Not able to do regular 1st party video call S25 Ultra

[NickEnvy]

I have an unlocked 25 Ultra from samsung and when i go to the phone app and try to video call my girlfriend who can video call, the option doesn't exist.  I only get the option to call via Google meet.  When I go to call settings there is not video call setting to toggle.  How do I fix this? I have contacted my carrier (tmobile) and they said there is nothing they can do on their end.

[johnz237]

Hi! Welcome to the Samsung Members community.

I believe it's normal for it to be Google Meet for regular phone application. Samsung doesn't have FaceTime like Apple.

However, you can by:
"Depending on your carrier, you may have the option to start a video call while you are already on the phone. When you're using the Phone app, simply tap the Video call icon to begin a call. It's between the Add call and Bluetooth icons. To switch back to a standard voice call, tap the Camera icon to shut off your device's camera. This may vary depending on your carrier. If you are unable to switch back to a voice call using the icon, you might have to end the call and call back"
https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10002815/

[NickEnvy]

Hey John, thanks for the reply.  On my S23 ultra it gave me the option to either video call through the phone app(which can be switched back and forth from voice call) or Google meet.  My gf can also do this on her s25 ultra from Verizon and have tested it as well on a tmobile carrier 25 ultra and does the same.  Who can I enable this instead of using Google meet?

[johnz237]

Hm. This is odd—as I don't believe there is, it should just show up. It may be worth speaking to Samsung directly.

[BandOfBrothers]

@NickEnvy is WhatsApp video calling an option. 

I mention this as that's what i do. 

[NickEnvy]

It is definitely one of many.  It's convenient to be able to have a conversation with my girlfriend and easily switch to a video call if needed, versus having to hang up and use WhatsApp, or my go to discord.  She just switched to android 3 weeks ago and was nice to take advantage of the feature.  Now it's gone with me upgrading and it's weird that it doesn't exist anywhere in the phone.  Frustrating I paid more for this phone and lost a feature.

[johnz237]

That is a frustrating. I would maybe suggest speaking to a samsung support agent and see what they have to say 😊

[Whit21]

I also have the unlocked Samsung S25 Ultra, and I recently contacted Samsung about this problem. Unfortunately, they were unable to resolve it. I suspect that the only solution might be to get a carrier-specific phone. I use Verizon, and my previous unlocked S22 didn't work correctly. After my phone was damaged, Verizon (through Assurion) replaced it with an S23 Ultra, which restored video call feature that you are referring to. 

[NickEnvy · Accepted solution]

Hey all, I spoke with a department specific to software at samsung, and they stated that the unlocked version will not come with 1st party video calling in the software and will not be enabled.  It is part of the carrier software.  Be aware when purchasing, as this means it's always better to get a carrier version unless you value the 1tb option or colors exclusive to purchasing a Samsung unlocked version more.  They offered me a small partial refund for all the trouble and misinformation from their support.

[fscguy]

how did you get to this department?