Check Applicable Products and Categories for details. If they can, usually charge for those calls.IMPORTANT: This article applies only to specific products and/or operating systems. Often those apps cannot complete calls to landlines or cellular phones. On the other hand, the free services of those apps require both parties to use the same app. Since the calls are routed via the telephone network, that's why they're considered airtime. Even if both parties were using Wifi calling, the calls would still route through the telephone network at some point. Similarly, when receiving calls via Wifi calling, the calls pass from the telephone network to the Internet to complete the connection. Wifi calling via mobile providers is slightly different from other free Wifi calling services ( ie Whatsapp, Skype, Viber, etc) because while the calls are initially routed through the Internet, at some point the calls are passed over to the traditional telephone network to complete the connection. If you're jumping ship because of this issue, you should note that it's the same with the other providers as well. Wifi is just a different means to connect to the networks. Calls are treated the same as if a call was made over the cellular network because they are being made over the cellular networks. The services still use cellular networks. Rather than connecting to a cellular tower, your phone is using Wifi to access the cellular networks. Wifi-calling calls are routed through the cellular networks (see graphic here). With Wifi-calling, the calls do not transmit entirely via the internet. The reason there are charges for calls outside of the app is that those calls would terminate via the telecommunications networks (cellular or landline). If the receiving party does not use the app, there are charges for connecting those calls. In addition, those types of calls require both parties to use the same app. With app-based calls, the entirety of the calls are transmitted via the internet. However Wifi-calling is different from other types of Wifi-based calling apps such as WhatsApp or Skype, etc.

I understand it seems intuitive that Wifi-calling should be 'free' because you're using Wifi.

Viber calling mute