You may have noticed that the quality of your calls has improved recently, or that you can now surf the internet while making calls. That’s probably thanks to VoLTE, a technology that’s changing the way we make calls on our smartphones. Now is the time to check that the option is activated on your smartphone.
There is a little-known function which is nevertheless very effective, and many of you have not activated it on your smartphone.
We are talking about VoLTE (Voice over LTE)available from all mobile operators now.
Quite simply, this technology allows voice transmission over 4G LTE networks. However, its adoption by users remains below its potential, despite operators’ massive investments in 4G and 5G infrastructure.
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VoLTE means “Voice over LTE”, or “Voice on LTE” in French. Basically, this means that your calls go through the 4G network instead of the older 2G or 3G networks.
VoLTE relies on IP to carry voice calls over the LTE network, unlike previous technologies using switched circuits over 2G or 3G networks. This approach offers improved spectral efficiency, enabling optimized use of the radio spectrum. Latency is significantly reduced, with call setup times up to 50% faster.
- Calls that connect faster
- Better sound quality
- The ability to browse the internet during a call (especially useful when you share your Wi-Fi connection or use an application in the background, such as GPS)
- Better battery life: your phone no longer needs to juggle between different networks for calls and the internet.
Good news for your wallet and your mobile plan! VoLTE calls (i.e. voice calls that go over the 4G network) cost you nothing extra. They are already included in your usual package, at no additional cost. And that’s not all: when you make a VoLTE call, you don’t eat up your internet data envelope.
Some phones are not compatible, others activate this option by default…. But on many old smartphones, you have to activate it manually in the settings.
Enabling VoLTE is generally simple, but the steps vary depending on your phone:
- On iPhone: go to Settings > Cellular Data > SIM Cards and activate “ Voice and data“. Normally the best option is “5G auto” or “4G” if no 5G
- On Android: Paths vary, but look in your mobile connection settings for an option like “VoLTE Calls” or “4G Calls.”
The option is no longer available on recent versions of Android, so you must ensure that it is activated by your operator.
To check if the option is enabled, simply make a call and see if the network stays in 4G or 5G (VoLTE active) or switches to 3G (VoLTE inactive).
You can also check by typing *#*#4636#*#* on Android as if you were making a call. You will then have the information, at the level of “ Voice network type« .
