Simultaneous Voice/Data, HD Voice Now Available to Verizon iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Users

[whiteonline]

Again, if VOIP works and VoLTE does not, there is no reason for VoLTE to exist. All calls should be handled as VOIP behind the scenes. Furthermore, there is no reason for voice data to be cheaper or more unlimited than any other data. Data is data. Charging less for VoLTE data just amounts to a subsidy for people who talk a lot paid by other users.

VoLTE is a lower level protocol, and the audio is managed at a kernel level in the phone.
Benefits are gained in latency, traffic and bandwidth shaping, and it is guaranteed. After all, the phone has a single, primary function which must not be impacted should the data stream be saturated.

On a side note,
All of this is for better utilization of spectrum (get more revenue traffic into the same radio spectrum).
Analog -> Digital (1x) was to allow for more traffic in the same radio bands, not because it sounded better. It was actually quite worse.
Digital (1x) -> VoLTE is the step for the eventual migration of people from the current 1x digital spectrum, freeing up that 1x for LTE (less equipment needed by telco). Side benefit is better audio due to better compression and increased data rates.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

A proper treatment of this subject would also include the reason why older LTE phones are excluded.

Because Verizon wants to make more money selling new higher-end phones.

I just hope that "HD Voice" starts to work between carriers. My work phone is Verizon, my family's personal phones are T-Mobile. Both carriers have committed to support "HD Voice", so I hope that it works between them.

 

[thomamon]

l still can't get it to work, just the spinning circle when I select Voice and Data.

 

[poematik13]

VoLTE is a new thing. It stands for "Voice over LTE". It's HD calling. It just so happens to let iPhones do data and voice at the same time too since it's not using the typical CDMA for voice. Don't know if that makes sense. Anyway, some phones on Verizon could do data and voice before now, just not the iPhone.

So iPhones on Verizon, until NOW, have not been able to do voice and data at the same time?

thats crazy. why are people even on that network. Ive been doing that on tmobile for years, before the iphone too

 

[gordon1234]

So iPhones on Verizon, until NOW, have not been able to do voice and data at the same time?

thats crazy. why are people even on that network. Ive been doing that on tmobile for years, before the iphone too

It's a very niche feature. Most people don't even know it's a thing because they've never tried or needed it. I was an AT&T subscriber until I switched to Verizon three years ago. I occasionally used voice/data simultaneously on AT&T, and I've occasionally missed having it on Verizon. However, there is zero chance I would go back. Verizon's overall coverage, especially in rural and wilderness areas, is just worlds better. Being able to get a signal and make calls and use data wherever I am is always going to trump being able to use data while on a call.

There is an amazing level of carrier smugness in this thread. I can see someone using voice+data as a tiebreaker assuming there were no other meaningful differences in price, coverage, and customer service between carriers. I can't imagine anyone picking their carrier based on this feature alone.

 

[Kottu]

What did I miss?

Even with the iPhone 4 (in 2010), I could access data while talking over the phone here in Sweden. I could send emails, mms, etc.. So what is so special about making a call and sending data at the same time in 2014? Or.. is it something new in USA?

 

[gordon1234]

Even with the iPhone 4 (in 2010), I could access data while talking over the phone here in Sweden. I could send emails, mms, etc.. So what is so special about making a call and sending data at the same time in 2014? Or.. is it something new in USA?

CDMA networks like those deployed by Verizon and Sprint are very rarely seen outside of the United States. It's a dead-end technology and all existing CDMA networks are migrating to the same 4G LTE standard used by the more common GSM networks.

 

[I7guy]

Even with the iPhone 4 (in 2010), I could access data while talking over the phone here in Sweden. I could send emails, mms, etc.. So what is so special about making a call and sending data at the same time in 2014? Or.. is it something new in USA?

Something new for verizon iPhone users on the iPhone 6. From what I understand the 5 and 5s are also compatible but verizon has to enable that feature.

 

[Kottu]

Something new for verizon iPhone users on the iPhone 6. From what I understand the 5 and 5s are also compatible but verizon has to enable that feature.

Ok. I understand now.

 

[ron7624]

This!! is the only reason I'm with ATT

Verizon.... I wish I had known about this capability a month ago. The only reason I was diehard ATT was because of the capability of making a voice call while needing to research something using data.
One example that happens often is: my wife calling lost and asking directions, so I would use a 'find friends' to see where she actually was, then 'maps' to advise her of what to do.
Verizon has always had a superior signal vs ATT especially upstairs in my workplace, that is a 2 story structure with windows on the first floor only and I work upstairs.
I'm stuck for 2 more years before I can switch. I received my iPhone 6 phones on Friday. This article actually bums me out.

 

[Macboy Pro]

AT&T does not have this yet....They do not have VoLTE.

OK, I'll explain one more time. The issue is whether AT&T has Voice and Data Simultaneously and they have for 6+ year. PERIOD

Verizons network did not have it for the iPhone. PERIOD

VoLTE phrasing is a gimmick. Verizon is very good a propaganda. The point of this article/release is to indicate that the iPhone support voice/data at the same time (FINALLY) on Verizon. They are acting like it is something special because it diverts from the fact that they have not had it for the iPhone before.

It VoLTE better? Who knows.... Every article and common sense says its not going to be noticeable to the users call experience.

And for the record, AT&T DOES have VoLTE in some markets. AT&T is rolling out a more enhanced version of VoLTE that does significantly better call switching.

 

[ron7624]

Congrats to you Verizon folks!

Hope AT&T adds VoLTE sooner rather than later (in 2015).

AT&T has had simultaneous voice and data capability for years. It became especially useful with the introduction of LTE. Before LTE showed up on the phones for some reason voice calling was not as good as it currently is.
Verizon's voice service has always been stronger with more bars than ATT in the areas I frequent, but the lack of the dual capability has always been my reason for choosing AT&T over them. Whether ATT adds VoLTE or not is immaterial to me as their current quality is just fine for my uses.

 

[SHNXX]

would've been nice while I was still in the states but.... nah. i will be switching back to AT&T.

 

[Drag'nGT]

Meanwhile, VZW released a statement letting their customers know that they will see a price hike starting on their next bill. And they thank you for always letting them do whatever they want to your bill, your upgrades and imposing any requirements they feel are necessary.

AT&T users finally get to hear the VZW customers tell how nice it is to get turn-by-turn directions and still take a phone call.

 

[buck1127]

Meanwhile, VZW released a statement letting their customers know that they will see a price hike starting on their next bill. And they thank you for always letting them do whatever they want to your bill, your upgrades and imposing any requirements they feel are necessary.



AT&T users finally get to hear the VZW customers tell how nice it is to get turn-by-turn directions and still take a phone call.

Loving VoLTE

 

[briankeith513]

I activated the features and all is fine except it makes any ringback tones, the music you can choose for people to listen as they wait to get connected with you, inactive. Boo. So, you have to compromise either cool voice quality & VOIP or ringback tones. Boo Verizon & Apple

This may sound funny, but that's why I'm reluctant to add it. I've enjoyed ring back tones on my phone since they first came out, many years ago. Now I'd lose it to have hd voice calling and simultaneous voice and data.

 

[JAT]

This may sound funny, but that's why I'm reluctant to add it. I've enjoyed ring back tones on my phone since they first came out, many years ago. Now I'd lose it to have hd voice calling and simultaneous voice and data.

Nobody else has enjoyed it. Ringback may be the most annoying feature ever conjured for cell phones.

 

[knemonic]

I read somewhere that if you start a call on lte and you drop to a non-lte network, it will drop the call cause it can't move the call over to the cdma side.

I wonder how much this is gonna cause dropped calls. I was with vw for 10 years, switched to T-Mobile to get rid of contracts and am back with vw now so I'm curious four is worth it having it activated on my phone.

 

[griz]

You're right... I haven't been able to "talk and surf the web at the same time" as the competitors' commercials pointed out... but I've never had a problem otherwise. Verizon's excellent coverage made up for it.

Agreed.
In the 4 years I had my iPhone 4 on Verizon I think I came across 4 or 5 instances where I was on a call and thought about looking something up online on the phone. Generally I need contact or calendar info which is easy to get to.

While during that time I heard a lot of people complaining about AT&T coverage while I happily used my phone in many of those places.

 

[I7guy]

OK, I'll explain one more time. The issue is whether AT&T has Voice and Data Simultaneously and they have for 6+ year. PERIOD

Verizons network did not have it for the iPhone. PERIOD

VoLTE phrasing is a gimmick. Verizon is very good a propaganda. The point of this article/release is to indicate that the iPhone support voice/data at the same time (FINALLY) on Verizon. They are acting like it is something special because it diverts from the fact that they have not had it for the iPhone before.

It VoLTE better? Who knows.... Every article and common sense says its not going to be noticeable to the users call experience.

And for the record, AT&T DOES have VoLTE in some markets. AT&T is rolling out a more enhanced version of VoLTE that does significantly better call switching.

You can say what you want, put all of the capital "PERIOD"s in there, however, .AT&T does not have a nationwide rollout of VOLTE. Verizon beat AT&T and the data speeds should be LTE speeds, essentially. Whatever you think about this "gimmick" Verizon beat AT&T to a nationwide rollout.

Now you can "explain" it one more time.

 

[samuelarroyo27]

AT&T has had this since the second iPhone. Let me be the first to welcome Verizon to 2008.

Eh... verizon is the first one to do it with LTE. AT&T had it with 3G because it's a GSM network unlike Verizon's CDMA. And no, the second iPhone wasn't capable. Get your facts straight before mocking something online. It could prevent you only from "looking" (not being) stupid.

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I read somewhere that if you start a call on lte and you drop to a non-lte network, it will drop the call cause it can't move the call over to the cdma side.

I wonder how much this is gonna cause dropped calls. I was with vw for 10 years, switched to T-Mobile to get rid of contracts and am back with vw now so I'm curious four is worth it having it activated on my phone.

It will move the call to 3G if your LTE coverage gets limited. The only thing that won't be able to switch radios signal like that will be video calling over VoLTE unless it's from LTE to WiFi. But on the voice aspect of it you won't have any issues. I tried it my self while crossing states yesterday and a Verizon representative confirmed.

 

[krewger]

Call quality on american domestic mobile carriers sucks. Period- the end. Whenever I need to do a conference call for work I get on some fat bandwidth wi-fi and use Skype. VOIP quality ends up being far superior to anything that a mobile device carrier can seem to muster. If you get two people on Skype to make a voice call it sounds damn near like the other person is sitting next to you and is amazing for clarity.

I have had AT&T and now on Verizon. AT&T: I was grandfathered in with unlimited data, but I took a job traveling for work and I was in the car with a co-worker driving to one of our project job sites and realized unlimited data was great but if you can't access it because you don't have signal it's really quite worthless. He had full LTE signal and i was showing NO SERVICE. I logged into his hotspot and ordered my iPhone from Verizon. There hasn't been a day that I've missed AT&T looking back. For people who travel cross country in America, Verizon and its CDMA network have the best actual coverage. Sprint, AT&T, & T-Mobile fail miserably. Will HD voice be better, maybe. Will it be the answer to why we exist? NO. I'm just happy my iPhone 6 plus has 128GB now. My 5s was overly stuffed at 64gb.

 

[samuelarroyo27]

Verizon.... I wish I had known about this capability a month ago. The only reason I was diehard ATT was because of the capability of making a voice call while needing to research something using data.
One example that happens often is: my wife calling lost and asking directions, so I would use a 'find friends' to see where she actually was, then 'maps' to advise her of what to do.
Verizon has always had a superior signal vs ATT especially upstairs in my workplace, that is a 2 story structure with windows on the first floor only and I work upstairs.
I'm stuck for 2 more years before I can switch. I received my iPhone 6 phones on Friday. This article actually bums me out.

You can still make the switch. You are in the first 14 days of guaranteed service. Verizon has iPhone 6 still in stock (not the 6 plus) and they can port your number over without you paying a cancelation fee thanks to the 14 days of "trial" use with At&t. I love the Verizon coverage. There hasn't been a single place where I get poor service. And what I love the most is the signal penetration it has inside buildings. Ive tried all 3 of the other companies and always end up coming back. If I was you I would make the switch.

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Call quality on american domestic mobile carriers sucks. Period- the end. Whenever I need to do a conference call for work I get on some fat bandwidth wi-fi and use Skype. VOIP quality ends up being far superior to anything that a mobile device carrier can seem to muster. If you get two people on Skype to make a voice call it sounds damn near like the other person is sitting next to you and is amazing for clarity.

I have had AT&T and now on Verizon. AT&T: I was grandfathered in with unlimited data, but I took a job traveling for work and I was in the car with a co-worker driving to one of our project job sites and realized unlimited data was great but if you can't access it because you don't have signal it's really quite worthless. He had full LTE signal and i was showing NO SERVICE. I logged into his hotspot and ordered my iPhone from Verizon. There hasn't been a day that I've missed AT&T looking back. For people who travel cross country in America, Verizon and its CDMA network have the best actual coverage. Sprint, AT&T, & T-Mobile fail miserably. Will HD voice be better, maybe. Will it be the answer to why we exist? NO. I'm just happy my iPhone 6 plus has 128GB now. My 5s was overly stuffed at 64gb.

x2 in everything stated above. I made the switch as well because I travel more than most for business purposes and I'm happy I made the switch from AT&T to Verizon. I have coverage everywhere. Internet speeds are always above 39-40 Megs download so no complaints there. Now with my 128gb iPhone 6 plus + and the ability to use VoLTE + my bill never exceeding what it's expected..I'm pretty confident to say they got a customer for years to come.

 

[BuffaloTF]

Considering Android phones have had this for a while, it really was Apple that was slow to the game. Just sayin'

Not slow. Smart. It's expensive and starting - well, now - it's not going to happen on CDMA Android phones either. It prevents the ability to use carrier aggregation. So phones such as Sprint Spark phones, won't have the ability to do it on 3G. The antenna is reserved solely for CA. so prepare to start losing that functionality.

Hope AT&T adds VoLTE sooner rather than later (in 2015).

It's been live for a few months now. Just on select phones.

 

[BuffaloTF]

Eh... verizon is the first one to do it with LTE. AT&T had it with 3G because it's a GSM network unlike Verizon's CDMA. And no, the second iPhone wasn't capable. Get your facts straight before mocking something online. It could prevent you only from "looking" (not being) stupid.

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It will move the call to 3G if your LTE coverage gets limited. The only thing that won't be able to switch radios signal like that will be video calling over VoLTE unless it's from LTE to WiFi. But on the voice aspect of it you won't have any issues. I tried it my self while crossing states yesterday and a Verizon representative confirmed.

The second iphone was the iphone 3G... Which did simultaneous voice and data, like every UMTS phone does. So he's quite correct.

And Verizon VoLTE calls will not ever hand off back to 3G. They elected years ago to not deploy 1x-Advanced. As a result, when LTE is lost, the call drops like a brick. Sprint deployed 1x-advanced, their calls will hand off. AT&T and T-Mobile, being GSM and UMTS carriers, have nothing to do as the VoLTE standard was built to UMTS and GSM call-handling specifications and will use the built-in SRVCC. Single Radio Voice Call Continuity.