T-Mobile is officially rolling out Video Calling over Wi-Fi and LTE, currently supporting only the latest Samsung flagships.
Nevertheless, the Uncarrier plans to extend the courtesy to more devices in the future. For now, supported handsets include the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy Edge 6+, with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge set to follow next week.
T-Mobile was the first carrier to roll out Voice over LTE (VoLTE) nationwide last year, promising to continue to improve its communication services. Back in July, the carrier also announced it was upgraded its messaging services with T-Mobile Advanced Messaging, which "brought SMS and MMS into the mobile Internet age." The launch of T-Mobile Video Calling is the next major step in this direction.
The Uncarrier further reckons that while other apps allow for video calling, T-Mobile Video Calling is more than just another app. It works straight out-of-the-box with the supported smartphone's dialer, without requiring users to search, download, set up or register other apps. T-Mobile Video Calling is also easy to use, allowing customers to place and receive calls just as they would with their regular dialer. All they have to do is choose whether they want to place a video or a voice call by choosing the corresponding button.
Devices that support T-Mobile Video Calling will display small camera icons next to contacts who use devices that support video calls. If the recipient's phone doesn't support video calls, the video call icon will appear grayed out.
"We're working with others so you can eventually enjoy built-in video calling across wireless networks," notes T-Mobile.
Devices that support T-Mobile Video Calling allow users to place such calls on Wi-Fi and any available LTE connection, using data from their data bucket, and it moves seamlessly between Wi-Fi and LTE. At the same time, the video call will switch to a voice call if you move to a slower connection other than LTE or Wi-Fi, but you can switch it back to video with just one tap if you move back to Wi-Fi or LTE.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Samsung Galaxy Note 5 already received software updates to enable T-Mobile Voice Calling, while the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge will get their updates next week. When the software package is available, users can update their eligible Samsung device from Settings > About device > Software update.
T-Mobile further plans to roll out Video Calling to three more devices by the end of the year, for a total of seven, but has yet to reveal which devices.
