Strange WiFi Calling Issue on iPad Since iOS 12

[Michael_JL]

I keep having an issue with Wi-Fi Calling staying enabled on my 2017 iPad (Wi-Fi only, no Cellular). It will enable itself sometimes, then later on I will get the message above. Everything is toggled on correctly on my iPhone 8 Plus for Wi-Fi Calling and iPad (both devices running iOS 12). I contacted AT&T and they said there is no limit on devices connected to the Wi-Fi calling feature so I have no idea where this pop-up is coming from. AT&T looked at their logs and said my iPhone is okay (iPad was purchased from Apple)...no Wi-Fi Calling issues...it is running fine. Apple so far is at a lost but I am still working with a dedicated tech on this. This never happened until iOS12. Tech even had me do a complete reinstall of iOS 12 in Recovery Mode and it worked fine for for about 12 hours then started acting up again. does anyone have any insights? Thanks!!

 

[Tartarus]

View attachment 124219

I keep having an issue with Wi-Fi Calling staying enabled on my 2017 iPad (Wi-Fi only, no Cellular). It will enable itself sometimes, then later on I will get the message above. Everything is toggled on correctly on my iPhone 8 Plus for Wi-Fi Calling and iPad (both devices running iOS 12). I contacted AT&T and they said there is no limit on devices connected to the Wi-Fi calling feature so I have no idea where this pop-up is coming from. AT&T looked at their logs and said my iPhone is okay (iPad was purchased from Apple)...no Wi-Fi Calling issues...it is running fine. Apple so far is at a lost but I am still working with a dedicated tech on this. This never happened until iOS12. Tech even had me do a complete reinstall of iOS 12 in Recovery Mode and it worked fine for for about 12 hours then started acting up again. does anyone have any insights? Thanks!!

Go to iCloud in Settings on any of the two devices and see if there are any devices listed that are not anymore in your possession.
Delete them.

Maybe that helps.

 

[Michael_JL]

Thanks...Done already, iPhone, iPad and my Windows PC only ones there.

 

[Ledsteplin]

Did you purchase the iPad new, or was it used?

 

[Michael_JL]

Purchased as a certified refurb directly from Apple. Issue didn't exist until iOS12 was installed.

 

[Ledsteplin]

Purchased as a certified refurb directly from Apple. Issue didn't exist until iOS12 was installed.

When you set it up from recovery mode, did you set it up as new, or from a back up?

 

[Michael_JL]

Both ways...trust me, I have done everything conceivable, signed out then back into Facetime, you name it. Since using recovery mode on my iPhone and reinstalling iOS 12 as well as iPad issue still remains. My belief is this is related to changes in FaceTime. I'm hoping my tech contact at Apple will be able to shed more light on the issue. I have been keeping a detailed log of everything happening.

 

[TwitchyPuppy]

How can an iPad have Wi-Fi Calling if it lacks the phone dialer?

 

[scruffypig]

How can an iPad have Wi-Fi Calling if it lacks the phone dialer?

It is part of Apple’s Continuity feature.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203032

 

[scruffypig]

It is part of Apple’s Continuity feature.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203032

It is also a feature from AT&T called “NumberSync”, which allows AT&T Wi-Fi calling on your other Apple devices, such as, iOS devices and your Mac.

I just went through this issue yesterday with AT&T and finally got it resolved. After updating my Watch series 2 to Watch OS 5, I noticed that when I turned on Wi-Fi calling from the Watch app on my phone, I got the pop-up that I had exceeded the limit of devices associated with NumberSync. The limit is 5, I have 3: my iPad, my Watch series 2 and Mac, though I had decided to remove my Mac a year or two ago.

When I went to my phone settings on my iPhone: Settings>Phone>Wi-Fi Calling>Update Emergency Address, it showed 7 NumberSync devices. Most were duplicates with no way to delete them. I should have been able to follow directions online to remove them from my AT&T account settings, though nothing showed.

I made a trip to my local AT&T store. They advised AT&T tech support and were baffled. I called AT&T tech support who advised me to reset my Apple Watch and set up as new. That didn’t fix it. The second tech supervisor advised it was an E911 provisioning error on Apple’s end and told me to completely log out of Apple ID and they would call right back in a minute to do a conference call with Apple tech support. They never called back. After two hours I called AT&T back and got a knowledgeable supervisor who knew what to do. The Supervisor removed NumberSync and Wi-Fi calling from my account, which cleared all devices associated with NumberSync. Then the supervisor added NumberSync and Wi-Fi calling back to my account. That resolved the issue.

 

[doogald]

I just went through this issue yesterday with AT&T and finally got it resolved

Awesome, thanks for the follow-up, and I hope that nobody else has to deal with this, but I am glad that you posted that so that somebody else might find the help that they need.

 

[scruffypig]

Awesome, thanks for the follow-up, and I hope that nobody else has to deal with this, but I am glad that you posted that so that somebody else might find the help that they need.

It is an easy enough fix, though it is a mess getting the right person who understands what needs to be done. I hope this is helpful.

 

[Michael_JL]

AT&T performed removing NumberSync and Wi-Fi calling from my account, then added NumberSync and Wi-Fi calling back to my account. This did not work. In my calls with Apple they have admitted the error popup is generated by iOS and it does appear to be an iOS 12 problem. I have found a temporary workaround for when it happens: On my iPhone I go to Settings>Phone>Wi-Fi Calling and turn Wi-Fi Calling on this iPhone off as well as Add Wi-Fi Calling for Other Devices off, then back on again. I get the popup on my iPad asking me to enable Wi-Fi Calling and after going through the prompts all is well, even on my Apple Watch. It usually holds for several hours, sometimes more than 12, then I have to do it again. Hopefully this will be fixed in 12.1.

 

[scruffypig]

AT&T performed removing NumberSync and Wi-Fi calling from my account, then added NumberSync and Wi-Fi calling back to my account. This did not work. In my calls with Apple they have admitted the error popup is generated by iOS and it does appear to be an iOS 12 problem. I have found a temporary workaround for when it happens: On my iPhone I go to Settings>Phone>Wi-Fi Calling and turn Wi-Fi Calling on this iPhone off as well as Add Wi-Fi Calling for Other Devices off, then back on again. I get the popup on my iPad asking me to enable Wi-Fi Calling and after going through the prompts all is well, even on my Apple Watch. It usually holds for several hours, sometimes more than 12, then I have to do it again. Hopefully this will be fixed in 12.1.

Thanks for sharing. AT&T removing both features from my account, having me reboot, and then having them re add, worked for me. Problem hasn’t returned. My phone, watch and tablet works fine since. I hope there is a resolution for you and others.

 

[acecorp]

I got this from an AT&T executive and confirmed by an Apple exec 3 days ago.

IOS 12 contained an update that closed/shut down the Facetime API that was used by AT&T to facilitate NumberSync.

As a result, AT&T NumberSync can no longer use Facetime to make voice calls over cellular.

In response to the Facetime API closure by Apple, AT&T must develop its own phone app to be installed on IOS devices so those devices can resume making and receiving NumberSync voice calls over cellular.

This app was unfortunately not released before Apple closed the Facetime API.

Between now and when AT&T releases the NumberSync Phone App for iPad, there is no permanent solution to this problem unless Apple opens up the Facetime API.

The App is expected to be released soon.

Obviously, the exact release date cannot be guaranteed due to the nature of software development but the goal of AT&T Is to hopefully get it released within 30 days.

Once it is released, I will need to download it to my iPad and set it up in accordance with AT&T NumberSync set-up info that will be provided when the app is released.

The AT&T exec will give me a call when it is released to make sure I am able to get it set up properly, so I can resume using this critically important NumberSync feature on my iPad.

The following work around “might work” but is not guaranteed due to the API closure.

Workaround:

Reset network setting on iPhone and then it will prompted you to update carrier settings.

Then enable Wi-fi call on device

1. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Phone and turn on Wi-Fi Calling, then turn on Calls on Other Devices.

2. Tap Add Wi-Fi Calling For Other Devices.

3. On your other devices, sign in to iCloud and FaceTime with the same Apple ID and password that you use on your iPhone.

4. Turn on Wi-Fi Calling:

o On your iPad or iPod touch: Go to Settings > FaceTime > Calls from iPhone and tap Upgrade to Wi-Fi Calling.

o On your Mac: Open FaceTime and choose FaceTime > Preferences > Settings and select Calls From iPhone > Upgrade to Wi-Fi Calling.

5. When a six-digit code appears, enter it on your iPhone and tap Allow.

 

[scruffypig]

I got this from an AT&T executive and confirmed by an Apple exec 3 days ago.

IOS 12 contained an update that closed/shut down the Facetime API that was used by AT&T to facilitate NumberSync.

As a result, AT&T NumberSync can no longer use Facetime to make voice calls over cellular.

In response to the Facetime API closure by Apple, AT&T must develop its own phone app to be installed on IOS devices so those devices can resume making and receiving NumberSync voice calls over cellular.

This app was unfortunately not released before Apple closed the Facetime API.

Between now and when AT&T releases the NumberSync Phone App for iPad, there is no permanent solution to this problem unless Apple opens up the Facetime API.

The App is expected to be released soon.

Obviously, the exact release date cannot be guaranteed due to the nature of software development but the goal of AT&T Is to hopefully get it released within 30 days.

Once it is released, I will need to download it to my iPad and set it up in accordance with AT&T NumberSync set-up info that will be provided when the app is released.

The AT&T exec will give me a call when it is released to make sure I am able to get it set up properly, so I can resume using this critically important NumberSync feature on my iPad.

The following work around “might work” but is not guaranteed due to the API closure.

Workaround:

Reset network setting on iPhone and then it will prompted you to update carrier settings.

Then enable Wi-fi call on device

1. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Phone and turn on Wi-Fi Calling, then turn on Calls on Other Devices.

2. Tap Add Wi-Fi Calling For Other Devices.

3. On your other devices, sign in to iCloud and FaceTime with the same Apple ID and password that you use on your iPhone.

4. Turn on Wi-Fi Calling:

o On your iPad or iPod touch: Go to Settings > FaceTime > Calls from iPhone and tap Upgrade to Wi-Fi Calling.

o On your Mac: Open FaceTime and choose FaceTime > Preferences > Settings and select Calls From iPhone > Upgrade to Wi-Fi Calling.

5. When a six-digit code appears, enter it on your iPhone and tap Allow.

Thanks for the update. This may help also. For a long time, I have been using a widget for iOS called “Air Dialer Pro” on my iPad, which gives me an actual dial pad to call out. I also have AT&T and I just confirmed this still works on the latest iOS 12.0.1 with Wi-Fi Calling over Wi-Fi and cellular, since I have a cellular data iPad

 

[acecorp]

2018-11-14 --- Still No IOS App from AT&T
2018-11-14 --- Still have the same NumberSync Inbound & Outbound calling problem with iPads
2018-11-14 --- Sent Multiple Email Messages to My AT&T Contact
2018-11-14 --- Also sent a message to AT&T CEO a few moments ago.

Let's see if we can't help spur this to get fixed.

 

[acecorp]

In case it needs to be stated -- The FaceTime API is closed so the published workaround does not actually work.