Apps Wi-Fi calling option in Watch app on phone?

[StumpyBloke]

Experimenting with my series 6 watch (WiFi and cellular) and iPhone 12 pro max, and a friends series 6 (WiFi only) with his iPhone 12 pro.

On his watch app on the phone, he has enable Wi-Fi calling but on mine I don’t. We are both on the latest public releases of iOS and watchOS.

I am asking because even though our providers support Wi-Fi calling (and from
Other devices) and it is all enabled, neither of us can make phone calls from our watch through Wi-Fi only. This is on the EE network in the United Kingdom. Anyone else?

Could others please check if they have this setting?

Thanks

 

[perryalekna10]

Your carrier on your iphone has to support “Wi-Fi calling on other devices” which can be enabled on your iPhone near the Wi-Fi calling settings. If you can’t enable or upgrade to ”Wi-Fi calling on other devices” your carrier either doesn’t support it or your cellular account isn’t provisioned for it.

 

[Grayburn]

Hello

I have the series 6 watch (non cellular) and the 12 Pro on EE, both on the latest betas, and I don’t get that option in the watch app.

 

[StumpyBloke]

Your carrier on your iphone has to support “Wi-Fi calling on other devices” which can be enabled on your iPhone near the Wi-Fi calling settings. If you can’t enable or upgrade to ”Wi-Fi calling on other devices” your carrier either doesn’t support it or your cellular account isn’t provisioned for it.

Thanks but as noted above, I’ve already enabled it. It just doesn’t work.

 

[StumpyBloke]

Hello

I have the series 6 watch (non cellular) and the 12 Pro on EE, both on the latest betas, and I don’t get that option in the watch app.

Thanks. Are you able to make a phone call from your watch when connected to the same Wi-Fi network but your phone turned off?

 

[jetsam]

Thanks but as noted above, I’ve already enabled it. It just doesn’t work.

So you've enabled EE Smart Number technology and it's not working? Probably need to call EE.

 

[Grayburn]

Thanks. Are you able to make a phone call from your watch when connected to the same Wi-Fi network but your phone turned off?

Just checked….nope 🤨

 

[catean]

Wow, didn't know that EE has the smart number technology. So I can use my Macbook an iPad to receive/make calls and SMS over Wifi even when my phone is not with me. Cool.

 

[StumpyBloke]

Thanks for all the replies. Quick update:

I disabled Wi-Fi calling et cetera on the phone and restarted it. I re-enabled those settings on the phone and restarted it. I restarted my Apple Watch and it now appears to be working. The Wi-Fi calling setting within the watch app on the phone is still not there however.

 

[Grayburn]

Thanks for all the replies. Quick update:

I disabled Wi-Fi calling et cetera on the phone and restarted it. I re-enabled those settings on the phone and restarted it. I restarted my Apple Watch and it now appears to be working. The Wi-Fi calling setting within the watch app on the phone is still not there however.

Just did the same and I now have the settings you don’t have.

 

[Grayburn]

Still cant make calls over WiFi on the watch when the phone is off though.

 

[StumpyBloke]

Still cant make calls over WiFi on the watch when the phone is off though.

Crazy isn’t it. It shouldn’t be this difficult. So mine now works without that setting, and yours doesn’t work with the setting. I don’t know if it’s EE or Apple or both of them being just absolute crap.

 

[Graham4723]

Still cant make calls over WiFi on the watch when the phone is off though.

I’m struggling to understand what this means ?
How can a non-cellular, gps watch make a call if the phone is OFF ?

Surely, all the watch has is a WiFi connection to a router, no connection into a mobile network so what ‘gateway’ can it make the call over ?

 

[catean]

WiFi calling is reliant on the operator connecting their backend infrastructure to a internet opened server infrastructure and providing their call/sms service trough internet. Is actually VoIP/SIP. A VoIP/SIP account as the ones from Whatsup/Skype/iMessage si created, with your actual phone numer as the ID. A WiFi calling capable device, when connected and configured for this Number Share function, can make/accept calls/sms trough a connection to this infrastrcuture explained above. In this way, an Ipad, Macbook, iMac or Watch, can use your phone number connected trough internet, not trough the cellular infrastructure.

 

[Grayburn]

I’m struggling to understand what this means ?
How can a non-cellular, gps watch make a call if the phone is OFF ?

Surely, all the watch has is a WiFi connection to a router, no connection into a mobile network so what ‘gateway’ can it make the call over ?

I was assuming the WiFi since it's called WiFi calling.

 

[Graham4723]

WiFi calling is reliant on the operator connecting their backend infrastructure to a internet opened server infrastructure and providing their call/sms service trough internet. Is actually VoIP/SIP. A VoIP/SIP account as the ones from Whatsup/Skype/iMessage si created, with your actual phone numer as the ID. A WiFi calling capable device, when connected and configured for this Number Share function, can make/accept calls/sms trough a connection to this infrastrcuture explained above. In this way, an Ipad, Macbook, iMac or Watch, can use your phone number connected trough internet, not trough the cellular infrastructure.

Apologies, but most of that went right over my head .....but....without the connection to my phone (and hence my sim) how does the watch even know about my operator or my number ?

ETA okay, scratch that...re-reading the last sentence I take that to mean that “enabling “enable calls on other devices” on (say) my ipad sets up this connection ‘data’ for future use” ?
Correct ?

in my case (Sky mobile (O2)), calls from the watch can’t connect unless the phone is ON.
So, presumably, O2/Sky haven’ provided the necessary config. (Wished I’d been able to test this when I was with 3)...

 

[catean]

Apologies, but most of that went right over my head .....but....without the connection to my phone (and hence my sim) how does the watch even know about my operator or my number ?

Because you connect it to your online VoIP account (aka Wifi Calling) beforehand, by enabling de service on the phone. Once enabled on your devices, it know how to connect to your online account trough internet. Works on the same principles as Skype/Whatsup/iMessage.

 

[Graham4723]

Because you connect it to your online VoIP account (aka Wifi Calling) beforehand, by enabling de service on the phone.

thanks .. you beat me to it whilst I was ETAing ....😀

 

[catean]

in my case (Sky mobile (O2)), calls from the watch can’t connect unless the phone is ON.
So, presumably, O2/Sky haven’ provided the necessary config. (Wished I’d been able to test this when I was with 3)...

Correct. In the UK only EE provides this enhanced WiFi calling technology.

 

[GreyOS]

I can’t get this working and level 2 tech support at EE couldn’t get it working either

 

[GreyOS]

I’ve tried so many things including
- unpairing watch and repairing
- Erasing all content and settings on phone and setting up as new (though with iCloud sync restoring many things)
- numerous combinations of turning settings and devices off an on
- singing in and out of iCloud.
- network refresh issue by EE

Call failed if I try calling from Apple Watch on Wi-Fi when phone is in airplane off/airplane mode.

can I ask, people on EE, if you see this setting and follow the link about emergency addresses, can you see a place to update that? I can’t find anywhere to do that and wonder if maybe it’s just not relevant for EE or perhaps a clue.

 

[ttforever]

I’ve tried so many things including
- unpairing watch and repairing
- Erasing all content and settings on phone and setting up as new (though with iCloud sync restoring many things)
- numerous combinations of turning settings and devices off an on
- singing in and out of iCloud.
- network refresh issue by EE

Call failed if I try calling from Apple Watch on Wi-Fi when phone is in airplane off/airplane mode.

can I ask, people on EE, if you see this setting and follow the link about emergency addresses, can you see a place to update that? I can’t find anywhere to do that and wonder if maybe it’s just not relevant for EE or perhaps a clue.

I get exactly the same on my cellular watch, shows up on my wifes wifi only watch though

 

[mrandyyu]

Just to chime in with my experience.

Up until recently, I was on EE for cellular watch service; no matter what I did, I could not get the WiFi calling option to appear (everything enabled on the watch and phone).

It wasn't until I cancelled the EE service ahead of a network move that the option for WiFi calling appeared. In essence, the watch had become WiFi only with no cellular plan associated.

I'm now up and running on the O2 network and the option for WiFi calling has once again disappeared.

 

[Hatton920]

I don’t have the Wi-Fi setting on my Apple Watch 6 however could it be the fact I have a watch plan from EE on it and as such it doesn’t show the option?