Wi-fi calling on unlocked Android devices

[revhappy]

Now that we are well into December of 2017, I just wanted to reiterate that locked phones are a thing of the past (well, 4 days in the past).

I'm extremely hopeful Rogers will make it a priority to look after their subscribers who use unlocked Android devices with Wi-Fi and VoLTE capabilities. For someone like me who works in an office that provides 1-2 bars of EDGE on a consistent daily basis, having Wi-Fi calling would be completely liberating.

Who else is in this same boat as me? 

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[RogersPrasana]

Hi @revhappy

Welcome to the Community Forums! 

I can definitely see how beneficial WiFi calling would be in a situation like yours.

We will definitely update the community when we hear more information.

Thank you for your feedback!

RogersPrasana 

[angelop]

Same here. No signal at work. need wifi calling. Called  rogers countless times to no avial.

Phones are now unlocked -- so when will rogers open the wifi calling/volte options for us unlocked android guys?

We are all loyal rogers customers who pay our bills on a monthly basis, why not give your customers what they ask for???

Anyone have a successful work around? 

[someguy495]

Strange enough they seem to have disabled volte and wifi calling my new unlocked Galaxy S8 I got from Rogers. I did a hardware upgrade during the black Friday sale and they shipped me an unlocked version. Even with the volte option enabled, my signal drops to 4g from LTE everytime make a call. However, when I switch the sim back to my S6, volte and wifi calling both work.
I've called tech support a few times and they can't figure it out.

[RogersMaude]

Good day @someguy495,

Welcome to the Rogers Community!

I'm sorry to hear you're experiencing issues with the VoLTE and Wi-Fi Calling features, on your new Samsung Galaxy S8. Our goal is to help you resolve it! 

When you spoke with technical support, do you know if they opened a ticket to have this investigated further?

Did you go through the registration process successfully, for the Wi-Fi Calling?

Let us know!

RogersMaude

[someguy495]

Hi,

There is no ticket open since I was told that it isn't "broken". I have been using WiFi calling for a while and in fact when I switch the SIM back to the Galaxy S6, both WiFI calling and VoLTE work.

On the plus side my S8 has been getting LTE+ signals where I never got with the S6 and the data is noticeably faster. It's just a shame that the signal drops to 4g when I make or receive a call.

[revhappy]

So there is definitely something going on behind the scenes at Rogers. Here's the conclusion to my experiment:

1. Remove SIM card from unlocked GS7 and install into a GS6 locked on Rogers.

2. Mess around with the settings on the GS6, all the while pinging the Wifi Calling activation link www.rogers.com/AndroidWiFi  

3. Once the IMEI of the GS6 was linked to my SIM card, www.rogers.com/AndroidWiFi  was able to confirm my enrollment

4. Once enrolled, I booted up the GS7 with the SIM card I registered WIFI calling with on the GS6, went through the settings and turned WIFI calling and VoLTE on.

Conclusion:

1. When airplane mode is activated, the phone places calls using on WIFI network.

2. When making a regular call on the cellular network, "HD" appears in the top left hand corner signifying that VoLTE is activate on my side of the fence.

3. Within 10 minutes, the phone was unable to make WIFI or VoLTE calls. Most likely as the GS7 IMEI was registered, once again, on the network. 

Any sensible person who can clearly see what's going on here: If your IMEI was not originally locked to Roger's, you are out of luck - plain and simple; any way you dice it. They are definitely using a table database system which allows them to filter out non-Roger's phones.

Here's to waiting another 11 years before I can use this feature (if I dont jump ship by then).

[revhappy]

Since my last post on December 26th, I have taken what available resources that are available to the general consumer public and filed a formal complaint with the CCTS.

However, I will not outline the specifics of that outbound communication. I do urge those ensnared in a similar situation like myself to take the same initiative as I have and voice their concern to the service provider and the CCTS.

[Bostbrn]

Wifi Calling- LG V20,  non-Rogers Phone

Do you know when wifi calling will be coming to non-Rogers phones? There are some areas where reception is not great and this feature would help greatly. Thanks.

[RogersCilio]

Hello @Bostbrn,

Welcome to the Rogers Community Forums.

I can certainly appreciate your question. WiFi Calling was designed for customers in rural areas and provides a great alternative when reception may be low.

With that said, currently, we don't have information regarding when/if it'll be available to the LG V20 or other particular unlocked devices, at this time. Have you considered alternatives that have similar features to WiFi Calling, such as WhatsApp or Viber?

I know that's not the answer you want to hear :(, but we'll be sure to update the Community with any information that may become available to us.

RogersCilio