How WIFI Calling Works with Tracfone and How to Make Free Calls
Is WIFI Calling Free? How does it work? There are a lot of questions surrounding WIFI calling, and as Tracfone has slowly made it more available on their networks, it has become a popular option for some.
Information about WIFI Calling with Tracfone is not completely clear, but we've tried to collect and share the most accurate details below. If you have anything to add, or if we made a mistake, let us know in the comments.
If you're new to TracfoneReviewer, take a look around. We offer lots of Tracfone related tips, news, info and reviews. A great place to start is our Beginners Guide to Tracfone.
Now, let's take a look at WIFI Calling with Tracfone.
What is WIFI Calling? Here are the FAQs
WIFI Calling allows users to send and receive both calls and texts over a WIFI network instead of the cell network. It does this by going out over the internet, and then connecting to the cell phone network. The main benefit is that you can stay connected with calls/texts when cell service is not available but WIFI is, such as in the basement of a building, or in rural areas.WIFI Calling does not allow free calls and texts. (Read further along to learn how to do this with Google Voice.) You are still charged the normal rate for calls and texts by Tracfone.
WIFI Calling works on both Android and iOS devices, although not all phones support it, and not all cell phone service providers support it.
Tracfone does support WIFI Calling, but only on some smartphones, and certain BYOP devices. It appears to depend on the phone and your location, as not all the networks Tracfone uses support WIFI Calling.
To see if your phone is capable, take a look at the requirements for WIFI Calling:
Tracfone's Requirements for WIFI Calling
There are a few basic requirements for WIFI Calling:- Your Smartphone is active
- It has a Wi-Fi calling SIM card
- It has Wi-Fi calling capabilities (not all phone models support Wi-Fi calling)
You can check eligibility by visiting https://e911-reg.tracfone.com/wps/portal/home/ and enter your phone number and last four digits of your SIM card number (located on your SIM card for BYOP devices).
Note: in our recent tests with several different BYOP devices, none were WIFI calling eligible.
How to Enable WIFI Calling on Your Smartphone
If you're phone is eligible, then follow these steps for WIFI Calling:- Visit https://www.tracfone.com/support/wifi-calling and enter your phone number.
- Click 'Send Code' and receive a 6 digit security code to your phone and enter it on the next screen.
- If your phone is eligible, you will be able to proceed to activate WIFI calling.
If you run into problems, try double checking each step and if that doesn't work, contact Tracfone directly or leave a comment below.
If you're phone is capable of WIFI Calling, it should be a fairly quick and easy process to enable it.
But what if you can't enable WIFI Calling, or you want to make free calls using WIFI? Well we've got the answer!
Using Google Hangouts/Hangouts Dialer and a free phone number from Google Voice, you can make free calls from WIFI. Anyone you call will see your Google Voice number, not your Tracfone number, but you can port your Tracfone number to Google Voice if you prefer that.
Steps to Make Free Calls with Google Hangouts Dialer:
Here is a helpful YouTube video that also explains more about Google Hangouts Dialer and how it works.
If you are looking for free texting, there are a number of texting apps such as Whatsapp, Line App, and more, that allow free texting with anyone else who also has the app.
Using a Google Voice number and the Hangouts Dialer app is a great way for anyone to make calls using WIFI without using any Tracfone airtime.
We hope this information is helpful and leave a comment with any thoughts or questions.
Check out the latest Tracfone Deals, Discounts and Sales if you are shopping for a new phone, or just want to see what is available.
Also take a look at our Best Tracfone Money Saving Tips!
But what if you can't enable WIFI Calling, or you want to make free calls using WIFI? Well we've got the answer!
How to Make Free Calls using WIFI
If you were expecting WIFI Calling to make it possible to make free calls and texts, you are probably disappointed. But don't worry, there are other options for free calling and texting, and we will share one of the more popular methods here.Using Google Hangouts/Hangouts Dialer and a free phone number from Google Voice, you can make free calls from WIFI. Anyone you call will see your Google Voice number, not your Tracfone number, but you can port your Tracfone number to Google Voice if you prefer that.
Steps to Make Free Calls with Google Hangouts Dialer:
- Visit Google Voice and sign up for a free phone number. You are able to choose a phone number from a large variety available from many different area codes.
- Download Google Hangouts Dialer app on your smartphone
- Connect your Account and Verify your Phone Number
- Make a Test Call using the Google Hangouts Dialer app to check that everything is working.
Here is a helpful YouTube video that also explains more about Google Hangouts Dialer and how it works.
If you are looking for free texting, there are a number of texting apps such as Whatsapp, Line App, and more, that allow free texting with anyone else who also has the app.
Using a Google Voice number and the Hangouts Dialer app is a great way for anyone to make calls using WIFI without using any Tracfone airtime.
We hope this information is helpful and leave a comment with any thoughts or questions.
Check out the latest Tracfone Deals, Discounts and Sales if you are shopping for a new phone, or just want to see what is available.
Also take a look at our Best Tracfone Money Saving Tips!
29 comments :
I have been trying to use wifi calling for over a year. Have an LG41C that does not seem to support it. I have checked with Tracfone mant tomes and they say the Pixi Avion is the only model that supports it. Has this changed?
Thanks for posting this. I would like to know if anyone has made wifi calls from a cruise ship successfully. I use an iPhone 6 under the BYOP on TracFone, and it is GSM compatible.
I've been using Google Voice to to make free calls with my Tracfone for several years now. Works great for those calls where you hit a menu system and then get put on hold.
I've been using the "Vonage Mobile App" free to make outgoing calls via WiFi using my Tracfone number (which I find to be an advantage over Google).
Get it here https://www.vonage.com/personal/vonage-mobile-app
I tested it and the receiving caller ID showed my TracFone number.
It was so dead simple to set up. The app took care of "sensing" my phone number (I have no idea how they're able to do that) and it just works with my existing contact list.
The downside is that it can only send SMS messages to other Vonage users, and it doesn't receive incoming calls.
But it saves me SO MANY minutes if I know I'm going to do a long conference call.
Enjoy!
Thanks for this tutorial I always go to you first for all things tracfone.
I have used Google Voice (before Hangouts was around) for most of my calls. I had GV before I had a Tracfone. I have GV forwarded to my Tracfone number. I use the GV we main number.
I can answer GV on either the Tracfone, desktop or tablet. In the Settings on GV, you can set it up to forward to any number you want, including a landline. You can decide texts over GV which are forwarded to the Tracfone (can't on a landline). If I am in WiFi area I can answer the Tracfone as a cell or through the WiFi on GV directly (the option pops up on the phone).
By using WiFi as much as possible, this keeps my cell phone bill down to a bare minimum.By working this way I have a hard time remembering my Tracfone number. Only a select few people know the Tracfone number.
I don't text much but if I do respond to a text sent to GV number by cell phone the number they will see on CID will be the GV number and not Tracfone number. It does eat up minute/text units to answer through Tracfone, but I'm not on the phone that much anyway. I could use data time, or WiFi, if I wanted to use Hangouts or GV as well. I can use tools at GV to block unwanted callers as well. Don't think that can be done on Tracfone.
My system works well for me. Not for everyone. I could use my old unused smartphone as a WiFi phone as well if wanted for GV.
It would be nice if TF Reviewer would list wifi calling enabled phones.
I would like to upgrade my faithful LG41C!
Which tracfone phones offer wifi calling?
TY 4 info.hate those min wa$ters!
I have an iPhone 6s on the Bhopal program and validated everything for wifi calling above. The site told me all is ready to go and should be up and ready in about an hour. Well that was nine hours ago and still can't even turn the feature on. It's supposed to be in my options but it's even there. Any suggestions?
Just a question. If you port your TracFone number to Google Voice what happens to your TracFone account? The reason I ask I have Straight Talk on this phone, I do not have internet at home and my Google Voice uses my mobile data to make and receive calls. If I port the number won't I loose my TracFone account and service? I need a phone that will call out on LTE signal, I'm currently using a Nexus 6 on At&t MVNO, when I make a call it switches to 2g or 3g to make a call and I don't have that signal here. Google voice with Hangouts dialer solves this. The main question is will this setup work on Safelink? Sorry for such a long question but I felt like I had to explain why.
Apparently not on Moto X4
I know the phone is capable, but apparently not with TracFone service, at least not on the AT&T network. When I go to https://e911-reg.tracfone.com/wps/portal/home/ and enter my phone number and last four of my BYOP SIM, I get this:
"We're sorry. Your phone is not Wi-Fi Calling capable. If you would like to purchase a phone that is Wi-Fi Calling capable, please click the "Shop Phones" button."
I also tried my Moto X4 with Tracfone BYOP SIM card for Verizon network, and received this message at https://e911-reg.tracfone.com: "We're sorry. Your SIM card is not Wi-Fi Calling capable. To see if you are eligible for a SIM exchange, please contact us at 1-877-878-7908."
I called and eventually spoke to someone who said that Tracfone supports WiFi calling only on the T-Mobile network -- and my phone is not T-Mobile compatible. So, it appears that, unless one uses Tracfone with the T-Mobile network, the Google Voice option described in this article is the best option.
I wanted to check out the Wi-Fi calling feature with a SIM card from Tracfone that uses the T-Mobile network. I can confirm that the Wi-Fi calling does indeed show up as an option. I'm using a moto G5 Plus that's unlocked. What doesn't show up is being able to text over Wi-Fi. The Android Messenger app from Google is now supposed to use Wi-Fi with the Chat feature but this did not show up with the switch. Bummer... This appears to be a limitation of Tracfone, not T-Mobile or my phone.
Google is in the process of getting all the carriers to activate a different format that they'll be using in the Android Messenger app and it will be able to use data or Wi-Fi instead of the phone. Hope that makes sense...SO, I'm hoping that eventually Tracfone will get on board. Eventually they may have no choice.
I just tried their website. It said my SIM card was ineligible and gave me a number to call to see if I can swap it for a compatible one. I was told by customer service that only T-Mobile devices/SIMs on their network have WiFi Calling, and my Verizon SIM won't work. Disappointing, as Verizon is the only carrier that has good coverage where I live.
I have the WiFi button on my phone turned on with full WiFi connect bars. But my phone still seems to only go through the cell signal bars when I try to use the phone inside my house. Its horrible trying to talk on phone and it keeps cutting out when it shod just switch to the full bar wifi but cant find any use wifi only on calls. Its a alcatel android phone thanks.. Kobe
I called and got a new SIM card for my Moto g6 and it still says I am ineligible.
Convergence of data has become popular in this era of digitalization, also voice networks in the business environment create a new twist with the emergence of wireless networking. business texting service
has made this easier for you and with this, you can get closer with your clients' by sending them reminders, alerts, and notifications over a text.
If you want to have WiFi calling and you're not able to do it with Tracfone another option is Google Voice. Go to the Play Store and download the app. When you start it up you'll have the choice of phone numbers, yes, you get a new phone number, however this does not replace your Tracfone number it's an additional number. In fact you have to have an active cell number to use Google Voice.
Now here's the tricky part. GV will automatically connect your cell number to your GV number so that when someone calls your GV number your cell number rings, but to have WiFi calling on your GV number you need to disconnect your cell number from it. Then GV acts as a stand alone number, which you want so you truly get WiFi only calling. If you have an unlocked phone like me it's easy to forward your calls to your cell phone to your GV number, but if you don't have an unlocked phone I don't think that will work.
Yes, I know, it all seems rather convoluted...wish I could make it simpler.
very upset with Tracfone Most people who have spotty or no cell service at home all buy tracfone s because we dont want to pay for monthly service that only works 6 miles from our home.
DOESNT IT MAKE SENSE TO HELP MORE PEOPLE GET WIFI CALLING WITH TRACFONE AND MORE PEOPLE WOULD BUY YOUR SERVICE TODAY i FILLED OUT YOUR SURVEY ASKING FOR HELP WITH WIFI CALLING APPARENTLY MY NEW SAMSUNG GALAXY 7 IS NOT NOR EVER WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE WIFI CALLS WHICH IS EXATLY WHY I PURCHASED NEW PHONE MY NEXT FONE WILL NOT BE A TRACFONE
you can also get the TextNow App you get a free phone number and you can call and text using WIFI you just have to use it at least once a month or so to keep your number.....
With respect to an iPhone SE, which was purchased from Straight Talk and activated 2yrs ago on Total Wireless, I received the following message after going through the above-described process: "We're sorry. Your SIM card is not Wi-Fi Calling capable. To see if you are eligible for a SIM exchange, please contact us at 1-877-878-7908"
Calling the above goes to Simple Wireless. When customer service realized I was a TW customer, they transferred me back into the same customer service I had called earlier to get the instructions that are on this website. At that point, I was told that SIM exchanges can only be done within 30 days of a phone purchase.
She insisted that I go back to Walmart for a SIM kit. God only knows if this will solve my problem, however. I don't think she had any idea about how to check if I was eligible for an "exchange". And since these toll-free numbers bounce you around to various branded-service reps, the right hand doesn't have any clue what the left hand is doing. All I want is to know that in an emergency I can make a WiFi call vs. rely on single-bar data access. I shouldn't have to move over to an $180 per month post-paid Verizon plan to get WiFi calling access on an iPhone with the latest iOS. In any event, now it's on a Walmart employee to provide Total Wireless support.
I'm not convinced that buying a SIM kit is the solution for this problem. I've done a couple of Internet searches and if the solution was that simple, I would expect to see it suggested here and elsewhere where "How to enable WiFi calling on a prepaid phone" comes up.
It looks to me that if a customer ports a post-paid phone onto a prepaid service (BYOP), the WiFi calling feature, if it existed previously, comes along for the ride (baked into the firmware). In contrast, if you are using a phone purchased under a prepaid carrier, it's disabled even if the phone itself might otherwise support that feature (i.e. an iPhone). So the question is, why can't Total Wireless simply disclose this caveat in plain English? How hard would it be to post a TracPhone FAQ to state that BYOP members will have WiFi calling, if their phone supported it under a previous carrier, and not if they bought their phone in conjunction with a prepaid service?
Conversely, if it IS possible to have a SIM card exchange that will enable a prepaid customer's phone to "unlock" WiFi calling, why isn't that in the FAQ too? (And why doesn't TW/TracPhone customer service know about it? I've talked to two different agents today who didn't give me a Yes/No answer!)
I appreciate that prepaid services make their money reselling cellular data. But here's the thing: when you have the highest-cost plan a prepaid service offers — unlimited everything — the prepaid provider might as well unblock the WiFi call/text features since you're already signed up for "unlimited" everything anyhow!
In closing, I would add one more thing. If the phone supports WiFi calling and the prepaid consumer is in an area with poor cell tower reception, there should be an option to unblock WiFi calling. This whole process started for me when I moved with another carrier to an area where that carrier had no towers. I was told that Verizon was the only carrier with decent coverage, but that amounts to two bars on a good day and "no service" on a bad day. Under such conditions, customers aren't getting what they pay for to go with overpriced post-paid and they aren't getting what they're paying for with prepaid, either, because their Cellular Data access is not reliable. The FCC should force prepaid carriers to offer a plan level that unlocks WiFi text and calling. For some customers in some locations, that's the only access to 911 they're going to have. How it could be legal under FCC rules to block a calling feature the hardware supports, is another question entirely.
I had several gigs of data and they disappeared suddenly. Do you have an idea of what could have happened? Or was this a Tracfone decision? Or could they have been stolen?
I have an iPhone 6s, WiFi calling has worked since I got the phone, until last week, all of a sudden it will not enable , the message says to enable WiFi, call TRW. I called , went through 3 different people, none of them had a clue as to why, transferred me to Apple. They said it is a Trasfone problem, has anyone had this happen, or have any suggestions?
Thanks, Lynn
This is a case of, if you need it, you can't get it.
My brand new phone refuses to activate for calling/texting. Only wi-fi working. But you need to have an active number to get this service. I've contacted Customer No-Help five times and they also require a second number to be contacted. If I had a second number, I wouldn't have contacted them or need this service.
I have a Google voice number, have it pointing to my Tracfone and have tried to use Google Hangouts Dialer to place calls but have found the voice quality to be all over the lot, usually not good at all, especially on the other end. This is true even when I'm on a superfast pipe like at work.
Would another app work better?
Is there a trick I'm missing? I even bought a router that has QoS but it didn't help that much.
Ridiculous. Own the Galaxy Note 8 and have been using Safelink for about a year now. Wi-Fi calling and RCS chat worked fine until I woke up on May 1st with no data connection. After dealing with Safelink support for five days and even replacing the t-mobile SIM with a new Verizon SIM, data still didn't work and I couldn't even make calls.
I finally gave up on Safelink support and dove into the advanced settings myself. Finally got it voice and data working by manually adding the TRACFONE.VZWENTP APN and changing some of the settings in the APN to vibe with the other settings the SIM provided. But now Wi-Fi calling magically doesn't work and the tracfone site states my phone is not capable, when clearly it is. Must be the crappy new SIM they sent that doesn't support it. RCS chat just quit working, which may not be related. It's frustrating to say the least.
I have an LG L355DL . Your web page says I have WiFi calling. So I registered my number & set up my phone. But I couldn't get WiFi calling to work. Called tracfone CS. They insisted my phone does not have WiFi calling! I've ordered a new phone (Samsung A32) which I was assured supported WiFi calling. We'll see.
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