One month after a leaked image revealed Sprint's plans to add Wi-Fi Calling functionality to select Android phones, the big yellow carrier has made the feature officially official.
As its name suggests, Wi-Fi Calling allows supported devices to make phone calls and use messaging services over a Wi-Fi connection rather than the mobile network. Sprint says that the feature offers improved voice, data and messaging service in areas with weak or no Sprint service. Sprint's flavor of Wi-Fi Calling includes unlimited voice and messaging for no charge.
The new Wi-Fi Calling feature will be made available to Samsung's Galaxy Mega and Galaxy S4 mini through an over the air software update that'll begin rolling out in the coming weeks. Sprint plans to add Wi-Fi Calling support to other devices in 2014, but the operator hasn't yet specified which models will gain the feature.
Sprint isn't the first U.S. carrier to offer Wi-Fi calling — T-Mobile subscribers have been enjoying the feature for quite a while — but it's still great to see the Now Network rolling it out to its Android phones. Wi-Fi is nearly ubiquitous in many areas thanks to restaurants, malls and other businesses that offer it, but mobile service isn't always able to penetrate the walls of those places. That's where Wi-Fi calling comes in handy, allowing users to send and receive calls and texts even when they've got weak service.
Would you use Wi-Fi calling if your carrier offered it?
Via Sprint
