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Apple Watch does NOT support FaceTime Audio & Wifi-Calling...

iCore24

iCore24

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 6, 2013
388
52
Michigan
So I just learned the Apple Watch does not support FaceTime Audio Calls AND does not ring at all and ignores Wifi-Calling enabled networks like T-Mobile. This is extremely disappointing! Were in 2015 and Apple didn't bother trying to make these work? So odds are half of my calls will be ignored and I can't even look who is calling and have to pull out my iPhone everytime.
 
Last edited:
iCore24 said:
Thats really stupid. FaceTime calls work and they use wifi to work! Why doesn't the Watch support that. Now I have to pick to use wifi-calling or get calls on my watch.
Click to expand...

Actually, FaceTime audio calls aren't supported on the watch, either.
 
I didn't realize this was the case. DEFINITELY a missing feature. FaceTime Audio calls are much higher quality than a normal phone call and I'm very surprised that the Watch doesn't support them. It's gotta be in a forthcoming update, right?

Tuck
 
Yep, this has been discussed several times. The walkie-talkie app, that was to be included was also scrapped before launch.

Me, I think they simply didn't have the time to create a fully robust VOIP stack on the watch (and the t-mobile "wifi calling" technically is UMA/GAN).

I see these as well as FaceTime audio making their way to the watch - providing it was simply a "not enough time" vs a political play by a major carrier (e.g. Verizon / AT&T)
 
It'll probably be in an update later.

iCore24 said:
So I just learned the Apple Watch does not support FaceTime Audio Calls AND does not ring at all and ignores Wifi-Calling enabled networks like T-Mobile. This is extremely disappointing! Were in 2015 and Apple didn't bother trying to make these work? So odds are half of my calls will be ignored and I can't even look who is calling and have to pull out my iPhone everytime.
Click to expand...
 
The problem is not with the apple watch, the problem is with the forwarding of wifi calls/facetime audio. It cannot be done.

For example, if you have a mac or iPad, you cannot have wifi calling on and get the call forwarded to those devices. It is a limitation of the technology, not the apple watch. That explains wifi calling not being an option. I am not sure if FaceTime audio had the same limitation.

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iCore24 said:
So I just learned the Apple Watch does not support FaceTime Audio Calls AND does not ring at all and ignores Wifi-Calling enabled networks like T-Mobile. This is extremely disappointing! Were in 2015 and Apple didn't bother trying to make these work? So odds are half of my calls will be ignored and I can't even look who is calling and have to pull out my iPhone everytime.
Click to expand...

your complaint is with t-mobile/wifi calling not apple. Cellular phone calls do not forward to any devices on wifi calling. I had to turn wifi calling of so I could answer phone calls on my iPad.
 
mattopotamus said:
The problem is not with the apple watch, the problem is with the forwarding of wifi calls/facetime audio. It cannot be .
Click to expand...

Sorry to tell you, but you're wrong. It's simply a software implementation. Now, that being said, the carriers have to allow it.

As I stated before, there may be political pressures keeping Apple from adding this functionality to the watch or there simply wasn't enough time to have it ready for launch.
 
fischersd said:
Sorry to tell you, but you're wrong. It's simply a software implementation. Now, that being said, the carriers have to allow it.

As I stated before, there may be political pressures keeping Apple from adding this functionality to the watch or there simply wasn't enough time to have it ready for launch.
Click to expand...

Yeah....non issue for me at this point. ATT not letting me use wifi calling. Which seems ridiculous as I have unlimited calls but not unlimited data-I would think they would see an opportunity to charge me if I exceed my data!?!?!?!??!?!??!?!?
 
SteveJobs1 said:
Yeah....non issue for me at this point. ATT not letting me use wifi calling. Which seems ridiculous as I have unlimited calls but not unlimited data-I would think they would see an opportunity to charge me if I exceed my data!?!?!?!??!?!??!?!?
Click to expand...

Whoa. AT&T not "letting you use wifi calling" is a different issue altogether. I hadn't heard that they had the GAN/UMA infrastructure in place to allow this. T-Mobile always did. (it just took Apple awhile to get the GAN/UMA support added to the protocol stack in iOS).

Your carrier has to have the infrastructure in place for it to work. Then it's simply a policy setting that they allow you to access that infrastructure as part of the services that they have provisioned for your account.
 
fischersd said:
Whoa. AT&T not "letting you use wifi calling" is a different issue altogether. I hadn't heard that they had the GAN/UMA infrastructure in place to allow this. T-Mobile always did. (it just took Apple awhile to get the GAN/UMA support added to the protocol stack in iOS).

Your carrier has to have the infrastructure in place for it to work. Then it's simply a policy setting that they allow you to access that infrastructure as part of the services that they have provisioned for your account.
Click to expand...

ATT was late in allowing FaceTime calls over cellular as well...its a pattern of behavior that I've noted ever since they lost their exclusivity with:apple: Don't really mean to turn this into my bashing thread against ATT just wanted to compare the OP frustration in no wifi calls for :apple:Watch with the whole issue being moot for ATT users...
 
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