While Samsung Galaxy Note 8 supports features like video calling (from the Dialer without third party apps) and VoLTE (Voice over LTE), many carriers block the features if you use an unlocked device with their SIM. In this case, Verizon and unlocked Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

If you use an unlocked Samsung Galaxy Note 8 with Verizon SIM, you would not have access to these features. You ask why? Well, because video and Wi-Fi calling are all proprietary to the carrier (Verizon). You need a Samsung Galaxy Note 8 purchased and subscribed with Verizon to access these features. Pretty bad, right?

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So what do you do to access these features if you have an unlocked Galaxy Note 8? Well, first of all, don’t make the mistake of calling Verizon to have the video call blocking feature removed. They cannot do anything on their side for an unlocked device. Secondly, you need to add video calling to your SIM. To do this, put your SIM inside any Verizon locked Android device that supports Video and Wi-Fi calling. Then activate video calling and HD voice calling on the SIM from Verizon account settings on the same device. Remove the SIM, put it back in the Galaxy Note 8 and then follow the steps given below:

  1. Install Nova Launcher from the Google Play Store (→ link).
  2. Once installed, tap any empty space on the home screen to add a widget.
  3. Under Nova Launcher widgets, select and drag “Activities” to the home screen.
  4. In Activities, scroll down and tap “IMS Setting”.
  5. Under IMS Setting, tap the first option “IMS Service switch”. On the next screen, make sure all the toggles are on. If any toggle is off, turn it on.
  6. Go back and tap “Self Provisioning”. First two options i.e. Provisioning and EAB should show “Enable”. If they show something else, tap “Toggle Provisioning” to enable them.
  7. Again go back and tap “IMS information”. Verify that all the settings are enabled on the IMS information screen.
  8. Restart your device.

You should now be able to access Video calling and VoLTE on your Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

You can also check the video below for visual instructions:

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To check if Video calling is enabled on your device, open Phone app on your Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and tap the three dot menu present at top right corner. Select Settings from the menu. Scroll down and you will find “Video calling” option there. Similarly, to verify VoLTE, open Settings, go to Connections followed by Mobile networks and VoLTE should be on.

If you still face some issue regarding video calls, first make the phone call as a normal call and then hit the video icon during the call. Voila!