I love doing this blog. I’ve been writing and editing it for over a decade now, and it’s a real source of pride that I can say that millions of people have read it. What I don’t like is when it provides concrete evidence that I’m wrong when I forecast something. I was pretty bearish about Wi-Fi calling back in 2013. I said it was a “total-non-starter.” Luckily, that article is no longer published on our blog due to some routine housekeeping, but here’s an excerpt for you:
I just don’t see how it’s going to work. Going through several networks is going to create lag, the last thing you want on a phone call. And I can imagine that your phone is going to be switching from cellular to Wi-Fi all the time and that’s going to create audio drops.
No, I think I’m better off without Wi-Fi Calling. I get great cell reception now and that’s all I need.
Turns out Wi-Fi Calling is actually pretty good.
Only problem – I use Wi-Fi calling a lot. It wasn’t quite ready for daily use a decade ago, but it sure works well now. Both iOS and Android have built the capability in, and I have to admit that it works in places where I can get Wi-Fi but I can’t get cell service. Sadly, there are still parts of our country where that’s true. If it happens at home or in the lab, I have a cell booster at the ready, but more often it will happen in the middle of a large store, especially one of those 1970s “brutalist” monstrosities that are still out there populating cities and towns all over this country. The sheer amount of concrete and the dark brown color mixed in (often created by adding iron oxide to the concrete) tend to block signals quite effectively. When places like that offer free Wi-Fi, I take them up on it since it’s usually the only way I’ll get cell service. Most stores have really slow free Wi-Fi and would be better served by cell boosters, but I can’t control that.
Still not as good as a cell booster but…
Wi-Fi Calling sometimes causes a little drop in signal when it comes in and out. That’s rarer and rarer, but it happens. Other than that, it honestly works quite well. It doesn’t work as well as a cell booster, though. I tend to think that a cell booster is a better alternative if you can get one put in. A cell booster helps everyone in range of it. This is true regardless of whether or not they have the Wi-Fi password. It’s true even if their phone doesn’t support Wi-Fi Calling. It’s an automatic way to blanket a large area with great cell service. I wish those crumbling old shops would put them in. Hopefully one or two store managers will read this article. It might lead to some cell boosters being put in where they are desperately needed.
Bottom line though, I said Wi-Fi Calling wouldn’t amount to much. I was wrong, because I didn’t count on the OS makers really embracing it as they did. Maybe I’ve gotten smarter in a decade. Maybe not. Keep watching this blog and I’ll admit my honest mistakes from the past. It’s how we learn!
