How does WiFi calling affect your battery life and data usage? (2024)

FAQs

How does WiFi calling affect your battery life and data usage? ›

2 Drawbacks of WiFi calling

Can I leave WiFi calling on all the time? You can. The only potential downside: if you leave the option toggled on and you're out of WiFi range, your phone may constantly search for a connection and consume more of your phone's battery.

No. Calls and texts made over Wi-Fi to numbers in the US don't use our cellular network and don't count against your mobile plan's data allowance. However, the Wi-Fi network you're connecting to may charge an access fee.

(NEXSTAR) – If you have an Android phone, you may want to stop using Wi-Fi calling, a team of security experts with Google warns. Earlier this month, Google's Project Zero team confirmed it had found multiple vulnerabilities in Exynos chipsets, made by Samsung.

Should You Keep WiFi Calling on All the Time? To make sure you get the best possible signal during mobile phone calls, keeping WiFi calling on is a good idea. If you are using a public WiFi network (at a cafe or hotel, for instance), the network's signal strength might not be as strong as at your home.

Dependent on WiFi quality: Perhaps the biggest drawback of WiFi calling is its reliance on a WiFi connection that is both stable and high-quality. If the WiFi signal is weak, call quality can suffer, leading to dropped calls, or poor audio.

It seems obvious, but turning it off when there's Wi-Fi available is the best way you can cut down on your usage. Leaving it on all the time can lead to more fees from your carrier (not us though).

The only time you might be using data when you're connected to Wi-Fi is if you have the “Wi-Fi Assist” feature turned on. Basically, if your Wi-Fi signal is weak, Wi-Fi Assist will automatically prompt your phone to use cellular data to help speed up your internet connection.

Before you turn off your Wi-Fi, decide why you want to turn it off. Reasons to turn off Wi-Fi include the cost and affordability of the service, the need for a Wi-Fi connection, or the security issues with a Wi-Fi connection. You may not need to disable your Wi-Fi; hiding it from others could solve the problem.

You can use Wi-Fi calling without a service on some carriers. If your carrier doesn't offer Wi-Fi calling, you can still do so through a voice over IP service.

What happens if I turn Wi-Fi calling off? ›

If you love to make calls while traveling, commuting or walking, disabling this feature may help improve the quality of your calls by preventing your phone from attempting to connect to every single Wi-Fi network you come in contact with.

How Much Does Wi-Fi Calling Cost? Traditionally, phone calls made using a cellular connection come from your monthly allowance. The Wi-Fi calling feature is similar. Wi-Fi calls have no additional cost; it's taken from your monthly voice plan.

If you're on an Android device:

Tip: You can conserve data by turning off mobile data access. If you do this, you'll only be able to use data when you connect to a Wi-Fi network. To use less data, turn off auto-sync. If you do this, you'll need to sync your apps manually.

WiFi Calling won't use any of your mobile data allowance. It will use a small amount of WiFi internet data to make and receive calls, if you have unlimited WiFi access this won't be a problem. If you use a metered WiFi connection, a half hour call uses about 10MB, compared to 700MB to download a film.

Generally, Wi-Fi Calling saves battery life, but in ideal settings where it's always on, it can consume more battery power than regular mobile calls. In that case, your device needs to maintain a constant internet connection, which can increase battery usage and potentially shorten the battery life.

When to Turn WiFi Calling Off: If you have a strong and consistent cellular signal, you may not need WiFi calling, as cellular networks often provide better call quality. If your WiFi connection is weak or unstable, it can cause dropped calls or poor call quality.

Most cellphone providers will treat Wi-Fi calls the same as any other call and deduct those minutes from your cellphone plan's allotment. However, note that some public Wi-Fi networks may charge you an access fee to connect to their network. Check with your wireless carrier for further details on cost.

Having Wi-Fi turned on drains your battery if you're not using it, but if you're on a wireless network, it's more power-efficient to use Wi-Fi than to use cellular data, so switch to Wi-Fi instead of your mobile network when you can to save your phone's battery life.

TL;DR Wi-Fi consumes less in both consumption and stand-by, but in stand-by only by a small amount. Results however will vary significantly if the data usage in stand-by increases, 4G+ would consume more. You know, this app will also consume battery by gathering all the information.

Video and voice calls

“Calling uses quite a bit of power,” McRitchie explained. “It uses more of the available network's capacity and also has to power up the sound element that is not in play with texting or emailing. If you can text or email, you'll save your battery.”