The genius ‘seamless’ trick to survive bad weather without a phone signal as Storm Ciarán hits the UK

It’s not common for bad weather to wipe out your phone signal, but it’s always a possibility if a big storm is approaching.

All it takes is one fallen telephone pole to cause a riot with a weak signal in a certain area.

1

However, the impact is often worse in rural areas with limited coverage.

Fortunately, according to a Vodafone spokesperson, there is a “seamless” trick that can be useful if a dodgy signal occurs during Storm Ciarán.

Speaking to The Sun, the spokesperson said: “There are no specific actions customers can take to change this, but they can be tactical and use benefits such as WiFi calling to their advantage.”

“If customers don’t have a signal, they can still make and receive calls using their broadband.

“They simply use their Wi-Fi connection at home – or public Wi-Fi on the go – and continue chatting.”

People can still use the same smartphone they would use to call contacts using the cellular signal and make calls over the Internet instead.

“Customers will see no difference in the calling experience – they can use their usual contacts/phone app and phone number, while the person receiving their call does not need to have the service to receive their call,” the spokesperson continued.

“It’s all running very smoothly and is a way to get around the effects of adverse weather conditions.”

Nowadays, most phones support Wi-Fi calling.

But by simply using an app like WhatsApp, which makes every call over Wi-Fi or mobile data, you can get in touch with your loved ones even if there is a signal outage in your area.

The spokesperson added: “To use Wi-Fi Calling on their Vodafone account, customers will need one of Vodafone’s newer pricing plans and a compatible phone.”

“An increasing range of smartphones – from household names like Apple, Huawei, Nokia and Samsung – are compatible with Wi-Fi calling.”

Unless you own a smartphone, it’s unlikely that your handset has access to Wi-Fi calling.

But using a platform like Skype on a PC, you can call smartphones that have the platform installed as a mobile app.

The best tips and hacks for phones and gadgets

Are you looking for tips and hacks for your phone? Want to find these secret features in social media apps? We are here for you…

Get the latest WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and other tech gadget stories here.