Question on Wifi Calling on Samsung S9

[Creepin_D]

I recently bought a S9 because I know it supports WiFi calling/texting(I'm with Telus). There is no cell service where I work, so Wifi calling/texting would be really convenient for me. Only thing, I'm at work now and it is not working on my phone.

When I was on land, I had it working on a couple WiFi networks, but not all. So I assumed the wireless network had to setup for it. I have a co-worker with a iPhone 8 and is with Telus, and he can use WiFi calling on his phone.

Any thoughts on what my issue could be?

Thanks

[Syaoran]

iPhones and Android phones work differently.  The Telus implementation of WiFi Calling is very similar to AT&T's implementation for Android.  It doesn't just work, it needs to meet certain requirements before working.  Available bandwidth to maintain quality (about 5Mbit) is important.  Strict NAT and some hardware and software firewalls will block it.  Because it is the more uncommon implementation of the service, it tends to be less compatible by nature.  Perhaps talk to your network administrator at work to see if there is something they can offer up as an explanation.  

[Creepin_D]

Ugh, not the answer I was hoping for.  Thanks for your help.

[Syaoran]

No prob.  There is an update coming out within the next week for the S9 and S9 Plus that updates the security patch to September 1st along with some other fixes.  Maybe this will help resolve the issue you are experiencing with the WiFi Calling but it is more than likely something to do with the network you are connecting to.  Especially if it works fine on other networks.  

[DavidRT]

Just purchased a Galaxy S8 yesterday specifically for wifi calling.  It doesn't.  Explanation given was that the baseband software had been updated from G950WVLU2BRG4 to *LU5BRG4, and that it was Samsung's problem.  Samsung of course says it's a carrier issue.  Be nice if they could get together on this...

David

[Syaoran]

All firmware updates do come from the manufacture, even carrier specific firmware.  That said, the baseband being updated by Samsung would be to improve signal optimization more than likely.  Because the W (Canadian) firmware is generic for all Canadian carriers, it sounds like Telus needs to update their system to include this baseband. 

If you want to roll back your firmware, it can be done fairly easily.  XDA Developers has an excellent help forum for doing this.  To give you an overview quickly, you basically need the version of the firmware you want to flash with ODIN, enable USB Debugging in Developer Options, the bootloader version has to be the same or newer than what you currently have, and not to use the HOME_CSC out of the two provided.  This doesn't require the bootloader to be unlocked and doesn't void your warranty and it will wipe your device.  

You can find the firmware at Updato, SamFirm, and Sansung Science Firmware.  If you are interested, I can help you here with this, if you think it will solve y our issue.  I have personally flashed a handful of S9 Plus's, Note 8's, and Note 9's and am an active member on XDA under a different handle.  If this all sounds too complicated, you could try visiting one of the cell phone repair shop kiosks or stores and see what it could cost you to get this done.  Pacific Mall in one very good place to go in Toronto, depending on where you live.  

[DavidRT · Accepted solution]

Persistence pays off!  A trip to the Telus outlet where I got the Samsung S8 got me the number of the Telus "Loyalty" people (presumably their job is to explain why you'd ever want to deal with Telus again).  Well, they got me onto higher-order tech support.  We spent an hour or so trying various things which didn't work.  Then the tech said "I'll talk to Samsung", which was a breath of fresh air.

Message this morning: give wifi calling a try.  I did.  It does!

I subsequently got a software update to G950WVLU5BRI6, and I still have wifi calling.

So if you haven't been able to get wifi calling on a Samsung phone, give it another try.  Just might work this time.