Maxis finally enables WiFi Calling, now available on Samsung and iPhone devices

[ UPDATE 16/12/2021 22:00 ] Maxis has provided more info for its WiFi Calling (VoWiFi) feature. We’ve updated the post with more details.

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Maxis has finally rolled out Voice over WiFi (VoWiFi) or also known as WiFi Calling on its network. This allows voice calls to be carried over a WiFi connection and this is great for users who are residing in areas with bad or no 4G coverage.

At the time of writing, we can enable the VoWiFi feature for both the iPhone 11 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. We have tried the feature on our Maxis Postpaid 98 plan. According Maxis, VoWiFi is offered to all Maxis Postpaid and Hotlink customers except for customers on multi SIM one line.

How to enable WiFi Calling on Maxis?

If you’re using an iPhone, you can enable WiFi-Calling by going to Settings > Phone > WiFi-Calling. For Samsung users, you can go to the Phone app, click on the 3 dots on the top right corner, select Settings > Other call settings > WiFi Calling.

If you don’t see the option, try restarting your phone and ensure that you’ve updated to the latest operating system version.

How do you know if WiFi Calling is enabled?

For iPhone users, you should see the “VoWiFi” indicator next to the MY MAXIS network name if the feature is enabled. Obviously, you need to be connected to a WiFi network for VoWiFi to work and your smartphone supports the feature.

On a Samsung device, you should see a new icon that shows a phone and WiFi icon as shown above.

WiFi Calling has been offered by U Mobile 5 years ago back in 2016. Digi has also introduced the feature in 2017. Besides having better quality calls at home or at the office, another advantage of WiFi Calling is that you can make “local calls” when you’re overseas. This would help you save on roaming call charges as long as the WiFi Calling feature is working. However, Maxis’ FAQ states that VoWiFi is not available when you’re roaming.

In case you missed it, Maxis had only introduced Voice over LTE (VoLTE) last year and it was the last of the 5 major telcos to do so. With VoLTE, you can make and receive voice calls at higher quality while maintaining a 4G connection. With the 3G shutdown scheduled for the end of this year, users without VoLTE would have to switch to a slower 2G connection when there’s an incoming call.

At the time of writing, Maxis has yet to publish official details about the WiFi Calling feature. We will update the post with more details as soon as we receive more info.

Thanks @hiw200 for the tip!