Default Calls to WiFi

[zachlegomaniac]

Hello,

I receive very poor reception in my home that ranges from one bar to (sometimes) two. It cuts out and drops calls frequently. It seems as though my phone (iPhone 7 running iOS 11.2.5) is defaulting to the poor cellular connection on T-Mobile instead of my WiFi. It's driving me nuts, especially as I use the line for work calls and they keep getting dropped (AT&T and Verizon lines have the same problem here, unfortunately, so that won't solve any problems for me either I don't think).

Does anyone know how to make the WiFi the default connection for calling on the iPhone? I put the phone in airplane mode and toggled the wifi on and off and got it to work that way, but that doesn't solve the problem for incoming calls, and I don't want to have to remember to put my phone in airplane mode whenever I arrive to my house, and then turn it off again when I leave.

I posted something similar on the T-Mobile site, but figured I would try here as well in case there may be anything iPhone specific I can do.

Thank you for your help!

 

[chabig]

I think putting your phone in airplane mode when you get home is the best you can do. If it helps, set reminders for arriving and leaving home.

 

[jetsam]

As I recall, T-Mobile (unlike Verizon and AT&T) is Wi-Fi preferred for Wi-Fi calling. It would only select cellular over Wi-Fi if there were a problem with the Wi-Fi connection, or the Wi-Fi connection was very weak.

Does your iPhone work well with Wi-Fi outside of the home? If so, the problem is your home router. If your iPhone never works well with Wi-Fi, there is a problem with your iPhone's Wi-Fi radio.

 

[zachlegomaniac]

It never works with Wi-Fi. I have been googling more on the issue and it seems to be something others have experienced since iOS 11, which is around when (this fall) I began having trouble with the service. It still shows 1 Bar + T-Mobile + Wi-Fi + full signal strength displayed in the upper left hand corner of the iPhone 7. It's definitely a new problem. I was making crystal clear calls with no disruption since they implemented Wi-Fi calling a few years ago.