why UMA is not activated on iphone

That's not a feature of the iPhone. No one ever said it was. If that's important to you, return it and buy a different phone.

It's the truth. What "better answer" do you think you deserve? Do you think we can magically give it that capability? Welcome to reality.

Owning a lot of Apple gadgets doesn't mean you "deserve" anything.

I have 4 Macs, 3 iPods, 2 iPads and 2 iPhones, and that entitles me to absolutely nothing.

Everyone on this forum is just another user - Apple does not monitor or respond directly to any posts.

You can submit feedback about the iPhone and its features (or the lack thereof) here.

And if the lack of a particular feature is a dealbreaker for you, then KiltedTim is correct - you need to return your iPhone and purchase something that suits your needs.

~Lyssa

You purchased a product for a price that was known to you. At the time of purchase you were happy with the price for the product. To retroactively state you are owed something is pure nonsense.

So, use Skype. It's a free App, and you can make video calls via w-i-fi, and it's not exclusive to iOS devices.

It seems that you do not know enough about the technology, yes?

I'm glad you own a few Apple products. But that doesn't mean you get to dictate technological decisions to Apple.

I'm a stockholder. Have been for many, many years. And even I don't get to dictate those terms to Apple.

So, why do you think you get to do so? At the time of sale, the capabilities of the device were readily available. You made the decision to purchase a device that doesn't have the capabilities you wanted. That's a shame. But it's also your responsibility, not Apple's.

Jose Delacruz wrote:

You really dont know anything about technology it seems

Ha! Son, I'll lay odds I was working in the tech industry before you were out of diapers.

Get a life.

When he said:

iphone only have Facetime

I knew you knew more about technology than he did.

OK: Let's restate this problem in another way:

T-Mobile is the only domestic cellphone provider to implement UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) Wifi Calling. Orange UK provides this feature in the UK.

Summarized, this technology allows for WiFi hotspots to act as a cell tower. In our case, once logged into a WiFi hotspot, we have full T-Mobile access, both for voice and data. This has worked for me, since I first moved to T-Mobile back when my late father's home in the hills had no cell coverage, but with WiFi I had full T-Mobile cellphone capabilities.

I now use this capability when I visit the Santa Cruz mountains on a bi-monthly basis and when I visit London on an annual basis. The added bonus in London, is that all voice calls and texts back to the USA are considered within my normal cell package with no roaming charges.

Initially T-Mobile phones had this UMA WiFi feature hard wired into their phones (such as Blackberry) and later Kineto Wireless developed an Android app (and has indicated to me that they have no interest in developing an iPhone app, for reasons discussed below).

Historically T-Mobile did not offer the iPhone until the iPhone 5 (although it did "support" earlier unlocked models). This had to due with data frequencies issues that are not related to this issue.

When T-Mobile offered their first iPhone, the iPhone 5 with iOS 6, they indicated that a future update to iOS was needed to implement UMA WiFi Calling; suggesting their support for this feature with the introduction of iOS 7.

After the introduction of iOS 7 did NOT include this feature, T-Mobile announced that Apple was blocking their implementation of this app!

So bad-mouth the OP all you want, but now that you know the facts, the real villian here is Apple!

Suggestions of Skype, Facetime audio, etc. are just missing the point: I have a telephone number that everyone knows that they can use to reach me with voice and text. UMA WiFi Calling allows all of my friends, family and business associates to reach me no matter where I am around the world. NONE of these alternatives have 100% capability and ease of this feature.

I do use a workaround however, until Apple removes its block of the UMA WiFi app: I move the micro-SIM from my iPhone 5 (with an adapter) over to my original Blackberry Curve 6950 when travelling and get the best of both worlds. I continue to pay T-Mobile for repair insurance to replace this Blackberry as needed.

That being said, I should not have to go to the effort to move the SIM back and forth as needed (and extra expense); Apple needs to remove its block so we can use our iPhones 100% of the time; as I was promised when I purchased it in April 2013.

MlchaelLAX wrote:

T-Mobile is the only domestic cellphone provider to implement UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) Wifi Calling. Orange UK provides this feature in the UK.

Domestic to which country? Yours? The OP's? The OP doesn't appear to have said where they are from so we really don't know which carriers or features are available to them.

Of course, the bottom line is, if someone needs this feature, they will need to buy a different phone. Suggestions to use Skype are not missing the point. They are suggesting a workaround if the OP does not wish to purchase another phone. If anyone wishes to let Apple know that they would like this feature, here's the feedback link:

http://www.apple.com/feedback

Best of luck.

Meg; thank you for taking the time to respond:

My profile clearly shows me to be in the USA; but that also misses the point. No matter how many cellphone companies use UMA in one country, we chose THAT provider so that we could use that features of UMA WiFi Calling; as did the OP.

I purchased a phone that was promised this feature 12 months ago; no one is going to refund that purchase now...

No one should have to purchase a 2nd phone when they were promised this capabiity on the iPhone.

If you think Skype is an adequate workaround, you obviously do not understand the benefits of UMA WiFi Calling.

Apple is well aware of how many of us would "like" this feature. They would prefer we use their less than adequate FaceTime Audio and iMessage; neither of which have the universality of making and receiving voices calls and sending and receiving text message to one universal telephone number, whether on an Apple device or not!

I have been an enthusiastic Apple supporter since I purchased my first Apple ][ in 1979; that does not mean I will not call them out when they fumble the ball!

MlchaelLAX wrote:

My profile clearly shows me to be in the USA; but that also misses the point.

You missed my point. We don't know where the OP is from.

I purchased a phone that was promised this feature 12 months ago; no one is going to refund that purchase now...

No one should have to purchase a 2nd phone when they were promised this capabiity on the iPhone.

Who promised you this feature? I don't recall Apple ever promising it, though, if you can show me where they did, I'd be glad of the information. If your carrier promised it, your gripe is with them.

Again, the bottom line is the OP cannot do what they want. Their current options are to use another service such as Skype or get another phone. That's not misunderstanding the technology. It's facing reality.

The more people who make suggestions to Apple, the more likely they are to pay attention. If you don't vote with your purchasing dollars or you feedback, you are much less likely to get what you want.

Meg St._Clair wrote:

MlchaelLAX wrote:

My profile clearly shows me to be in the USA; but that also misses the point.

You missed my point. We don't know where the OP is from.

You are surely argumentative; but that is not the point, either:

The OP is from Uzbekistan which has five cellphone companies that offer UMA WiFi Calling; or

The OP is from the USA which only has one cellphone company offering UMA WiFi Calling (T-Mobile).

Now what is your point: either way, he chose his cellphone company for this feature, as did I!

Meg St._Clair wrote:

Who promised you this feature?

I was clear in my original post,

Meg St._Clair wrote:

Again, the bottom line is the OP cannot do what they want. Their current options are to use another service such as Skype or get another phone. That's not misunderstanding the technology. It's facing reality.

OR: Expressing their frustration with Apple's monoplistic policies regarding their App store on this forum, as the OP clearly has the right and obiligation to do!

Meg St._Clair wrote:

The more people who make suggestions to Apple, the more likely they are to pay attention. If you don't vote with your purchasing dollars or you feedback, you are much less likely to get what you want.

That's a pretty naive statement, but you are entitled to your opinion.

That does not mean that its users have to keep quiet about their lack of choice and we have every reason to offer our criticisms of Apple's current policy, which in my mind is more likely to sway Apple's future decision making then getting a refund on their phone. T-Mobile is but a minority of users of iPhones...

Again, I understand your desire to be an Apple fangirl; I am similarly one (fanboy, that is) for over 30 years. But that does not stop me from criticising a bad decision on their part!

You'd feel differently if you actually had experience using UMA WiFi Calling instead of criticising our frustration for its lack of inclusion in the abstract...

In the meantime, I will wait to hear from others on this point...