Built-in video calling option missing for AT&T

[TechieSophie]

I have AT&T as my carrier. They have been trying to get my phone to be able to do video calls with the phone app (as opposed to using Google Meet), but my phone is missing VoLTE setting toggle in the Mobile Networks setting. AT&T said they've tried to push updates to my phone to fix this, but they're unable to do so because Samsung did not allow them to be able to make the changes to my phone. Why am I not able to configure VoLTE on my phone? Please help me fix this! I'm supposed to have this feature on my mobile phone plan. The rest of my family members with phones purchased from AT&T on the same plan as me have the ability to do video call from the Phone app, but not me, because my phone has been purchased from Samsung instead of AT&T.  My Phone app defaults to Google Meet for video calls, and I'm unable to select anything else. AT&T said my SIM has been provisioned for video call, but the VoLTE component is missing on my phone's mobile network, and they haven't been able to manually push it to my phone, and the problem is on Samsung's end. 

[TechieSophie]

Yes, the phone was purchased from Samsung and is unlocked. In reality, the carrier can only access areas of the phone that Samsung has given access to the carrier. Thus, today, AT&T was not able to make changes to the phone that they needed to do in order to make my Phone app do video calls. The AT&T SIM wasn't able to make the changes. The toggle for VoTLE has been removed by Samsung, and AT&T was not successful in pushing the software/firmware to my phone through their mobile network to add this feature.

[LongHiker]

@TechieSophie The carrier's can toggle any network related settings and menus related to those settings. 

Years ago I had an unlocked Note 20. AT&T promised several times that they would enable VoLTE. The truth is that the AT&T people we can talk with on the phone have no real idea. They have a limited bit of information provided to them as scripts to cover 90% of customer issues. 

Samsung has zero motivation for removing this setting. AT&T wants you to buy a carrier locked device. AT&T treats unlocked devices differently than locked devices. 

[TechieSophie]

Actually, I got escalated to the highest tier for tech support at AT&T, and they spent 4 hours over the phone, both my mobile phone and then later my landline phone (so we can try things on my cell phone without disconnecting the call). They tried everything. As an IT tech, I know that they have tried everything. But, the toggle and changes they expected to see in the firmware after they sent the command to my phone just were not there. They simply were not able to push the firmware/software to my phone. The phone isn't shaking hands with their network in a way for them to be able to make those changes. And, ultimately, this is the difference between the phone purchased from AT&T and phone purchased from Samsung. They have different internal hardware and firmware, and AT&T can only do so much with phones that were not modified by them in terms of firmware and hardware.

[PAHelper]

It is on by default. You need a better tech front ATT. If they run phone diagnostic it will be on in list.

[Ekamek]

It's only on by default for carrier-locked phones unless that has changed with Android 14.

[TechieSophie]

Yes, that's right. That's why the tech was looking for a toggle to turn it on. It being off is also why the video call feature hasn't been working while all other AT&T custom features have been working fine.

[PAHelper]

Download volte check know from play store and run
I'll bet volte is on

[PAHelper]

It checks carrier, phone and status.

[TechieSophie]

I used VoLTE Check as you suggested, and it shows that VoLTE is indeed on.  Hmm.  When I dialed *#*#4636#*#* and checked on the phone status, "VoLTE provisioned" is on and greyed out, but "Video Calling Provisioned" is off and greyed out.  AT&T said my SIM card has video calling provisioned. So, for whatever reason, the video call provision status isn't transmitted from the SIM to the Phone to toggle that on.  I read somewhere (I looked at a lot of places and can't remember where, LOL) that Samsung has removed the video call option and replaced it with Google Meet on the phones purchased from Samsung. But what I don't understand is why can't the SIM from the carrier add that back, if indeed it is a carrier service that I'm paying for? This is the first time I bought a phone from Samsung instead of AT&T (for larger storage capacity and color choice), and I'm starting to regret it. I thought that by inserting the SIM from the carrier, the SIM will be able to make whatever change necessary for all the features on my plan to work. But I'm finding out that it isn't so. AT&T said it's Samsung who removed the video call feature (replacing it with Google Meet) and AT&T has not been able to reach an agreement with Samsung to be able to modify the app in phones purchased from Samsung to allow video call.

[PAHelper]

I don't use video calling much but mine uses Google for video. I'm on redpocket mobile which uses att network on unlocked s23u.