Safaricom announced VoLTE support in June this year and it was a big deal. VoLTE (Voice over LTE) is a standard that delivers voice and data in the same 4G network eliminating the need to switch to 3G networks. The result is faster phone connections, three times better voice quality and reduced background.
Despite its numerous benefits, VoLTE is not supported by all smartphones. During Safaricom’s initial announcement, they supported a number of smartphones but there was one that was conspicuously missing: iPhones.
Apple added support for VoLTE on iPhones starting with the iPhone 6 so it was odd that it was missing from this list. However, it seems like now it has been quietly supported and it shows up on an Apple’s support page.
Currently, Safaricom is the only carrier in the country where VoLTE is supported in this list.
It seems like it was enabled later on to iPhones and a Safaricom consumer confirmed this by posting this screenshot
— ./Andimi (@Mobkay) November 2, 2019
It is easy to activate your SIM card to get VoLTE on Safaricom if you do not have the service. Dial *100#, choose “Self Service”, choose “Activate VoLTE” and then choose “Enable VoLTE on SIM card.
After activating VoLTE on your 4G Safaricom SIM card, you can check whether this feature was activated by default on your iPhone. To check this, go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options and you can either turn VoLTE on or off.
Well, you can go ahead and see whether your iPhone supports VoLTE and join the era of clear voice calls (seriously you can’t go back). Sorry people with iPhone 5S and older, you can’t enjoy this feature, upgrade ASAP.
