Verizon Wireless updated its Verizon Message+ app for iPhones, adding the ability to make phone calls over WiFi.
In order for WiFi calling to work, Verizon iPhone owners will need to switch on the advanced calling function of their phone. WiFi calls can only be completed via the Verizon Message+ app. Using the native iOS dialer still passes calls through Verizon’s cellular network.
The app also adds electronic gifting, improved media search, and scheduled messaging for sending texts at specific times/dates. WiFi calling is available to the Apple iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, and 6s Plus. Verizon hasn’t said if or when it might make WiFi calling available to Android handsets.
The Verizon Message+ app is free to download from the iTunes App Store. Verizon’s offering trails that of its competitors. AT&T launched WiFi calling last week, while Sprint and T-Mobile have offered the feature for about a year. WiFi calling is useful for making calls when cellular network coverage is poor.
