Why has O2 turned off 4G calls?

4G Calls Turned Off

Have you received the above notification that 4G calls have been turned off?

You may be wondering why O2 has turned off 4G calls on your account and are flustered over how to fix the problem.

The bad news is that this issue has probably stopped you from being able to make or receive calls.  The good news is that this is a problem that many of O2’s users have also experienced over the last three years. In response, O2 has developed a step-by-step guide for you to follow to get 4G calls working again.

We spell out this guide for you to use below.

Why has O2 turned off your 4G?  

O2’s 4G calling can sometimes automatically switch off when your phone changes the network that it is connected to.

An O2 spokesperson stated that the issues “look to be for customers who have had a data update for their device overnight, and this morning their device was ‘checking’ with the network that the device is provisioned for Wi-Fi and 4G calling.”

They added: “A device does this check against the network every time it’s restarted, and one is done at 24-hour intervals. It is not unusual for a user data update to require a device restart.”

How can you solve the problem?  

To turn 4G calling back on - follow the below steps:

  • Turn your phone off
  • Turn your phone back on
  • Go to settings
  • Click on ‘Mobile Data’
  • Click on ‘Mobile Data Options’
  • Click on ‘Voice and Data’
  • Toggle on ‘VoLTE’

You should find that 4G calling is enabled again under settings; as a result, allowing higher-quality voice calls when speaking to friends, family and colleagues.

What if this method doesn’t work?  

If you still have issues making voice calls, don’t worry! The O2 community has further resources to help you on their ‘Network Support’ page that you can read HERE.

Alternatively, have you tried turning on Wi-Fi calling? This allows you to make calls without using 4G or any other mobile network if you are connected to a Wi-Fi network. You can find out how to switch your phone to Wi-Fi calling HERE.

Finally, if nothing else is working, you can contact O2’s customer service to troubleshoot your issues HERE.

What is 4G calling?  

When 4G was initially introduced in 2009, the technologies’ sole purpose was to provide consumers with faster data speeds than 3G could offer. Subsequently, 4G was never designed to allow phone calls, and handsets would drop down to the 2G or 3G networks when users wanted to make a call.

Eventually, in 2012, VoLTE (4G calling) was introduced, allowing 4G networks to facilitate voice calls. The improved speeds and capacity of VoLTE give it two main advantages over traditional 2G or 3G calling:

  • Improved conversation quality.
  • Reduced time to connect with another recipient’s phone.

Most newer smartphones are compatible with 4G calling regardless of where you purchase them. However, many older phones weren’t built with this capability and need additional software added. Usually, this means that to get 4G calling working on an older phone, you will need to buy the phone from an operator.

 

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