Ever since it lost the exclusive right to sell the iPhone in the United States in 2011, AT&T has touted a key advantage that its network has over Verizon’s: the ability to talk on the phone while using data from another app simultaneously. While simultaneous voice and data became possible on many Verizon phones once the company’s 4G LTE network went live, hardware limitations on iPhone 5 prevented those customers from being able to use it. More than three years later, Verizon iPhone customers will finally gain the same feature — as long as they’re using one a new phone. “Advanced Calling,” as Verizon calls it, is now available on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, along with two Android phones: the Samsung Galaxy S5 and LG G2.
You can finally talk and use data simultaneously on new Verizon iPhones
Verizon’s “Advanced Calling” introduces a feature other carriers have had on iPhone for years
Verizon’s “Advanced Calling” introduces a feature other carriers have had on iPhone for years
is the editor of the Platformer newsletter and cohost of the Hard Fork podcast.
Advanced Calling, which also includes an “HD Voice” feature for higher-quality calls between phones connected to Verizon’s LTE network, is now rolling out across the company’s service area, GigaOm reports. And now you, too, can experience the power of idly browsing Twitter while pretending to talk to your parents. To enable the feature, take your iPhone and go to Settings > Cellular > Enable LTE and tap Voice & Data.
Update, 5:45 p.m.: This article has been updated to reflect that simultaneous voice and data became possible on Verizon phones with LTE but did not work on iPhones because of a hardware issue.
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