When will WiFi calling support SMS?

[BonJoviFan75]

Just curious as to when, if ever, Vodafone will enable support to send/receive SMS over WiFi.

I would like to have the option to use phone in airplane mode with WiFi calling on without fear of missing text messages.

EE are the only network to offer this currently?

[jeffkinn]

And how do you find Three's coverage and signal compared to Vodafone?

[Anonymous]

Agree with all of the above!! I moved from 3 to Vodafone and assumed the they had the "Full" version of WiFi Calling as well. Cannot believe it doesn't include SMS? How strange. As someone else mentioned, more and more websites etc. are requiring SMS as a verification method (ironically, My Vodafone asks for this!). 

Anyone from Vodafone on here able to chase this up with a higher level? Tech e-mail address perhaps? Someone, somewhere? 

[Anonymous]

@jeffkinn: Not quite sure the point you're making here as it applies to WiFi Calling i.e. when either Vodafone or 3 would have low/no cellular coverage, but... overall Vodafone coverage and capacity is much better than on 3 in my experience, however, the odd time there is no Vodafone coverage in a building it is infuriating to know that on 3 you could have still sent/received a text when Vodafone refuse to enable it. 

[jeffkinn]

The point I'm making is simple. Is it worth moving from a network that has very good coverage most of the time to a network that has poorer coverage most of the time simply to gain SMS over WiFi calling?

It's a personal choice of course but I personally wouldn't make that choice.

[Anonymous]

That's a fair point. It's a tough one I guess and depends where you live. If you frequent London and other urban areas a lot then VF is great for the capacity, but if you have to go to these places and also visit rural areas or live in a rural area then it's frustrating to have to take trips to the garden to send/receive SMS. (Guess what - am one of those who spends a lot of time in London and out in the sticks!  )

I guess, in my view, we shouldn't have to have a "one-or-the-other" dilema in the 21st Century when the technology exists to deal with one of those problems practically instantly. Hardly lives up to Vodafone's own "Best Network" claims when they can't enable simple network features.

[jeffkinn]

I spend a lot of time in London and also the untamed wilds of Essex. I have a fairly poor signal at home and I use WiFi calling now that my old Sure Signal has given up the ghost. A lot of my texts are actually iMessages which aren't SMS's at all. But yes I can imagine the frustration if I couldn't get an SMS to enable me to login to say Vodafone or our friends at HMRC. @hrym has made an excellent suggestion in having a landline as an alternative source of a getting a text message.

You assume that enabling texts over SMS is a simple network fix. I'm pretty sure this isn't the case otherwise Vodafone would surely have implemented that feature. They aren't keeping it away from us out of spite. I know the argument is that other networks have it so why not Vodafone. But all networks operate on different back end technologies and there are many features that are specific to a network and not generally available. 

[Anonymous]

Cheers for the suggestions guys - great idea to think outside of the box re the BT SMS-Landline serivce, although I'm sure you can appreciate the irony of having to go out and buy a house phone purely because a mobile phone provider won't enable part of a service that could be enabled!

I understand that things might be complex behind the scenes (the Vodafone billing systems harmonisation process that turned into an absolute fiasco a few years ago springs to mind readily...) so am not simply assuming it would be easy, but am sure it's not that complex that VF couldn't enable it with a bit of will - EE managed it and they had to merge two networks together, BT have managed it and they're a MVNO on the EE network (admittedly also own the network, but seperate core to EE).

As someone else said on another part of this forum regarding this exact same conversation, guess we shouldn't expect any prompt implementation or innovation from "the big red snail" Shame though, but if they've not implemented it by the time my contract's up then it'll be (with a touch of reluctance) off to EE who actually seem to grasp the concept of providing a full network service for iPhone users (note, am fully in favour of android users having full networking features also!).

You only have to have a quick look at the bottom of this list in the UK section to see the marked difference between the operators, even if this list doesn't differentiate between WiFi Calling including SMS and it not (presumably because Apple would assume networks would either implement it fully or not, rather than a half-botched attempt as is the case for Vodafone and o2): https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204040

[bignose2]

Sure signal works well for anyone VF & no signal, SMS & calls. 

However £60,or something & I, have had 5 over the years as they don't last long. I think they should be free. I am quite rural Surrey but no signal in or around house, no signal in many locations, perhaps 20%  of time in my area I can't use phone & that's just calls/texts, forget data. It must be possible to achieve, I had Orange  20 years ago & they called it UMA & that's was wifi calls & texts! Always surprises me no one sugests as I suspect, if you can't make calls or texts at home or anywhere they, are saving money as most are all inclusive deals, if I can't use does not cost them I guess on infrustrue etc. I know loose out on payg. I always wanted to make a spoof advert, where they get signal in remote location saying works here, I would be in dozens of shops & pubs and village streets saying, NO, no signal here either. Again I know it is the objection to mast etc etc but priority is even faster better 5g for those who already have good service. Sorry rant over. 

[BillMorton]

I just moved over from EE and had to change my mobile becase WiFi calling was not supported by Vodafone on my old iPhone 5S.  Imagine my surprise when I finally get WiFi calling working (after 2 frustrating weeks) on my Galaxy S9, that Text messaging is not supported. As this is available on all other networks, it never crossed my mind that it wouldn't be available on Vodafone.

Like many people in this thread, I live in an area of very poor mobile coverage and I need this to work. Many organisations now send out text messages, not least of which, my bank and also, ironically, as mentioned earlier in this thread, Vodafone.

What on earth can be the problem here Vodafone? Why is is it that you (Vodafone) cannot achieve this but all other networks can?

[Colleen]

@BillMorton It's great to have you with us 😊
I appreciate that low coverage area's can cause disruption and I understand how frustrating this can be. 
I'm sorry for the inconvenience caused by SMS currently not being available through Wi-Fi Calling.
I'll be sure to feed this back, to see if anything can be changed in the future. Please keep a lookout on the link I've sent you, any updates will be added to that page.