In case Google’s free voice calling or Skype wasn’t enough for you, iPhone users on AT&T now have a stupid-simple way to keep in touch when they’re travelling.
Wi-Fi Calling—connecting a phone call over Wi-Fi, rather than the cellular network—has been a feature on iPhones since iOS 9 came out last year. In that latest iOS 9.3 update, AT&T has made the feature a little more useful. Starting now, if you travel overseas and use an iPhone 6 or newer, AT&T won’t charge you to call US numbers, provided you’re connected to Wi-Fi.
The change isn’t out of the goodness of AT&T’s heart—rather, the call will be placed over the internet rather than through a foreign cellular network, meaning you won’t be paying roaming fees. You’ll still be charged if you call an non-US number, but only at the rate you’d pay if you call overseas while in the US.