Activating VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling on your Pixel just got much easier

One of the biggest problems with using a Pixel phone in an unsupported market is that Google generally doesn’t offer VoLTE or Wi-Fi calling in these countries. Pixel owners have resorted to using workarounds, but a new solution makes life even easier.

Korean developer kyujin-cho released the Pixel IMS app back in 2023, which lets you enable VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling on your Pixel in an unsupported market. However, this approach is somewhat complex for newbies, as it also requires you to install and use the Shizuku system tool. Furthermore, this solution requires you to repeat the process after restarting your phone.

Now, we’ve stumbled across a version of the Pixel IMS app by developer TakaiSaisei. The best thing about this version is that it doesn’t require Shizuku at all. And yes, I can confirm that the VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling toggles are now visible and enabled on my Pixel 9 Pro XL. I can also confirm that Wi-Fi calling works, as evident by the “Wi-Fi call” text in the fourth image below. The Vo5G/VoNR toggle is also listed and enabled on my device, although this is presumably useless to me as Pixels don’t support 5G here.

The actual setup process is pretty easy too:

1. Sideload the Pixel IMS app from TakaiSaisei’s GitHub page.
2. Make sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi and that you’ve enabled developer options.
3. Open the app and tap the “Open Wireless Debugging” option. The app will then take you to the relevant option in developer options.
4. Enable the “wireless debugging” option, then click “allow” when asked to allow wireless debugging on your Wi-Fi network.
5. Tap “pair device with pairing code” and then enter the displayed code in the Pixel IMS notification in your notification shade.

That’s it, really. You can then choose to enable features like VoLTE calling, 5G calling, Wi-Fi calling, and more. The app also lets you make cosmetic changes, such as always showing a network type icon (e.g., LTE), showing “4G” instead of “LTE” and more.

Best of all, you can enable the “Apply on boot” option so that your desired connectivity settings aren’t lost after a reboot or update. That’s handy, as you previously lost VoLTE and other settings when rebooting your Pixel. Sure enough, my phone’s VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling toggles were still visible and enabled after a reboot, although I had to wait a minute or two. Otherwise, you’ve also got per-SIM controls and the ability to revert to your SIM’s default settings.

I’m glad to see this app being released for Pixel phones, as it’s probably the easiest way to enable these basic yet missing features when using Pixels in unsupported markets. This could be particularly handy if you’ve imported a Pixel or if you’re simply on holiday. Both VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling are also becoming increasingly important options as carriers migrate from 3G infrastructure. But here’s hoping Google works with the GSMA to address this issue.