WiFi Assist breaks WiFi Calling?

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npjh1987 Author

Level 1

1 points

WiFi Assist breaks WiFi Calling?

I was on the iphone today, and for the first time while home the call dropped twice in the span of ten minutes (called them back twice). We switched to email to avoid another possible drop. With tmobile WiFi calling, I almost never drop, while my regular reception at home is weak at best. I went through the settings to see what if anything was different. WiFi Assist was the only new and active thing I could find. I am not completely sure if WiFi calling pull downs data (audio) in the same way the browser would, but if WiFi Assist is automatically switching off WiFi use, then there may be a problem. WiFi calling, on the best circumstances, seamlessly switches to regular service when necessary. However, not only do I have poor regular coverage where I am, but also WiFi Assist is a wholly separate feature affecting the WiFi software. I shut off the feature for now. I prefer to stick with WiFi anyway, even if the signal is weaker than data.

Am I scapegoating a poorly described feature, or have others had similar issues?

iPhone 6, iOS 9

Posted on Sep 21, 2015 1:32 PM

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Answer 1

ChrisJ4203

Level 10

230,347 points

Sep 21, 2015 1:35 PM in response to npjh1987

You don't say if turning this feature off has made any difference in your calls. Did it? You can provide feedback to Apple if you like about issues with this feature. Feedback goes to http://www.apple.com/feedback

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Answer 2

npjh1987 Author

Level 1

1 points

Sep 21, 2015 1:52 PM in response to ChrisJ4203

I don't know if shutting Assist off helped, but like I said the incident was unusual. The new feature is also the only difference I could find. When I have time, I can certainly ping Apple about my suspicions!

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Answer 3

ChrisJ4203

Level 10

230,347 points

Sep 21, 2015 7:44 PM in response to npjh1987

I understand it was unusual, but in an effort to help others, it would be nice if you could report whether or not turning this switch off has prevented you from dropping Wi-Fi calls. Have you taken the time to test another call, even possibly from the same location to the same number and see if it remained connected with the switch off? This is a user to user support forum, and support from other users is necessary to keep it going. That is why I asked you if it helped, and then if you could report your findings. Someone else could be experiencing similar behavior, and if they were to do a Google search, could end up with your thread here. Imagine how good you would feel if you were to provide them with the help they needed.

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Answer 4

npjh1987 Author

Level 1

1 points

Oct 5, 2015 1:21 PM in response to npjh1987

So I finally got to use that little used phone app again, and a call was dropped again in the span of a couple minutes. I flicked off WiFi Calling and called back. We finished the conversation without dropping, albeit moving more quickly in case the call dropped again. So, I don't know what's happening exactly, but WiFi Assist is now unlikely to be the culprit ...

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Answer 5

npjh1987 Author

Level 1

1 points

Oct 8, 2015 1:27 PM in response to npjh1987

After having another drop I learned the following:

Wi-Fi Calling itself my be broken in iOS 9 on at least the TMobile network, failing to hand off to the cell network. Consistently, WiFi Calling works for only two minutes. Then, the call drops, and "T-Mobile Wi-Fi" is no longer displayed. Shutting off WiFi Assist and/or switching LTE to data only does not prevent the drop after two minutes. Shutting off WiFi Calling led to a callback that lasted 39 minutes, with a only occasionally distorted voice quality via ~2 bars of signal.

WiFi Assist is NOT the culprit.

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Answer 6

Sep 22, 2016 5:06 PM in response to npjh1987

Thanks for this info, even though its almost a year old, I'm having the very same issue with T-Mobile, Wifi Calling, and its still an issue with iOS 10 and Sierra. I need to look to see if the "T-Mobile WiFi" goes away like you stated. Getting cut off every couple of minutes makes this "feature" less useful.

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