WiFi calling frequent drops and call failed issues

[Mamadoc306]

May we please get confirmation that Comcast is dealing with this as a system issue, and an estimate of when the problem can be resolved? I have an iPhone 6 Plus and live in an area with poor signal. Like others, I need WiFi to make and receive calls. But drops are typical despite having strong WiFi connection. All other devices depending on WiFi work fine. Texting on the iPhone is fine. Only the calling function is a problem. Is Comcast willing me to return to Verizon?

[Meitheamh]

Have you tested a different wifi app (for instance TextNow)to see if the experience is identical?

Such a test would help diagnose the problem and in particular, might make it possible to exclude device-related issues as a concern.

[Gene84]

My wife and I experience the same issues described here -very frequent dropped calls and instant drops upon answering. Often to call each other it takes 2-4 attempts.

It’s not only frustrating but embarrassing as I’m always being asked “Why are you always dropping calls?”. Atm anyone I talk to frequently expects my phone service to be extremely flaky. It’s very frustrating during important phone calls. Like others, my cellular signal at home is poor so I rely on WiFi calling. When we switched to xfinity I was not told or aware they did not have WiFi calling at the time, I just assumed it was available. I was pleased when it did not take long for WiFi calling to be available - but in reality it basically does not work for iPhones.

I have been into the Xfinity store and they don’t have any cellular specialty people, just regular cable knowledge, and the person in store is on the phone with tech support and returns with no solution, blaming my phone and telling me to buy a new one ( is mine different from the same one they sell? It worked fine until I switched carriers). Xfinity phone support also boils it down to a BYOD issue. Hmm...I doubt it.

Xfinity offers no help- they have said to me on the phone they hear this issue a lot regarding iPhone 6 and 6s - and there is no solution.

It certainly appears there is simply a problem with their handling of WiFi calling on some if not all models of iPhones

[Meitheamh]

The reality is that with any MVNO and BYOD situation, it can be very difficult to find the cause of a problem and, even if it is found, it is not always possible to fix it.  This is certainly not unique to Xfinity Mobile and is the main reason service on MVNOs is less expensive than on Tier 1 carriers.

There are some basic things a user can do to see whether the phone itself is a factor in the equation because that is often a soluable issue.

1) go to Settings-WiFi, select the network and then tap on "Forget This Network."  Then turn the phone off.  Turn the router off and back on and then turn the phone back on and reconnect to the network.

2) if that does not help, if the router is dual band, try the other band

3) back up the phone, connect to iTunes and do a restore.  After that repeat step 1.

If these steps do not fix the problem, there is a strong chance there is nothing more a user can do to resolve the issue.  There are other actions that a user can take but the chances of them being worthwhile in terms of resolving the issue are not high.

[Gene84]

Resetting network settings can be done without erasing the phone, which I have done.

It’s not a BYOD issue as there is at least one person on this thread that said “when the phones are paid off I’m switching”.

It’s an xfinity and iPhone 6 and 6s issue it appears.

My 6s is exactly the same as the ones xfinity sells. I bought it from Verizon and that’s the network Xfinity uses. There is no special firmware or hardware. It’s a cdma iPhone 6s - it’s that simple.

Is there anyone having this issue on a iPhone 7 or newer?

Maybe it’s time to go back to Verizon, as it does not appear this problem is going to be addressed by Xfinity. It’s been months and nothing and no reason to expect a solution is coming.

[emg50]

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@Gene84 wrote:
Is there anyone having this issue on a iPhone 7 or newer? 

My phone is an iPhone X. My wife's is an iPhone 8, both purchased from Xfinity when we switched to them.  I still occassionally have dropped calls with Wi-Fi calling, but not as frequently as I did prior to turning on "Prefer Wi-Fi While Roaming" under Cellular. My wife doesn't use Wi-Fi calling because the dropped calls were too frustrating for her.

[Pachecotj]

Switched from verizon to xfinity mobile a month ago and same problem. Most calls drop when on calling over WiFi and attempt to answer the call. Xfinity Tech Support 2 said the problem was my SIM Card so I went back to xfinity store and swapped the SIM card. They tested a call while I was there and it worked at that moment in the store... I sadly has stopped functioning since then... Every setting they ask me to change on my phone does not resolve the issue. If there are this many of us then it would seem the problem is on their side.... This is very frustrating and I will likely have to switch back to verizon because of this. I need WiFi calling to work as I have no cell signal in my home... completely unexceptable for it to go on this long with no solution...

[sc0315]

To confirm, this issue applies to iPhone X as well.  

[msiismets]

Any update on this? Recently switched from AT&T. Had no issues in our house using their MCell device (needed due to poor signal in house due to radiant barrier in attic). Xfinity rep said WiFi calling would take care of this for us in our house - no worries. Well, WiFi calling with Xfinity has NOT worked for us - all calls get dropped. Will go back to AT&T if this isn’t fixed soon. Does KenF from Comcast have an update??

[msiismets]

ComcastKenF - how do we send you a private message now that Comcast has disabled that function? Thanks.

[penalydiam]

Wife has iPhone 7. Worse than my 6

[penalydiam]

I called customer service and they reset some kind of settings. Of course it didn’t work. Then I reset my network settings, restored my iPhone, replaced the SIM card. Was ready to switch back to Verizon but saw someone post about airplane mode and it’s been working all day. Turn on airplane mode then turn WiFi back on or just turn off the cell radio. We don’t get mobile signal where we live anyway so there’s no point having it on. Phone stays on Xm wi-fi and never try’s to switch back to mobile so no more dropped calls. <Edited: "Inflammatory">. The only good about xfinity mobile is the price so I’ll stick with it a bit longer and see if it keeps working. Kind of a pain to remember to turn airplane mode off everytime I leave the house. My wife’s phone is working now also.

[Sphillips15]

I just messaged Xfinity today about this. It doesn’t seem there has been any progress in all this time. my wife and I both have iPhone 7. Hers is from Verizon, mine I purchased from Xfinity, and we both have the same issue constantly. She wants to go back to Verizon, because we never had the issue, and she uses her phone for work from home. However Verizon is so expensive I don’t want to. So we keep Wi-Fi calling disabled because it is worthless. Would love to know if they have made any progress at all.

[emg50]

Would be interesting to know if anyone using a phone other than an iPhone is having the problem with dropped calls on WiFi calling.

[Wadepc2018]

I have these same issues with an Verizon connected iPhone X. We recently went to XFi so I wouldn’t have to worry about managing my own wireless but it’s been terrible for making vzw WiFi calls. It was not before.

[emperordahc]

My wife is having this issue with her iPhone 6S that we got directly from XM.

I happened to find out that XM now supports Wifi calling, so I enabled it a few days ago on her iPhone.

• Outgoing calls all work perfectly.
• All incoming calls ring, but when the call is answered, it immediatly says "Call failed". (Incoming calls never work correctly with wifi calling while also connected to cell. See bottom bullet point.)
• I have enabled/disabled the "Prefer wifi while roaming" option, too, with no effect.
• If I put the phone in airplane mode then enable wifi, incoming and outgoing calls work perfectly over wifi. (This is not a reasonable workaround for my wife.)

I have disabled her wifi calling until XM works out the issue.

As a side note, we have friends that use Verizon and TMobile wifi calling at our house without issue.

[jaschauer]

I too am having the same problems.  Calls also fail to ring at times.  It does seem that received calls fail more often than placed calls.  Like others my WiFi signal is solid and I am within 10 feet of my router.  I estimate that 30% of all calls fail.

I purchased an iPhone X, trading my Galaxy S8, from Comcast specifically for this feature. 

[kholum]

I just found this thread.  My wife and I have been experiencing this problem on just about every XM Wi-Fi call, since setting up Wi-Fi calling.  I have an iPhone 8 and she has an iPhone 8plus, so it is not limited to iPhone 6. 

[msiismets]

Why hasn’t anyone from Comcast responded to this thread? Would be nice to know that folks there acknowledge this problem, are working to fix it, and provide a date by which this will be fixed.

[nich0142]

I don't know what the Forum Rules are but this was a PM I recevied from ComcastPhil:

" Hi Dave, thank you for reaching back out and some call fails can be expected.  I am not showing this is a known issue at this time, but we continuously work to improve and provide the best services. Please let me know if there is anything else I could assist with."

So in other words Comcast's official statement is that there is no issue.  I was also quite surprised that Tier 2 also told me that a 25% drop rate is normal.

With no end in sight I have no other choice but to switch carriers.

[msiismets]

Thanks the reply. My wife and I will probably be switching back to AT&T soon. Not thrilled about that but didn’t have any issues with them.

[kholum]

It’s frustrating. We’re going to use the airplane mode workaround for a while and wait to see if Comcast gets a clue.

[JoeBecca]

Hey Ken, my wife and I have had the same problem for months. We have tried many strategies to fix it, but at this point I am giving up on the xfinity mobile dream. We need WiFi calling at our house, so we will probably switch back to Verizon this next month. I’m really disappointed in this service.

[Carolschall2]

Same issue!  After numerous hours spent on the phone with xfinity mobile, they seem to want to blame it on the phone. Apple says it's not the phone it's my carrier. Plan on changing also.

[emperordahc]

Update: my wife's iPhone 6S updated to iOS 12. No change; incoming Wifi Calling while cell is enabled has never worked.

I did a full "Reset Network Settings" and reenabled Wifi Calling; incoming Wifi Calls fail while cell service is avaliable, outgoing calls work fine.

BTW, Airplane mode +Wifi still allows both incoming and outgoing Wifi Calls. It's not an issue with my Wifi.

[emg50]

Setup:  Phone has cellular data turned off and phone is in XM Wi-Fi mode. If I turn on cellular data, the phone drops XM Wi-Fi mode and goes to Xfinity Mobile mode. Eventually it will switch back to XM Wi-Fi mode. This seems like a bug to me, and may or may not be related to dropped calls. In case anyone from support is interested in pursuing this, I am attempting to attach (never tried this previously so don't know if it will work) an 8 second video showing what I described.

I tried to post this yesterday, but with a video attached, it never got posted. 
I also installed iOS 12, and had multiple dropped calls while talking on XM Wi-Fi. A quick look at the status immediately after the dropped call always shows Xfinity Mobile instead of XM Wi-Fi

[mcg82]

And for the record, as others have said, this happens wherever I am, even with WiFi calling turned off.

[emg50]

I grabbed 2 screenshots from the video I tried to include. The first shows the status before turning on cellular data. The second shows the status after turning on cellular data. This is very repeatable, so hopefully it will provide a clue to the developers.

[emperordahc]

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@emg50 wrote:

I grabbed 2 screenshots from the video I tried to include. The first shows the status before turning on cellular data. The second shows the status after turning on cellular data. This is very repeatable, so hopefully it will provide a clue to the developers.

---

@emg50, your screenshots are identical to what I see on my wife's phone. I only see "XM Wi-Fi" if airplane mode is on + wifi enabled. It always says "Xfinity Mobile" otherwise.

[vds86]

My device bounces between XM WiFi and XFinity Mobile consistently too. Tier 2 investigated - some people saw issues and others not. They even swapped my SIM. Seemed to get better but continuing to drop. I have WiFi coverage ....

[kwalter]

Is there a solution to this issue? 100% of my calls are dropped when I am on Wifi. This is unacceptable as I work form home.

[NeerajNiranjan]

I have iphone X directly from Xfinity and am facing the same issue. I just called the helpdesk and was told to dial ### and then hit dial button when I face call drop or call failure message. They will call me again in 2 days to see if I faced the issue again. They would get in touch with Verizon Wireless network team if I see any issue from now until Saturday.

Will keep you guys posted.

[mcg82]

Yeah, been doing the ### thing for a while. I was just told to turn off my phone as they reset something. I did that, test called and it worked. An hour later, call failed again. Argh

[NeerajNiranjan]

Thanks mcg82 for sharing this information. I really hope they do something else gonna loose lots of customers.

[cbroverman]

I have this exact problem and I have an iPhone 7. Clearly a major Xfinity Mobile problem and is not acceptale.

[Gene84]

I went into my Xfinity mobile store again about this issue. The person I talked to <Edited> told me that Wi-Fi calling doesn’t work for any carrier. <Edited
I’m sure the conversation that followed was not the high point of his day.
<Edited>

FYI- Although using airplane mode fixes a majority of the dropped calls - when I attempt to place a call to my father who has an Xfinity LAND LINE - the call will simply not work over WiFi. Ten attempts in a row will each instantly fail. Tried multiple days. Apparently his phone rings once, not once on my end. I have to talk to my father daily - so this makes using airplane mode even more inconvenient.

It don’t understand why it’s not a simple fix for them.

[emg50]

For a few months, I was only dropping every third or fourth call, but for the last two weeks, every call has been dropping.  I don't understand why comcast does not take this issue seriously. And KenF seems to have disappeared (at least from this forum).
If I'm in XM Wi-Fi mode with cellular data turned off, and then I turn on cellular data, XM Wi-Fi switches to Xfinity Mobile immediately. There's no logical reason for that to happen, but could be a clue to why XM Wi-Fi calling fails so frequently.

[JonH83]

This is absolutely ridiculous! My calls fail when I am at work they fail on WiFi at home. I have a brand new $1200 iPhone X’s max and it’s crazy that with all this feedback about these problems that they continue to do nothing about it. Don’t want to go back to T-mobile but this is stupid👎

[msiismets]

why was this moved?  the link does not work - indicates "access denied".  Is Comcast trying to hide this issue??

[emg50]

Maybe his hope was that if he put it multiple places, someone in Comcast would pay attention to this problem.

[BigDogsMom]

I googled this problem and am relieved to see that it’s not only me. I’ve been an Xfinity mobile customer for a month and have been having this exact problem the entire time. This is my first cell phone and thought I was doing something wrong. I’m using an iPhone X and my wi-fi download speed is even more than promised with Blast. I’m going to try some of the suggestions, but it doesn’t look too promising. I first tried AT&T cellular, but only got one bar in my house, so I went with Xfinity because my wi-fi is so string, but that doesn’t seem to matter. 

[TD5720]

I am having the same issue with dropping calls. Me and my wife both have Iphone 6s. I have had AT&tT for more than 15 years and never had dropped calls. She works in a office with poor cell service, but under AT&T she never dropped calls.I have been trying for the last week or so with different settings,Turning off and on WiFi calling,Turning off and on Voice over LTe to islolate the problem with no sucess. I was searching online and came across this thread and and somewhat relieved that i am not the only one experiencing this issue.Its rather frustrating that we both have call failures. We both have to call eather other 2 to 4 times to establish a connection. I am not sure if its just WIFI Calling but i am still trying to figure it out. I am saving nearly $90 a month on our service but if i cant make a call what am i really saving? I will continue to try to diag the problem and will not waste my time calling Xfinity for there help. If i find anything new or a solution i will shae it with the board.

[msiismets]

My wife and I ended up going back to AT&T after trying Xfinity Mobile for about a month. WiFi calling did not work reliably with many failed and dropped calls despite excellent Wi-Fi signal strength. I worked with tier2 support for two weeks and even purchased (and returned) an iPhone from Xfinity for troubleshooting - no luck. I use an AT&T “M-Cell” booster at our house since the radiant barrier under our roof kills the cell signal. No problems whatsoever now that we’re back with AT&T. Yes the service costs more but no complaints. I’ll check back with Xfinity next year to see if their service has improved.

[Jpvh77]

I am having the same problem with frequent call drops though I have WiFi calling enabled and a strong signal. Any help would be appreciated or we’ll need to change carriers.

Thanks
Jp

[Dabeebe2000]

I have had a wide range of issues across different routers with the VOIP Xfinity line and wifi calls. In fact calling from my VOIP line calls would mute for about 10 seconds exactly after 15 minutes IF the other caller was on a wifi call. I validated this over a dozen times. That problem is very similar. I just got off a call with another Xfinity user and at first we both had our cell phones using WiFi calls and it was the same symptoms but no specific time limit. I could not hear them for about 10 seconds then would pick up with them in mid sentence. These are nothing new unfortunately and having similar issues with VOIP landline with Xfinity. And I'm highly technical with a master's in IT and to me this has nothing to do with the phones being used. Everything to do with how the data is routed. They need to put a team on this because having spend 2 decades supporting IT the people that actually post like this is a small fraction of who are experiencing it especially because the symptoms are so random and it isn't clear to users they are even on a wifi call.

[aktovt]

I have swapped my SIM card, updated my modem, and have spent over 8.5 hours on the phone with tech support to no avail.  My calls drop randomly when on wifi calling and can not get Xfinity to do anything about it.  <Edited> customer servies as they keep passing me on to the next tech (or tier of techs).  All they want to do is walk me through the same things that don't work!

[aktovt]

Comcast Ken,

I have spent over 8.5 hours on line with various levels of tech since the 2nd day I had my new Iphone 8 Plus from Xfinity....no one has helped me yet.  It's very frustrating when both of my boys live far away and I can't carry on a phone conversation with them since I have switched from AT&T to Xfinity mobile...Tech keeps giving me the run around...now they say it's an Apple issue as I am past my 14th day...but I have been calling since the get go.  Then they finally agree I need a new phone (after new Sim card, new wifi, endless resets) but they need to have someone else "call me back"...but I am "a priority"...well it's been over 48 hours and no call...<Edited>

[All4linesarebad]

I have been waiting for months for this problem to get resolved without complaining, hoping it would get better. Not only have they failed to improve the situation, I have to try multiple times to connect with my wife and kids when we have good signal. And, sometimes that doesn’t work. I unloaded a lot of money to get everyone new IPhones and will now have to unload more money to put this problem to bed. Xfinity Mobile seems to be a failed experiment.

[marsh2617]

We are having the same problem.  We switched 3 weeks ago and my wife and I each have an iphone 7.  We are both having dropped calls on wifi and it does appear to be switching between XM Wi-Fi and Xfinity Mobile.  We have excellent WiFi signal so that does not seem to be the problem.  I hate to clutter the thread with a redundant post since we are experiencing the same issue as everyone else, but hopefully Xfinity will take note that there is still an issue.

[m1928]

New iPhone - XS and Max - same issue 

texts do not like to sed either 

switched my wireless system from regular wireless to mesh - once I have connection it holds "better" but it takes 2-3 times to get a connection. In my area Verison owns teh best towers - <Edited>. If I go from one town to the next I often have to switch the phone to airplane and back for it to reconnect to a tower there. I think Verizone is putting the phones on 2nd class citizen status. My son uses a different system that buys time just like Xfinity but he does not experience the same problems.