T-Mobile U.S. Inc. confirmed on Monday that Apple Inc.’s iPhone will receive support for Wi-Fi Calling through iOS 8, Apple’s next-gen mobile operating system.
The wireless carrier already has support for the feature on its Android and Windows smartphones, according to PC Magazine. Wi-Fi Calling lets users make regular cellular calls over Wi-Fi networks when they can’t get a signal on their cell phones.
Several of T-Mobile and Sprint’s phones currently offer the service.
“With the upcoming update, more than 90 percent of all T-Mobile smartphones will feature Wi-Fi Calling, adding to the 17 million Wi-Fi Calling-enabled customer devices on T-Mobile’s network and more than 5 million customers using Wi-Fi Calling during any given month,” T-Mobile said.
iOS 8 is set to be released later this year, 9 to 5 Mac reported.
The feature lets users avoid unnecessary service charges, cut bill costs and use their regular phone number.
Apple said at its annual WorldWide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco on Monday that the iOS 8 is currently available in beta for developers, PC Magazine reported.
“Like HD Voice, Voice-over LTE (VoLTE), and a host of other pioneering wireless innovations, T-Mobile has also long led the way with Wi-Fi Calling. Back in 2007, we were the very first U.S. wireless provider to enable Wi-Fi Calling nationwide on our Android-powered and Windows smartphones,” Mike Sievert, chief marketing officer at T-Mobile, said in a blog post. “Now, with the news coming out of Apple’s keynote today that Wi-Fi Calling will be enabled with iOS 8, I’m excited to welcome our iPhone customers to the convenience and ease of T-Mobile Wi-Fi Calling as well.”
All iPhone users have to do to get the service is connect to a Wi-Fi network and switch the service on in a phone that runs iOS 8, according to PC Magazine.
iOS 8 will work with iPhone 4s, 5s, as 5. It will also be available with iPad 2, iPad Air, iPad with Retina display, and both mini iPads.
