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How about calls and messages over WiFi w/o a 3rd-party app?

M

moonman239

Cancelled
Original poster
Mar 27, 2009
1,541
32
I'm thinking Apple should allow the native phone app to make calls over WiFi instead of over the cellular network. They should also allow the messages app to send SMS's and MMS's over WiFi.

I'm not talking about iPhone-to-iPhone communication. I'm talking about allowing people to call and text whoever they want without using the network. That way, calls don't count against their minutes and texts don't count against the number of texts their carrier allows them to send.

I would be infuriated if the carriers reacted negatively. In fact, I'd hate those carriers. I'd try to stay away from them.
 
Be happy that the carriers have allowed free texting and calls from iPhone to iPhone over WiFi.

Besides, with the way plans now are, I'd MUCH rather use minutes than data. For all intents, minutes are unlimited (between nights/ weekends, people on my carrier, and the 5 'friends and family,' I rarely use minutes that count).

Data always counts and there's never enough of it.
 
The technology already exists for this, actually. It's called UMA mode. I had a Cincinnati Bell Blackberry a couple years back that had it. I believe T-Mobile has the ability too. It's a matter of the carriers supporting it on their infrastructure. Android added the ability on one of their 3.x releases I think.

Until one of the big carriers in the USA supports it, I don't see Apple investing the resources to add the ability to the iPhone. For the life of me though I can't figure out why AT&T or Verizon don't do it; it would decrease signal complaints in buildings by probably 50% at least.
 
moonman239 said:
I'm thinking Apple should allow the native phone app to make calls over WiFi instead of over the cellular network. They should also allow the messages app to send SMS's and MMS's over WiFi.

I'm not talking about iPhone-to-iPhone communication. I'm talking about allowing people to call and text whoever they want without using the network. That way, calls don't count against their minutes and texts don't count against the number of texts their carrier allows them to send.

I would be infuriated if the carriers reacted negatively. In fact, I'd hate those carriers. I'd try to stay away from them.
Click to expand...

There are apps to do this right now. But you still have to get a voice plan anyway. With my iPad I can make and recieve calls over wifi.
 
There's talkatone, but it uses a different phone number than your mobile number.

The problem is that iphones and ipads constantly drop the wifi signal after a certain period of time, I think 2 minutes, so you will get a lot of missed calls if you're on wifi instead of 3G.
 
I also think that cable providers should let me watch their channels without have a cable box or subscribing to their service. I would be infuriated if the cable companies reacted negatively. In fact, I'd hate those cable companies. I'd try to stay away from them.
 
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