro 16in, Apple Watch Ultra 2
Wi-Fi Calling enabled (when iPhone not nearby) on iPad and MacBook
User2 (Wife)
iPhone 14 Pro Max, M1 iPad Air, M1 MacBook Pro 13in, Apple Watch Ultra 2
Wi-Fi Calling enabled (when iPhone not nearby) on iPad and MacBook
The issue persists only with my team of devices. My wife’s bunch has always worked fine.
The issues with iPad WiFi Calling appear to be independent of the related iPhone itself. When the iPhone is switched off, the iPhone plays no part at all in call routing - or signalling/data exchange between iPad and iPhone. Similarly, while the iPhone is not nearby on the same WiFi network, the iPhone plays no part in WiFi calling for the iPad (or Mac or your case).
Remember, with WiFi Calling active, the iPad communicates directly with the Cellular carrier over the available internet bearer connection via your ISP, WiFi hotspot or public WiFi connection.
Acknowledged and understand all of the above. One thing to note (as you know) and that is that when an iPhone signs out of the Apple ID, then the other devices signed on to the same Apple ID lose the telephone number as a contact point in iMessages and FaceTime. This means that the user has to setup Upgrade to Wi-Fi Calling on the other devices once the iPhone signs back into the Apple ID. There is where the iPhone has a bearing on other devices and Wi-Fi calling for other devices.
As is, my own hypothesis is that something has changed in recent iPadOS point-updates that impacts WiFi Calling.
Highly possible.
Posts seen and answered within the iPad Community might suggest that relatively few Users are aware of WiFi Calling support for iPads (and Mac?). Consequently, the relative population that use the feature might be similarly few - and of those that do use the feature with their iPhone and iPad, even fewer may even be aware of the problem.
I am in agreement with you regarding the above paragraph. There is confusion out there between Wi-Fi calling when iPhone is not nearby and Wi-Fi calling while using your iPhone when it is nearby. This confusion is more prevalent in the Mac community. Macs work just as well as iPads do when it comes to Wi-Fi calling when iPhone is not nearby. (Upgraded to Wi-Fi Calling)
The issue with WiFi Calling seeming only becomes apparent/noticeable if you regularly use the iPad and (a) have difficulty making calls, (b) notice a lot of expected calls have been missed, or (c) have both devices in close proximity and note strange/inconsistent behaviour.
I have done the above diligently for the past few months. I agree that all of the above conditions must exist to observe the details to try and determine the cause.
It is also perhaps worthwhile to note the iPad's Attention Aware features can mask the "ring" issue - as the volume of system sounds is reduced to being nearly inaudible while the iPad is active and the User's attention is to the iPad screen.
Agreed. The Attention Aware Feature lowers the volume, however I have always been able to hear the ring tone. When I am looking at the devices, then I automatically expect the devices to ring with lower than set volume.
My studies showed that I had 3 devices signed on to the same Apple ID and those are the iPhone, iPad and a MacBook. Wi-Fi Calling when iPhone not nearby successfully setup on iPad and MacBook. Regardless of the location of the iPhone, sometimes all 3 devices will rings, sometimes only 2 and sometimes none will ring. When the iPhone missed a call, the call did not register in the recent calls list, however the missed call showed on the carriers website log. Once a device (including the iPhone) did not ring during an incoming call, then it would not ring during subsequent incoming calls until such time that I made an outgoing call from that device. Things would work until either the iPhone or another device changed networks from Wi-Fi to Cellular or From one Wi-Fi network to another Wi-Fi Network and vice versa. Very inconsistent results. I can, however, reproduce the issue on the iPhone by simply moving from Wi-Fi to Cellular (or reverse) and the iPhone would not ring for incoming calls until I make an outgoing call first.
Axel F.