Hello Harjashan,
Welcome to the community!
Sorry to hear you have incurred unexpected charges.
@Harjashan wrote:
....They cannot dictate what apps to use or not. Its our device...
You're right. Fido (or any mobile provider) cannot decide what apps customers choose to use on their devices. However, as mentioned below, they also have no control over how apps work or your device itself. Phone companies cannot divert calls from within apps to cellular calls. The mobile providers do not decide which calls go over their networks. That determination is made entirely by the phone. They merely connect calls which the phone request to be made. In your case, it appears as though WhatsApp is making the calls over the cellular networks (see below).
@Harjashan wrote:
... instagram nd snapchat whoch kets you do calls video nd voice...
If other apps also divert calls to cellular networks if the internet is deemed insufficient, then yes, it is possible those calls could also be counted as cellular calls rather than data. On the other hand, if the apps can only transmit those as data, then those calls/videos would be choppy or not be able to transmit at all. As you note, those apps are not owned nor were developed by Fido. They have no control on how they operate. It would be the customers' responsibility to know how their devices and the apps they choose to use work.
@Harjashan wrote:
... WHAT'/s next charges for texts and videos nd files send through whstapp or charges for sending emails. ..
Messages and videos (and emails) can only be sent as data. If you are not connected to Wifi, that data could transfer via cellular data. Any data used would be taken from your plan allotment. If you do not have a plan which included Data Overage Protection, you may incur data overage charges if you exceed your data allotment.
As previously mentioned, one suggestion would be to enable Airplane or Flight mode and manually enabling Wifi prior to making the call(s). Doing so should prevent the app from switching to mobile services if the Wifi internet connection is not sufficient. However, it also means that you wouldn't be able to make WhatsApp calls using a mobile data connection.
Hope this helps 😀
Cheers
Hello Kiran1231,
Welcome to the community!
Sorry to hear you might have incurred unexpected charges. As previously mentioned, if WhatsApp makes the call using cellular networks, the providers will transmit it as a call over the cellular networks. They have no control over how apps work. You would need to contact WhatApp to see if there is a way to prevent transferring calls to cellular networks.
Also previously noted, one suggestion would be to enable Airplane or Flight mode and manually enabling Wifi prior to making the call(s). Doing so should prevent the app from switching to mobile services if the Wifi internet connection is not sufficient. However, it also means that you wouldn't be able to make WhatsApp calls using a mobile data connection.
Hope this helps 😀
Cheers
@Cawtau This is what I find absolutely unfair. You're someone who's aware of all the protocols and policies. With technology advancing on a day-to-day basis, how are expecting everyone to keep track of exactly what's going on? Are you sending emails regarding such updates? If you're not, then you have to be able to help the customer and take care of them, especially when they've been with you for years.
It's absolutely crazy to charge someone $2.50 a minute when they have no idea they're getting charged. This thought process needs to change and phone companies need to finally be accountable for their share. You know what you're doing. Sometimes the people on the other end genuinely don't. Where has humainty gone?
Hello Rajnitomer,
Welcome to the community!
Sorry to hear you've accumulated unexpected charges. I understand some people might not be aware that some apps use cellular services when a Wifi or data connection is insufficient. However, it's the customers' responsibility to know how their devices and the apps they use work. As mentioned previously, the mobile providers only transmit what a customer's phone sends. If WhatsApp makes a call using data, the providers will transmit data; if WhatsApp makes the call using cellular networks, the providers will transmit it as a call over the cellular networks.
Yes, I might now be aware of some of the protocols and policies. However, there was a time I didn't know any of them either. I don't work for Fido so my knowledge has been accumulated over experience and research. Ignorance is only overcome by learning and collecting information. When I first started, my knowledge base was limited. Now, I try to share what I have learned over the years.
Cheers
Hello IK11,
Welcome to the community!
The issue you've mentioned isn't the fault of the mobile providers. It happens across multiple providers. WhatsApp seems to be the culprit. While it's not mentioned on their website, it appears as though the app will automatically switch to using mobile airtime minutes (within the app) if it deems the internet connection is too slow for voice calls (see here and here). It should also be mentioned that other messaging apps may also behave in a similar manner.
One suggestion would be to enable Airplane or Flight mode and manually enabling Wifi prior to making the call(s). Doing so should prevent the app from switching to mobile services if the Wifi internet connection is not sufficient. However, it also means that you wouldn't be able to make WhatsApp calls using a mobile data connection.
@IK11 wrote:..somehow Fido phones are redirecting WhatsApp calls to their system at $2.50/minute...
Phone companies cannot divert calls from within apps to cellular calls. The mobile providers do not decide which calls go over their networks. That determination is made by the phone. They merely connect calls which the phone request to be made. In your case, it appears as though WhatsApp is making the calls over the cellular networks. Not connecting to the networks (ie Airplane or Flight mode) should prevent that from happening.
Hope this helps 😀
Cheers
