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Which carriers let you use internet while on a call with iPhone?

S

slapple

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 25, 2008
466
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I remember several years ago, people said the one advantage of AT&T over Verizon is that you could be on a call, then press the home button and start using any internet app while talking. AT&T let you do both voice and data at the same time. Verizon did not.

Is that still true today? Does Verizon still not let you do voice and data at the same time? What about T-Mobile? I am going to get a new iPhone soon and am thinking about switching to either Verizon or T-Mobile.
 
slapple said:
I remember several years ago, people said the one advantage of AT&T over Verizon is that you could be on a call, then press the home button and start using any internet app while talking. AT&T let you do both voice and data at the same time. Verizon did not.

Is that still true today? Does Verizon still not let you do voice and data at the same time? What about T-Mobile? I am going to get a new iPhone soon and am thinking about switching to either Verizon or T-Mobile.
Click to expand...
With the advent of VOLTE (voice over LTE) all newer smartphones on all carriers can do voice and data simultaneously. This has been true since late 2014/early 2015.
 
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Applejuiced said:
Volte would do it with every carrier like said above.
If you fall down to 3G only coverage then no cdma carrier will do it. GSM carriers work with 3G and can do voice and data without LTE coverage.
Click to expand...
It's too bad that something like EVDV wasn't really rolled out by CDMA carriers, although with plans for LTE it likely didn't make that much diner.
 
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slapple said:
I remember several years ago, people said the one advantage of AT&T over Verizon is that you could be on a call, then press the home button and start using any internet app while talking. AT&T let you do both voice and data at the same time. Verizon did not.

Is that still true today? Does Verizon still not let you do voice and data at the same time? What about T-Mobile? I am going to get a new iPhone soon and am thinking about switching to either Verizon or T-Mobile.
Click to expand...

I'm on Verizon since last November and they do voice and data through a feature they call HD Voice. When I was with Sprint prior to Verizon they did not have voice and data.
 
edlex said:
I'm on Verizon since last November and they do voice and data through a feature they call HD Voice. When I was with Sprint prior to Verizon they did not have voice and data.
Click to expand...
Yup, that's basically VoLTE.
 
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willmtaylor said:
With the advent of VOLTE (voice over LTE) all newer smartphones on all carriers can do voice and data simultaneously. This has been true since late 2014/early 2015.
Click to expand...
Except for Sprint, I don't believe they have VoLTE live yet. Nor US Cellular, or many MVNO's.
 
willmtaylor said:
Sprint STILL doesnt? Wow. They never cease to amaze me!
Click to expand...
Sign up for their monthly "Amazement Plan," and you will be guaranteed to be amazed every month. *

* Restrictions apply and void where prohibited by law (and common sense).
Future monthly amazement claims by Sprint are not based on past performance or customer satisfaction survey(s). Claims are merely advertising rhetoric and have no real value although failure to pay your "Amazement Plan" bill in a timely manner could result in a suspension of services thus placing you on our "Ultimate Amazement Plan," whereby Sprint will continue to charge you monthly for a service you can't use, whether directly, or indirectly.
 
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Was curious about this as well. I have sprint and I'm not able to do this. That's the only bad thing about sprint for me though.
 
BasicGreatGuy said:
Sign up for their monthly "Amazement Plan," and you will be guaranteed to be amazed every month. *

* Restrictions apply and void where prohibited by law (and common sense).
Future monthly amazement claims by Sprint are not based on past performance or customer satisfaction survey(s). Claims are merely advertising rhetoric and have no real value although failure to pay your "Amazement Plan" bill in a timely manner could result in a suspension of services thus placing you on our "Ultimate Amazement Plan," whereby Spring will continue to charge you monthly for a service you can't use, whether directly, or indirectly.
Click to expand...
I laugh and change the channel every time I see a Sprint commercial bragging about all networks being within 1% of each other.
 
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You can simultaneously talk and surf on any carrier as long as you're on wifi, though I don't know how that works with wifi calling. As others have said AT&T and T-Mobile can talk and surf on LTE or 4G HSPA while Verizon requires their LTE Advanced/HD Voice/VOLTE. Sounds like Sprint doesn't support talk and text without wifi.
 
Of the four main carriers, Sprint is the only one that doesn't allow simultaneous voice and data. Some phones will use two radios (one for call and one for data) to get around this, but iPhones only use one at a time.
 
Annoyingly with Verizon VoLTE you drop calls if you drop LTE. In certain areas its very frustrating.

You can seamlessly (somewhat) transition from Wifi calling to VoLTE though.
 
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cynics said:
Annoyingly with Verizon VoLTE you drop calls if you drop LTE. In certain areas its very frustrating.

You can seamlessly (somewhat) transition from Wifi calling to VoLTE though.
Click to expand...
I live/work in a very rural area, but LTE is widespread enough that this has never happened to me.
 
willmtaylor said:
I live/work in a very rural area, but LTE is widespread enough that this has never happened to me.
Click to expand...

Its the same way where I live, but the next county over from me is terrible and I often need to travel through it. Verizon just needs to deploy LTE better there and it wouldnt be an issue.
 
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