How to Enable Wi-Fi Calling on a Samsung Phone

Make phone calls on your Samsung phone even when you don't have a cell signal

person connecting phone to wifi

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by Jordan Baranowski
Jordan Baranowski is a former Lifewire writer and educator with experience writing for SVG, The Nerd Stash, and Feast Magazine.
Updated May 21, 2019

If you have a Samsung S5 or higher, and you have access to a wireless network, you can make calls over a Wi-Fi network instead of your phone's network. It's not enabled by default, but it's easy to set up.

What is Wi-Fi calling?

Wi-Fi calling will use your wireless network to make phone calls rather than your phone network. It can be extremely useful if you get spotty phone service in certain areas of your home or you're visiting somewhere with a strong Wi-Fi connection but not good phone service.

In the past, Wi-Fi connections were less reliable than they are now, so Wi-Fi calling wasn't a great option. There aren't a lot of reasons to avoid Wi-Fi calling, but a few issues can spring up. For one, it will use your data plan, so if you have a small data cap on your wireless data usage, Wi-Fi calling could eat into it.

The data used won't be much more than a Skype voice chat. It shouldn't be an issue unless you use it a lot or have a very small data cap.

In addition, if your wireless connection is weak, you're more likely to drop a call. Wi-Fi calling generally needs a strong signal to be effective.

How to Set Up Wi-Fi Calling

  1. Open your phone's settings, then tap Wi-Fi or Wireless Networks.

  2. Tap the network you'd like to join. In most cases, you'll need to enter a password.

    Like with your home network, you can have your phone remember many Wi-Fi networks. If it's a friend's home or a business you come to a lot, your phone will automatically connect when you return. You won't need to enter the password every time.

  3. Once connected to the Wi-Fi network, you can set up your phone to enable Wi-Fi calling. From your phone's home screen, tap Phone.

    These steps may vary a bit depending on the type of phone you have and what operating system you are running.

  4. Tap the Menu or More icon to open the settings.

    Some phones have their settings available directly on the main app screen.

  5. Toggle Wi-Fi Calling on and you should be good to go.