Using Airtel Wi-Fi Calling on Samsung Galaxy Note 10: How to set up, experience, and more

The Airtel Wi-Fi Calling service is now available on Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Plus as well. Here’s what it’s like using the voice over Wi-Fi service.

How Airtel Wi-Fi Calling works (REUTERS)

Airtel earlier this month rolled out Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-FI) services in India. Since the first announcement on December 10, Airtel's VoWi-Fi has rolled out to six new handsets and in more circles, which includes Mumbai, Kolkata, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.

While Airtel hasn't officially announced it, Airtel's Wi-Fi Calling is now available on Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Plus as well. We tried out Airtel's new Wi-Fi Calling service on our Galaxy Note 10 Plus unit. Here are our key takeaways:

How to activate Wi-Fi calling

Airtel's Wi-Fi Calling feature is activated through a software update. Our unit received an update last week after which the feature was enabled. You can also manually turn on or off the feature through settings.

Open Settings on your updated phone > Connections > tap on the toggle button next to Wi-Fi Calling.

There's also a shortcut to the feature on the dropdown Settings menu from any screen. The shortcut features calling and Wi-Fi icons.

Airtel recommends users to enable on the VoLTE switch to ensure uninterrupted calling experience when switching from Wi-Fi Calling and VoLTE, vice-versa.

How Airtel Wi-Fi calling works (HT Photo)

How Airtel Wi-Fi calling works (HT Photo)

Experience

Airtel's Wi-Fi Calling feature works seamlessly when you've access to high-speed broadband speeds (home Wi-Fi). The calling experience doesn't seem any different from the regular calls you make.

The call switching from Wi-Fi to regular mobile radio was also seamless when we moved back and forth from our home broadband coverage.

Another thing you'll notice is that once you're using Wi-Fi calling, you will see the dedicated icon next to contacts in the call list. Once it's disabled, the icon also disappears. It will be great if the calling list could retain the information in case anyone wants to keep a tab on calls made from Wi-Fi and regular carrier networks.

Right now, there's no dashboard for the amount of data consumed through Wi-Fi Calling either. Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus does have a dedicated "Wi-Fi data usage" section but it doesn't show the calling information right now.

Another catch with Airtel's Wi-Fi calling is that it's limited to Airtel's own broadband network for now. Beyond our home network, we couldn't access it at other places.