iPhone 15 Pro Max Question on WiFi calling

[Jackbequickly]

The OP is on AT&T. AT&T and Verizon prefer cellular, and will use cellular if there is a reasonably strong cellular signal. Only T-Mo prefers Wi-Fi.

OP - if you have 3-4 bars of 5G AT&T at your house, your phone will not use Wi-Fi calling, even if you enable it.

I know that, but I am still saying my battery still takes a hit when I have WiFi calling activated and back to normal when turned off.

 

[Tru3B1u3]

I used to have a weak cellular signal at home so used ATT wifi-calling which saved battery and improved voice quality. Set-up a one-touch shortcut to toggle between cellular antenna while out and wifi antenna while home - what’s the point of running multiple antennas when one does the job? Have a good cellular signal now, but maintain same practice. 4.5yo phone still good for >10hrs SOT with my normal efficient usage.

Ever since I tried out shortcuts on my previous iPhone SE, I’ve used them for things like this.

I have a shortcut for swapping antennas and for turning on/off AirDrop. I never use Bluetooth otherwise so the shortcut was perfect because turning it off is such a pain.

If you use Low Power mode, a automated shortcut is perfect for this too!

 

[contacos]

I set up an automation to automatically turn on airplane mode (with wifi enabled) when it locks into my network at home and automatically turns off airplane mode when I leave my wifi at home.

 

[jezbd1997]

However, perhaps that’s because my iPhone rarely relies on Wi-Fi calling.

yeah well that is because it's only relying on the cell signal, it will typically not connect over wifi unless you go below 1-2 bars

 

[jezbd1997]

I set up an automation to automatically turn on airplane mode (with wifi enabled) when it locks into my network at home and automatically turns off airplane mode when I leave my wifi at home.

But why? That's not how the systems are engineered, it's defeating the purpose of failover.
Cell is more reliable in sleep mode compared to wifi, which is why push notifications are done over cell unless unavailable

 

[contacos]

But why? That's not how the systems are engineered, it's defeating the purpose of failover.
Cell is more reliable in sleep mode compared to wifi, which is why push notifications are done over cell unless unavailable

Have not noticed any downsides and I dont want my phone to ping a 2 bar signal all the time.

Also, my iPad is wifi only - you saying it is worse than my Phone on mobile data? dont think so

 

[Boyd01]

I also have AT&T but live in a rural area where I only get a 2-bar cellular signal. It used to be even worse, so for years I used an AT&T "Microcell" which is like a personal cell tower that connects to wifi. When Apple finally offered wifi calling, I switched to it and got rid of the Microcell. Wifi calling works really well for me and definitely uses less battery because the phone isn't constantly searching for a better signal. I would say the improvement in battery life is quite dramatic actually.

 

[MacCheetah3]

yeah well that is because it's only relying on the cell signal, it will typically not connect over wifi unless you go below 1-2 bars

And as far as I can recall, that’s only at my parents’ home, which has siding over brick walls in addition to being located just outside of a small town. T-Mobile has much better signal strength than AT&T there, but cellular connectivity is still very miss and hit.

 

[zorinlynx]

There are benefits to preferring WiFi calling, but also benefits to preferring using cellular if there's a strong signal.

The primary reason to prefer cellular is that a lot of people have really, *really* dodgy wifi at home, and AT&T will get complaints about call quality from those people. If the cellular signal is strong, might as well use it and skip all that.

Cellular has built-in QoS and priority for voice calls, too, so if your cellular signal is good, you will often have a better call experience than even on decent WiFi.

 

[andyw715]

yeah well that is because it's only relying on the cell signal, it will typically not connect over wifi unless you go below 1-2 bars

My approach is to keep wifi calling enabled for that reason.

It won't actually use it unless it has to, at that point any perceived battery drain is acceptable unless you really don't care about the phone part of the phone.

 

[gsurf123]

It would take controlled testing to definitely determine if it makes a difference. Anecdotal experience is of little value. While anecdotal! I have never not had wifi calling on and I charge every other day or so.

 

[rui no onna]

Also, my iPad is wifi only - you saying it is worse than my Phone on mobile data? dont think so

It’s true, though (at least on standby). When using Find My, cellular devices (with active cell service) respond more quickly than wifi only. Granted, the situation has improved a lot with newer iOS compared to before.

Mind, I haven’t noticed any battery life difference between wifi calling enabled/disabled.

 

[jezbd1997]

Have not noticed any downsides and I dont want my phone to ping a 2 bar signal all the time.

Also, my iPad is wifi only - you saying it is worse than my Phone on mobile data? dont think so

Just not how it's designed for cell devices, sure, you do you.
I'm sure Apple knows less than you

 

[jezbd1997]

My approach is to keep wifi calling enabled for that reason.

It won't actually use it unless it has to, at that point any perceived battery drain is acceptable unless you really don't care about the phone part of the phone.

Yeah, in your situation that sounds good

 

[contacos]

Just not how it's designed, sure, you do you.
I'm sure Apple knows less than you

Battery stats say otherwise and also it depends on the service you have in your apartment / house obviously. I would not necessarily turn it off, if I had full bars of 5G at my apartment but with only 2 bars, I would wake up to "20-25%" of "weak cellular signal" in the battery stats in the morning

• Extends battery life of your phone: When your cell phone is constantly on the hunt for cellular service, your battery goes to waste, especially when roaming is enabled. WiFi calling has the potential to extend your phone’s battery life because it’s not draining itself searching for cellular connections.

 

[jezbd1997]

Battery stats say otherwise and also it depends on the service you have in your apartment / house obviously. I would not necessarily turn it off, if I had full bars of 5G at my apartment but with only 2 bars, I would wake up to "20-25%" of "weak cellular signal" in the battery stats in the morning

• Extends battery life of your phone: When your cell phone is constantly on the hunt for cellular service, your battery goes to waste, especially when roaming is enabled. WiFi calling has the potential to extend your phone’s battery life because it’s not draining itself searching for cellular connections.

Yes it would depend on the location true. I don't use wifi calling and I have 2-3 bars of 4G LTE normally inside, I never have the low cell signal on battery unless it's hanging on to 1 bar.
iPhone 7 days were bad for this and battery life on cellular but I haven't had real issues since they dumped Intel modems, unless on the edge of a coverage zone/or congestion

 

[arw]

I set up an automation to automatically turn on airplane mode (with wifi enabled) when it locks into my network at home and automatically turns off airplane mode when I leave my wifi at home.

Slightly off-topic: Do you know a way to get rid of the notification that an action was triggered by connecting/disconnecting to/from a Wi-Fi?

 

[contacos]

Slightly off-topic: Do you know a way to get rid of the notification that an action was triggered by connecting/disconnecting to/from a Wi-Fi?

You mean the Lock Screen notification? Unfortunately not ...