Google makes Hangouts calls to France free in aftermath of Paris attacks

By Jason Hahn November 14, 2015

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Tech companies have a knack for rising to the occasion in the aftermath of tragedies. Hours after the terrorist attacks in Paris, Google announced on its social media channels that it’s making Hangouts calls to France free.

“We’re thinking of you, Paris. No fees on calls to France, via Hangouts. #ParisAttacks,” the company wrote on its Google+, Twitter, and Facebook pages.

While most Hangouts calls to the U.S. and Canada are free from countries where Hangouts calling is available, calls to numbers outside the U.S. and Canada have fees, according to Google’s help page. It typically costs 3 cents per minute to call a mobile line in France, 1 cent per minute to call a landline in France, and 1 cent per minute to call Paris.

Hangouts calls can be made via the Android app, iOS app, and the Web.

Google is no stranger to lending a helping hand in times and areas of need, and it’s not alone today. Facebook activated its “Safety Check” feature, which it launched last year. Users in the Paris area will receive a message asking them to check in by tapping an “I’m safe” button to notify their friends that they’re OK. A “mark safe” button lets users mark others as safe.

Sprint is also making all calls into France free for users worldwide “until further notice,” according to CEO Marcelo Claure.

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Jason Hahn is a part-time freelance writer based in New Jersey. He earned his master's degree in journalism at Northwestern…

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