VoIP

Facebook rolling out free VoiP calling in Messenger to everyone

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 3, 2014

Ever since launching its totally redesigned Messenger app last November, the social networking giant Facebook's been dragging its feet in terms of enabling VoIP calling for everyone.

For users in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, this useful feature has been part of the old Messenger app for quite some time now.

Today, Facebook issued a minor update to Messenger for iOS that seemingly enables free voice calling over Wi-Fi and low-cost calls over cellular for everyone.

The update is available in the App Store so grab it now and check out free calling in Facebook Messenger...

Google Voice reportedly getting axed soon in favor of VoIP-to-phones Hangouts integration

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 18, 2014

Have you even wondered why it's been nearly six months since Google last refreshed the free Google Voice for iPhone application (it still lacks iOS 7 styling)? After all, isn't Google Voice supposed to be a priority for the Internet giant?

For those unfamiliar with it, Google Voice is a telephony service that offers a bunch of nice features such as voicemail, free text messaging, call history, conference calling, call screening, call routing, blocking of unwanted calls and voice transcription to text of voicemail messages, to name a few.

According to a new report, Google could be looking to retire the standalone Voice app for iOS and Android and instead fold its functionality into the native Hangouts app, which was released in the App Store in May of 2013...

Leaked screenies show off VoIP calling in WhatsApp’s upcoming iPhone update

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

As you know, the world's most popular mobile messaging software, WhatsApp, is being purchased by the social networking giant Facebook for a staggering $16 billion.

WhatsApp previously promised to introduce VoIP calling in the second quarter of this year, a move poised to turn the tables on competition like Viber, now owned by Rakuten.

While Viber last December unveiled a new Skype-like Viber Out feature for making low-cost outgoing calls to international mobile and landline numbers, a set of screenshots leaked on Friday purportedly depicting what WhatsApp's VoIP calling will look like in its iPhone application, a free download from the App Store...

WhatsApp to enable voice calling in second quarter

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

WhatsApp, the popular cross-platform instant messaging software for mobile phones, announced on Monday that it will be enabling voice calling over data networks (VoIP) for the 465 million of its users come second quarter of 2014.

The move is part of broader plans to reach a billion users by year's end, co-founder and chief executive Jan Koum said this morning at Mobile World Congress, which runs from Monday through Thursday in Barcelona, Spain.

WhatsApp is in the process of being acquired by the social networking giant, Facebook, in a transaction valued at $4 billion in cash and approximately $12 billion in Facebook shares. The development essentially means that Facebook now owns a phone company...

Viber acquired by e-commerce giant Rakuten for $900 million

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 24, 2017

This is kind of interesting. The Wall Street Journal is reporting this morning that the popular voice call app Viber has agreed to a deal to be acquired by Rakuten for $900 million. For those unfamiliar with the e-commerce giant, it's essentially Japan's version of Amazon.

Viber is available on all major mobile and desktop platforms, and is one of Skype's biggest competitors with over 300 million users worldwide. It was one of the first apps to allow 3G VoIP on the iPhone and it now supports land-line calls, messages and even push-to-talk...

BlackBerry rolls out BBM 2.0 with voice calling, Channels, location sharing and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 13, 2014

Following a minor refresh recently which brought out a handy new Find Friends feature, Canada's struggling smartphone maker BlackBerry is today rolling out a new BBM version 2.0. The release contains a few new features such as free voice calling, BBM Channels, Dropbox integration, location sharing and more.

The free update is rolling out today so keep an eye on the App Store and don't panic if it's not live yet as these things take time to propagate.

The full breakdown is right below the fold...

Skype gains push notifications for chats, two-way video calling in HD on A7 devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 27, 2016

Skype for iPhone rolled out the ability to conduct two-way video chatting back in December 2010, but the quality of these video calls left a lot to be desired. Back then, the iPhone 4's back camera could only capture video in 720p and the front-facing camera was good only for VGA-grade video chatting.

Besides, the handset lacked the processing power to make two-way video calling in high-definition a reality.

Today's update to Skype's free iPhone and iPad client brings HD video calling to the iPhone 5s, iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display, along with an improved chatting experience and more...

Viber announces new ‘Viber Out’ feature for making low-cost outgoing calls

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Popular VoIP and messaging service Viber announced today the release of version 4.1 of its mobile app for Android and iPhone. The update includes the full global launch of Viber Out, a new feature that allows users to make low-cost calls to any mobile or landline phone number.

The service uses credit that can be purchased through in-app purchases, or via credit card, and the minutes can be used on Android, iOS or your desktop. It's actually a lot like how Skype works, except it looks like Viber's rates are much lower and it won't charge connection fees...

Viber 4.0 arrives with push-to-talk, Viber Out, Sticker Market, tweaks and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 12, 2013

Viber today released a brand new version of its iOS and Android application which now includes the Viber Sticker Market, the new background gallery, the ability to send push-to-talk voice messages, forward messages, add more participants to group conversations than ever before and additional tweaks.

What's really interesting is that Sticker Market allows Viber users to put their own creations on sale and make a profit when others buy their work from the palm of their hand.

The full breakdown follows after the break...

Skype gaining better sign in experience, faster startup and iOS 7 mic permissions

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Microsoft-owned Skype app for the iPhone and iPad is about to get bumped to version 4.14, gaining under-the-hood tweaks for faster startup time and iOS 7-specific permissions for microphone access.

The update has been officially announced on the Skype blog earlier in the morning and should drop later during the course of the day.

Over the past two months, Skype's mobile app has received its iOS 7 style visual makeover and gained the ability to make HD quality 720p video calls from the fourth-generation iPad and later and the iPhone 5 and later...

Skype receives its iOS 7 makeover

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 7, 2013

You can blame Microsoft-owned Skype for missing the train on stickers, games and other popular messaging features (sans video messages), but the application still stands out as the most popular VoIP software in use to this date. Skype wasn't among the list of third-party apps that were immediately updated with the new design following the September 18 iOS 7 release, so today both the iPhone and iPad clients have finally received a nice little refresh bringing the iOS 7 look and feel along with a few minor enhancements...

Skype iOS apps now support HD quality video calls via iPad 4 and iPhone 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 12, 2013

Microsoft-owned Skype has been giving their iOS apps some much-needed love lately. For example, following June's announcement of Skype Video Messages, the company has updated mobile and desktop apps with the ability to record and send short videos to your contacts, even when offline. The feature was previously available with a 20-message limit and imposed a three-minute ceiling on the length of individual video messages.

Today, the iPhone and iPad Skype app has been updated with various call quality improvements and general fixes, including the ability to make HD quality 720p video calls from the latest and fastest iOS devices, such a the fourth-generation iPad and the iPhone 5...