Huawei expands offline calling to more phones — but not yours

Huawei is rolling out a peer-to-peer calling feature to more of its smartphones — one that works with no cell signal, no Wi-Fi, and even in Airplane mode. The technology, called Meetime wireless, first appeared on the Mate 80 series and now extends to several mid-range and foldable lines. If you're outside China, it won't reach you — but what Huawei is building here is worth understanding.

How it works

Meetime offline calling creates a direct device-to-device connection, bypassing carrier base stations entirely. Flip your phone into Airplane mode, and the feature stays active — unlike standard Wi-Fi calling or VoLTE, which both require a network. Users can see nearby contacts and place voice calls or send messages in real time, per Huawei Central.

Huawei claims a maximum range of 7 km. That figure comes from controlled, open-field testing — urban environments with buildings and interference will see considerably shorter distances. Still, the underlying capability is significant for emergency coordination, hiking, or anywhere towers are sparse.

The device list

Huawei is now pushing the feature to a wider set of hardware beyond the flagship Mate 80 Pro, Pro Max, and RS Ultimate Design. The updated rollout includes:

- Mate X7 and Mate XTs (foldables) - Pura 80 series - Nova 15 series, plus Nova 14 Ultra and Pro - Mate 70 Air

The expansion signals that Huawei intends offline calling as an ecosystem-wide capability, not a headline feature locked to its most expensive phones. The flip side: it only works between Huawei devices, creating real vendor lock-in.

The Western wall

Meetime is technically available in some markets outside China, but offline calling is a different matter. Huawei's US and UK support pages list MeeTime as a "selected regions" feature and make no mention of offline calling — the capability appears restricted to China-approved markets amid ongoing cybersecurity scrutiny of Huawei hardware in the West.

The direction of travel elsewhere is different. Apple recently added cross-platform end-to-end encryption for iMessage between iPhone and Android, per GaGadget — prioritizing open interoperability over proprietary independence. Huawei's offline calling is technically impressive, but its closed-ecosystem model runs counter to where Western regulators and competitors are headed.