WiFi calling guide: finding which UK mobile network has the best scheme

What is WiFi calling and what are its benefits?

WiFi calling is a facility that a number of networks now offer, which lets your phone use WiFi signal to make/take calls and send/receive SMS text messages, instead of conventional mobile signal.

The advantage of this is straightforward: if you’re in an indoor blackspot that mobile signal can’t get to, like underground or in a thick-walled building, you can still use your phone if there’s WiFi there.

When you make a call or send a text over WiFi Calling, it comes out of your regular mobile allowance (or it's charged at your normal rate on pay as you go). People calling you just dial your usual mobile number.

At the moment, WiFi calling is only offered by a few networks in the UK (see further down page). And it's mostly the big 4 providers where you can get it. But some of the smaller ones are just starting to offer it too.

What we think makes a good WiFi calling scheme...

Below, we've ranked each UK network's WiFi calling scheme according to which we think is best overall.

We’re essentially looking for the one that's easiest to use and needs you to do as little as possible to get it to work. The best WiFi calling scheme will…

1) Let you make/take calls and send/receive texts in the usual way with no extra effort

2) Work with as many makes and models of phones as possible

3) Not use a separate app where possible but still offer one if your phone isn’t supported

4) Keep your call history and messages in the same place as usual

We’ve looked at every network’s schemes and ranked them on how well they live up to all this.

1st place: Three are the most likely to support your phone

2nd place: Vodafone’s WiFi calling supports loads of phones

Compared to Three’s inTouch scheme, Vodafone’s WiFi calling supports more phone models at first glance (without having to install extra updates). Here’s their latest list of devices.

Where it’s less good, is if your phone isn’t automatically supported. There are no software updates available to make yours work on Vodafone. And there’s no back-up app either.

It’s also restricted to pay monthly SIM only or phone contract customers on Vodafone (excluding Basics plans). If you’re interested in pay as you go, you’re not going to get WiFi calling (unlike Three).

Despite this, Vodafone’s scheme has the edge over competitors because you don’t need to have bought your phone from them to guarantee it will work (EE, BT and O2 are guilty of this for Android phones).

Overall, if your phone is supported and you’re on pay monthly, Vodafone’s scheme is an excellent option.

 
Useful link: Learn more about Vodafone WiFi calling from their official guide.

3rd place: EE’s improved WiFi calling is still a bit restricted

Out of all the schemes, EE’s WiFi calling supports the largest number of devices on the face of it. See their latest list of 45+ handsets EE support here.

But dig a bit deeper and there are some subtle restrictions, which make EE’s scheme less flexible than their rivals above:

For Android phones, you pretty much need to have bought your phone direct from EE to guarantee their WiFi calling will work on it (iPhones are much more flexible). Some Androids bought elsewhere could work but EE don't guarantee it.

This might be fine if you’re taking a phone contract from EE but if you’re joining on SIM only, there’s a risk your phone will be supported, even if it has WiFi calling as a feature.

Again, if you know your phone is supported, EE’s actual scheme is just as good as Three and Vodafone. It doesn’t work on Pay As You Go though.

Useful link: Read what EE say about their WiFi calling

4th place: O2 WiFi calling more limited for supported phones

We used to rate O2’s WiFi calling a lot higher, because they had an excellent TuGo app, which you could use if your phone wasn’t supported and also provided WiFi calling abroad.

This app has now been scrapped. And O2’s main WiFi calling works on a much lower number of different devices (see list here) than their rivals Three, Vodafone and EE.

For Android phones, it’s even more restrictive. You’ll need to have bought your handset from O2 directly, so that the correct software is pre-installed. If you didn’t, WiFi calling won’t work (iPhones are more flexible).

You’ll only get WiFi calling on O2’s pay monthly phones or SIM only plans. It doesn’t work on Pay As You Go.

O2 need to broaden out the devices they support to move up our rankings.

 
Useful link: Read O2's full guide to WiFi calling

5th place: BT Mobile now have proper WiFi calling too

As they use EE, you'd have thought BT Mobile would have had WiFi calling from the start but they've actually only added it in the last year.

All customers get it free with their plan but you will need to make sure that BT support your phone. And they're still a bit cagey about which models will definitely work:

If you have an iPhone 6 (or any newer model), BT are confident their WiFi calling will work on it.

If you've bought an Android phone from any other provider BT can't guarantee their WiFi calling will work on it though, which is frustrating if you want to join on a SIM only deal.

If you're after a smartphone contract from BT, they've flagged all compatible models here.

 
Useful link: All about BT's WiFi calling scheme

6th place: iD Mobile only budget network with WiFi calling

Even though they’re near the bottom of our WiFi calling rankings vs their more-expensive competitors, we’d still tip our hat to iD Mobile for being the only low-cost provider to offer it.

The main thing stopping it being included higher is that the list of supported devices is tiny in comparison with the networks above, which limits how useful it’ll be for most people.

iD Mobile say their WiFi calling basically only works on iPhone and a couple of other Android phones.

It works with any pay monthly plan but not pay as you go. With some phone contracts under £10 a month and SIM only plans priced around £5 a month, iD will typically be the cheapest network with WiFi calling.

Useful link: Read iD Mobile's guide to their WiFi calling

7th place: Sky Mobile offer WiFi calling on select devices

On the one hand, it's welcome news that Sky Mobile have joined the short list of mobile networks that support WiFi calling. But on the other, the number of devices they guarantee will work on it is disappointing.

If you're joining Sky on a pay monthly phone contract, you've got the best shot of it working. Although, you should still check their list of guaranteed supported devices in their help section here, to avoid a let down.

If it's a SIM only plan you're joining Sky on, they're even more non-committal, even if you know your phone definitely has the feature. If you didn't buy it from Sky, the right software might not be on there to support it.

Until Sky Mobile start offering software updates that will allow their WiFi calling to work on more phones like Three do, we have to leave them low in our rankings.

Useful link: Sky Mobile's WiFi calling help guide

Joint last for WiFi calling: all other UK mobile providers!

As you can see from above, WiFi calling is really only possible on the 4 major providers that control their own networks (apart from iD Mobile). Smaller ones, who piggyback on the main providers' mobile networks for signal, don't offer it.

This means WiFi calling is still actually quite a rare and premium feature, as the main networks tend to be a little pricier than their smaller counterparts. The question is how much you value it.

It just means that in our reviews of every UK mobile network, they won't score any points for having it.