Why is T-mobile charging for WhatsApp international video calls?

Hi Mike, I shopped around and found a better deal with AT&T, getting more than I'm getting with T-Mobile and paying less. However AT&T has received some complaints like ours. Or I can pay a little more and go to Verizon, which is a better company in every aspect. I'm waiting on my next bills, if I see even a small increase due to this shady practice that they blame on WhatsApp, I'm out for good.  I'm not even telling T-mobile because they can make it difficult for you to port your number to the other company. Just start the service elsewhere and as soon as your number starts working on the other company you may call T-mobile for a last Good Bye!

Me too, got charged $80+ during travel to Colombia, even I purchased 30 days international passes for both lines I have . The support manager promised a partial refund $12 for a clear wrong charge during the time I had the international pass ($100 for 2 month)

But still remains $78 un-recovered, because a WhatsApp call from US in last day of returning home, charged outrageous $3/ min!

Agent and supervisor similar blamed WhatsApp   connection drop and switched to T-Mobile direct call network, where I have unlimited data and WIFI calling!

Of course, WhatsApp claims No charge on any WIFI calls

Just to mention: WhatsApp drops could be very well caused by T-Mobile data/WIFI Call  problem , not WhatsApp server  

I understand the technical issue but T-Mobile should prompt at switching, if this is the case, a message to the customer, that will be a $3 /min charge if continue talking (just like Google Voice announce 1c/min for using their service)

T-Mobile fix this issue, before losing customers  

Hi Sylvia, you can go to every cell phone forum out there and tell your story. A lot of people check on these forums before choosing a cell phone carrier. On this actual competitive market, reviews, good and bad, are everything!

It's NOT the carriers.  It's how whatsapp handles calls.  If the handoff fails it'll go through cellular instead of OIP.  To ensure you don't go over cellular turn off cellular before you make the call.  This happens to ALL carriers around the world not just in the USA.

Carriers can't prompt switching because it's NOT their choice to switch you over it's whatsapp. Also FCC got rid of those prompt calls unless you are calling collect or it's a party line last I remember.

It has gotten worse the past few years since Facebook or Meta if you will took over Whatsapp.

for the reddit guy…  Numbers don't add up and dates don't add up either.  The first 2 only has times and no dates.  Also all 3 doesn't show a charge of any kind and they may have not been charged at all for actual Facetime and making an actual call at a later time.  Yes people do be doing stuff like that… 

I read some getting charged were in fact roaming…  They were in the in the US, BUT they were near the boarder and connected to a tower that wasn't in the USA.  This Actually happens a lot at the boarder states near the boarders of Mexico and Canada. They would get charged for international data without knowing it.  This is why if you are near an international boarder it's best to turn off roaming.  I am a sys admin for a company that we travel a lot.  I can tell you 100% Facetime packets which Apple flags do not go over voice lines or wifi-calling.  If it did I could see that too.  Skype I can see only packets as well.  Whatsapp from time to time would piggyback the stock dialer and at times fails to hand off.  When other apps start doing that we will move them for our employees to use them.  Another Tidbit no pun intended if carriers were going to charge for Facetime Apple will just remove the option.  Saudi Arabia for example you can't use it.  It's easy to see when it's used by how Apple flags packets.

Also explain how is T-Mobile supposed to warn people when they have no control of software of the devices or the software you are using?  You want them to intercept the call?  As I said it's against FCC regulation since the late 90's to do so unless it's a collect call type of thing.  So why don't you give some feedback that doesn't violate various copyrights as well as Federal Regulations?

Just because a company eats the cost of a softwares mishaps doesn't mean they were in the wrong and should fix that apps mishaps.  Whatsapp needs to stop hijacking the dialer.  I never tried using Facebook messenger call stuff I just outright banned it on our network because Whatsapp and Facebook are synonymous and call data is primo $$$.

I have been using T-mobile and WhatsApp for years. Never had an issue. 

If this becomes an issue to me, I am out of T-mobile service. I continue to stay with T-mobile because of their excellent customer service, not because they are cheaper, and definitely not for their coverage.

What Term & Agreement? That is crap! Data is data. Switching over to cellular call and we will be charged, customers like us need to be notified in advanced/right away by text and email. Not until end of the statement date. Especially for those post paid customers, they can't charge anything they want just because of "Term & Agreement". This is abusive!!

Like credit card, I signed up for notification that whenever I am charged for certain amount, if my balance reach to certain level, etc.

I want to be notified in daily basis if my balance is beyond my standard monthly payment. No more surprises.

I found online that a t-mobile customer with the same issue, in 2016, was informed by T-Mobile that when T-mobile realizes there is an issue with the connectivity of the WhatsApp call, T-Mobile itself changes from data call to a regular call, and then charges the customer. Take a look on the attached screen shot.

I just had the same problem and the agent blamed it on WhatsApp. I have been using WhatsApp for international calls for 10+ years and never had this issue. The agent said that when there is a problem with connectivity WhatsApp changes it to a direct call and uses their network, which I don't get! Last year I put a block on all international calls and the agent confirmed that this is still active. Clearly it is pointless since they are still able to switch my WhatsApp call to normal just to charge the clients extra.

I am very disappointed by this and clearly it is a recurring problem!

It became a HE SAYS SHE SAYS thing. The solution is all over the Internet: pushing airplane mode and only using a WI-FI connection before making the call. So how come T-mobile doesn't widely display a solution for this, since I realize now it's such a widespread problem? Is T-mobile really interested in not charging the customer for international calls made via WhatsApp? What if I don't have a Wi-Fi spot available when I need to make an international call via WhatsApp? The situation in the market today is that there is a lot of competition out there. We don't need T-Mobile, T-Mobile needs us. These attachments are from Google!

Bro, you look upset; you work for T-Mobile …maybe? I did not screen shot the whole conversation, I just did with the relevant part for this issue. Anybody can google about this and find the whole discussion online, plus other events of people complaining about being wrongly charged by T-Mobile. It is still not clear why T-Mobile does not recognize the problem and openly talks about it on its website, offering a solution for every customer to avoid this type of charge. On my side I have my Plan package ready through a different company. One more wrong charge to my bill, even a single dollar, and I'm out, 15 years of loyalty will be thrown into a trash can. I'm no longer answering you. You can easily google the subject and find details about this repetitive issue online. Good bye!!!