Wifi calling with Vodafone not available on my phone. (Realme 8)

[barryd999]

I bought a Realme 8 phone this week because I wanted something sub £200 with great battery life, fast charging and Wifi Calling.  Mobile signal is weak here and sometimes it drops off and I also spend a lot of time off grid so the Realme 8 ticked all the boxes. Long story short I cannot get the Wifi calling to work on this phone and after talking to various support lines including finally Vodafone, Vodafone themselves have confirmed that they do not support wifi calling on this phone and that is why it is not available as an option in my settings.  It would appear apparently if I put in an EE sim.

The support agent who to be fair tried all sorts to help me before one of the senior advisors confirmed it was the model of phone that was the issue sent me this link that shows which phones are compatible with Vodafone wifi calling.  https://www.vodafone.co.uk/business/business-mobile-plans/mobile-plan-features/vodafone-wi-fi-callin...

Some of these are quite old so what is the issue?  Is it just that Vodafone have not got round to enabling wifi calling to work on the Realme 8 and if so is it likely to become an option in the near future or should I be looking at another model phone thats on their list. Most of them are no longer available new.

[chistery]

If Vodafone don't sell the phone, then they will just say it's not supported. I think that's fair, however annoying it is. They do like to point to the web site to say what's supported, as it's a good way to fob you off. It doesn't even show the iPhone 13, which just shows how out of date it is.

Have you tried to turn wifi calling off in your account, wait till you get the text then re-enable it?

Have you asked Vodafone to send the OTA provisioning update to your phone? (If they ask what phone, it's easier to tell them a similar device they do support)

Is the menu option present on your phone with your Vodafone SIM or not?

Are you using the standard dialler with the phone or a different one like the Google one?

[barryd999]

Thanks for the reply.  They pretty much said it wont work with that phone. I have a couple of threads going elsewhere and one on Digital Spy where a user there said they had the same issue.  The option for wifi calling is simply not there in the SIM card settings under network settings and this user said he had the same problem with Vodafone and when he switched to an EE sim the option for wifi calling appeared.

Wifi calling was not on the account so they asked me to text CALLING to 97888.  I believe when I finally spoke to an advisor yesterday they said it was on but I never asked them to switch it off and on again.  He tried all sorts until he consulted a specialist support agent who said it wont work on this phone (apparently).

Not sure what the OTA provisioning update is so I have not asked for it.  I am using the standard dialler.

Are you suggesting if I tell them I have a compatible phone there is something they can send to the phone to make it work?   

[chistery]

The OTA provisioning update is a silent message sent to your phone to configure the settings. It often takes a few calls to find someone who knows how to do it, but if your phone isn't on the list, they will just use that as an excuse to say no. It helps to tell Vodafone you have a supported phone, so ideally pick a similar device as the settings are the same. This should enable the menu option so you can turn it on, on the device.

[barryd999]

Thanks again. Its a total nightmare getting to speak to anyone at Vodafone now let alone someone who knows what they are talking about.   The chat his hopeless also. This phone is Android 11 but I Think its maybe been altered slightly by Realme.  I would have no idea which compatible vodafone approved device I should "lie" about to get this OTA provisioning update but will look into it.  I dont suppose there is any chance it could cause me a problem with the device if they send an update for another phone is there?

[chistery]

I'd pick one of the Xiaomi or Oppo phones to tell them. It shouldn't cause a problem, and it's not working now, so sending the settings will either work or your phone will ignore it.

[barryd999]

Sounds like a good idea. I am just on right now on a chat with Vodafone. I discovered just now that despite me upgrading my plan to 150gb a month the app is still showing 30gb and on the website so I am trying to sort that. apparently they have to disconnect my services and reconnect. I dont know if I dare ask them to send the provisioning update for another phone at the same time!   Might be better to see if I Can get through to someone on the phone perhaps

[Amanda]

We'd love to help with this @barryd999 - I've never seen a situation where we need to disconnect and reconnect to correct a plan, but if you pop us a message on social media my team can check it for you 🙂 

We can also see if we can get the settings sent out to you for your Wi-Fi Calling 📱 Please pop your Community username and a link to your thread on your message, that way we can have a read of the conversation and you won't need to repeat yourself. 

[barryd999]

---

@Amanda wrote:

We'd love to help with this @barryd999 - I've never seen a situation where we need to disconnect and reconnect to correct a plan, but if you pop us a message on social media my team can check it for you 🙂 

We can also see if we can get the settings sent out to you for your Wi-Fi Calling 📱 Please pop your Community username and a link to your thread on your message, that way we can have a read of the conversation and you won't need to repeat yourself. 

---

Thanks. I am still on with the chat. Been an hour so far!  Already onto the second agent and getting nowhere.  I really need to speak to a tech advisor who can fix both my data allowance and try an OTA provisioning update for an Oppo Reno 4 Pro 5g which seems to be similar to mine.  

Not sure who you want me to message and where.   Can you not just send a link to this thread to your team?

[barryd999]

I have ended the chat with Vodafone after an hour and a half of wasted time going round in circles. I Was also on an hour yesterday.

I have hit the messenger link and provided the details as requested and got some kind of automated reply about turning on wifi calling in settings.  I have now lost the will to live.

What I would like is a call from someone who can resolve the data issue in the App and on the website and who knows about the OTA provisioning for wifi calling.