Lower Your AT&T Cell Phone Bill with VoIP iPhone Apps
Cut your cell phone bill down to size with these free and cheap-to-use applications for your iPhone.
In the complex kitchen sink of fees AT&T has built up around the iPhone, with separate billing for phone minutes, text messages, and even AT&T Navigator, the obligatory unlimited data plan has been like a Swiss Army knife taped shut: Technically, it can replace many paid features – including voice functionality – but Apple’s strict rules for apps have prevented it from doing so.
Slice that red tape and get ready to pop open the corkscrew, because those days are over.
In late January, Apple has lifted its ban on voice-over-IP (VoIP) apps using AT&T’s cellular data network. In other words, the tunnel out of AT&T’s fee structure has been opened: You can now place calls through the Web without paying the company another dime for minutes. Wondering how to get started? Here are a few of the best VoIP apps for the iPhone, along with rates.
SkypeFree
The same great app you know from the desktop has landed on the iPhone, and very soon, will allow you place calls over AT&T’s 3G network when you don’t have Wi-Fi. Unlike Google Voice, Skype actually charges a small monthly fee to place outgoing calls from the app, but in return, it won’t bite into your monthly minutes. You can get unlimited calls to the U.S. and Canada for $2.95 a month, to one country for $5.95, and to the world for $12.95. Like Google Voice, you can also place long-distance calls for bargain basement prices. Calls to Spain, for instance, will run you 2.4 cents per minute. You can also buy a Skype In number (a phone number others can dial into to reach you on Skype) for as low as $30 a year, with the purchase of a monthly outgoing subscription.
FringFree
This all-in-one instant messaging client goes beyond simple text to offer two voice options: Skype and SIP. Skype will allow you to log in to your account and use the same options outlined above, but SIP (which is a protocol, not a service) represents a whole other can of worms. In order to use it, you’ll need to sign up with one of dozens of VoIP providers that support that SIP protocol and Fring, which you can find on Fring’s partners page. Get an account with one, like VoIPCheap, sign in with your details through Fring, then dial away at rates that make AT&T look like thieves.
Google VoiceFree
Google managed to burrow out from under Apple’s rejection of this Google Voice by putting it on the Web rather than in the App Store, which means that technically, this isn’t an app. But it works the same way. After signing up for a Google Voice account, you’ll receive a personal number allowing you to both send and receive calls through Google Voice. Unfortunately, numbers placed through the “app” actually have to be handed to the iPhone’s dialer, which quickly dials a local access number and puts you through to your intended contact, meaning it will deduct minutes. That said the access number is always local, so for international calling, Google Voice rates absolutely flog AT&T. Call to Spain on AT&T: $1.49 a minute. Call to Spain on Google Voice: 2 cents a minute. You can also send and receive text messages for free, and try cool features like voicemail transcription.
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By: susan
February 6, 2010 @ 9:29 AM
> In the complex kitchen sink of fees AT&T has built up around the iPhone
Complex?
I pay a flat $40/month for more minutes than I could EVER use.
(With roll-over… I couldn't possibly ever use up the 2 THOUSAND minutes.)
I pay a flat $30/month for unlimited data.
I pay $0 for unlimited text-messaging. (I use a small, free app.)
That's far too complex to understand?
By: susan
February 6, 2010 @ 9:29 AM
> In the complex kitchen sink of fees AT&T has built up around the iPhone
Complex?
I pay a flat $40/month for more minutes than I could EVER use.
(With roll-over… I couldn't possibly ever use up the 2 THOUSAND minutes.)
I pay a flat $30/month for unlimited data.
I pay $0 for unlimited text-messaging. (I use a small, free app.)
That's far too complex to understand?
By: susan
February 6, 2010 @ 9:31 AM
> Goggle: Unfortunately, numbers placed through the “app” actually have to
> be handed to the iPhone’s dialer
Huh?
You just click on any phone # in your phonebook and it dials it.
By: susan
February 6, 2010 @ 9:31 AM
> Goggle: Unfortunately, numbers placed through the “app” actually have to
> be handed to the iPhone’s dialer
Huh?
You just click on any phone # in your phonebook and it dials it.
By: Greg
February 6, 2010 @ 10:15 AM
It's complex because there is not a single plan for people to use. There are a bunch of add-ons etc. Susan, what you are using for a free app, most people likely do not even know about.
By: Greg
February 6, 2010 @ 10:15 AM
It's complex because there is not a single plan for people to use. There are a bunch of add-ons etc. Susan, what you are using for a free app, most people likely do not even know about.
By: Greg
February 6, 2010 @ 10:16 AM
Again, there are free apps that bypass the dialer and let you talk for free or at a discount. How are you missing this?
By: Greg
February 6, 2010 @ 10:16 AM
Again, there are free apps that bypass the dialer and let you talk for free or at a discount. How are you missing this?
By: Declan
February 6, 2010 @ 2:00 PM
What's the free, unlimited texting app?
By: Declan
February 6, 2010 @ 2:00 PM
What's the free, unlimited texting app?
By: dang
February 6, 2010 @ 6:40 PM
There is one called Ping
By: dang
February 6, 2010 @ 6:40 PM
There is one called Ping
By: Frank
February 7, 2010 @ 4:58 AM
Let's not get giddy over these prices from the Apps, including Google. The pennies being quoted above may represent landline numbers. For example, Google charges (UK for example) 2 cents per minute for a landline and 18 cents per minute to call a mobile number. The same is true for CallGlobal and most of the other Apps. Also, AT&T has a charge for international calling for $3.99 per month; this allows the caller to get better rates than the $1.49 quoted in the Blog. The cost to call a landline in the UK is about 4 cents per minute and a mobile number is 23 cents per minute. Still higher, but not near the $1.49 mentioned. Also, with AT&T, you get taxes and other fees attached to the international plans, whereas with the Apps, most just charge the flat rate of the cost per minute. CallGlobal just charges the per minute rate, no other fees. So, do your research and don't believe Blogs like these. These blogs make their money on the ads displayed and do not fully research the content of the information placed in them. I wish we all could hold the writer of Blogs accountable for their poor research.
By: Frank
February 7, 2010 @ 4:58 AM
Let's not get giddy over these prices from the Apps, including Google. The pennies being quoted above may represent landline numbers. For example, Google charges (UK for example) 2 cents per minute for a landline and 18 cents per minute to call a mobile number. The same is true for CallGlobal and most of the other Apps. Also, AT&T has a charge for international calling for $3.99 per month; this allows the caller to get better rates than the $1.49 quoted in the Blog. The cost to call a landline in the UK is about 4 cents per minute and a mobile number is 23 cents per minute. Still higher, but not near the $1.49 mentioned. Also, with AT&T, you get taxes and other fees attached to the international plans, whereas with the Apps, most just charge the flat rate of the cost per minute. CallGlobal just charges the per minute rate, no other fees. So, do your research and don't believe Blogs like these. These blogs make their money on the ads displayed and do not fully research the content of the information placed in them. I wish we all could hold the writer of Blogs accountable for their poor research.
By: Frank
February 7, 2010 @ 5:06 AM
It's actually from a company called PINGER and the App is TextFree Lite. you only get 15 free texts per day (al least that's what I am limited to). Unless you buy the App and I believe you get unlimited for one year (please verify with Pinger). If you were one of the luck ones who purchased the App prior to a policy change Pinger made, you would have paid just for the App once and had free texts without the yearly fee. They may have changed the policy again, but I have not used this App for a while. There is also Text+, which is a free App, just verify if you are limited to a maximum amount of texts per day.
By: Frank
February 7, 2010 @ 5:06 AM
It's actually from a company called PINGER and the App is TextFree Lite. you only get 15 free texts per day (al least that's what I am limited to). Unless you buy the App and I believe you get unlimited for one year (please verify with Pinger). If you were one of the luck ones who purchased the App prior to a policy change Pinger made, you would have paid just for the App once and had free texts without the yearly fee. They may have changed the policy again, but I have not used this App for a while. There is also Text+, which is a free App, just verify if you are limited to a maximum amount of texts per day.
By: Joe
February 9, 2010 @ 4:37 PM
Frank, you're correct, this author didn't research or wrote a biased article. He intentionally forgot to mention the more popular and better quality VoIP apps – Vonage Mobile and Truphone. These two iPhone apps provide much higher voice quality, consistency and great rates overall. Skype drops the calls often and makes you redial, because they charge (the small charge author mentions) everytime you dial a call and their voice quality is lower than others.
By: Joe
February 9, 2010 @ 4:37 PM
Frank, you're correct, this author didn't research or wrote a biased article. He intentionally forgot to mention the more popular and better quality VoIP apps – Vonage Mobile and Truphone. These two iPhone apps provide much higher voice quality, consistency and great rates overall. Skype drops the calls often and makes you redial, because they charge (the small charge author mentions) everytime you dial a call and their voice quality is lower than others.
By: Matt McLernon
February 10, 2010 @ 8:17 AM
@Joe – thanks for the Vonage Mobile mention.
I work with the PR team at Vonage, where we see the benefits of our flat-rate app competing with the apps listed above. Especially when considering international calling plans – where mobile carriers have lots of varying rates, peak/off peak times, and selective country plans, the Vonage World Mobile flat rate calling plan can save you bundles. http://www.vonagemobile.com
By: Matt McLernon
February 10, 2010 @ 8:17 AM
@Joe – thanks for the Vonage Mobile mention.
I work with the PR team at Vonage, where we see the benefits of our flat-rate app competing with the apps listed above. Especially when considering international calling plans – where mobile carriers have lots of varying rates, peak/off peak times, and selective country plans, the Vonage World Mobile flat rate calling plan can save you bundles. http://www.vonagemobile.com
By: Greg
February 10, 2010 @ 8:39 AM
The article is mentioning FREE to download apps. Is the Vonage Mobile or Truphone app free? Just curious. Also how much does Vonage or Truphone charge per minute? Is it a good deal?
By: Greg
February 10, 2010 @ 8:39 AM
The article is mentioning FREE to download apps. Is the Vonage Mobile or Truphone app free? Just curious. Also how much does Vonage or Truphone charge per minute? Is it a good deal?
By: Ria
February 10, 2010 @ 11:51 PM
integrated VoIP performance monitoring capability with Traverse which rapidly identifies the cause of the problem using its built-in topology-aware root-cause engine and supports VoIP equipment from several vendors including: Avaya, Broadsoft, Cisco etc.
http://zyrion.com/download/
By: Ria
February 10, 2010 @ 11:51 PM
integrated VoIP performance monitoring capability with Traverse which rapidly identifies the cause of the problem using its built-in topology-aware root-cause engine and supports VoIP equipment from several vendors including: Avaya, Broadsoft, Cisco etc.
http://zyrion.com/download/
By: ntmokey
February 11, 2010 @ 8:54 AM
Joe, thanks for the feedback, we went ahead and added both Truphone and Vonage Mobile, which didn't make it into the original article (though not intentionally as you suggest, there are just a lot of VoIP options out there and opinions on them differ widely).
By: ntmokey
February 11, 2010 @ 8:54 AM
Joe, thanks for the feedback, we went ahead and added both Truphone and Vonage Mobile, which didn't make it into the original article (though not intentionally as you suggest, there are just a lot of VoIP options out there and opinions on them differ widely).
By: Joe
February 12, 2010 @ 12:01 PM
Thanks Nick! You're one the rare bloggers who appreciates commenter's feedback and updates their article. Refreshing!
By: Joe
February 12, 2010 @ 12:01 PM
Thanks Nick! You're one the rare bloggers who appreciates commenter's feedback and updates their article. Refreshing!
By: dbb10001
February 14, 2010 @ 2:39 PM
The Voip apps will doubtlessly seriously cut costs for many iPhone subscribers. There is no reason to stop there, however, because various other complementing technologies exist that allow us to be proactive about reducing our wireless spending. At the risk of sounding like I'm blatantly plugging, check out the Houston-based company Validas, where I (admittedly) work in consumer advocacy. Looks like an ulterior motive here, I know, but I believe this is relevant. At Validas, we electronically audit and subsequently reduce the average cell bill by about 22 percent through our website, http://www.fixmycellbill.com . From regular people to top corporations to huge entities like the State of California, an incredibly varied group of wireless customers uses Validas to slash their wireless bills. In other words, Validas works, and it can probably work for you too.
Check out Validas in the media, recently on Fox News at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1uTCO16_ao .
Good luck to everyone reading at retaking control over your wireless expenses through apps like Google Voice and technology like Validas.
Dylan
Consumer Advocacy, FixMyCellBill.com
By: dbb10001
February 14, 2010 @ 2:39 PM
The Voip apps will doubtlessly seriously cut costs for many iPhone subscribers. There is no reason to stop there, however, because various other complementing technologies exist that allow us to be proactive about reducing our wireless spending. At the risk of sounding like I'm blatantly plugging, check out the Houston-based company Validas, where I (admittedly) work in consumer advocacy. Looks like an ulterior motive here, I know, but I believe this is relevant. At Validas, we electronically audit and subsequently reduce the average cell bill by about 22 percent through our website, http://www.fixmycellbill.com . From regular people to top corporations to huge entities like the State of California, an incredibly varied group of wireless customers uses Validas to slash their wireless bills. In other words, Validas works, and it can probably work for you too.
Check out Validas in the media, recently on Fox News at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1uTCO16_ao .
Good luck to everyone reading at retaking control over your wireless expenses through apps like Google Voice and technology like Validas.
Dylan
Consumer Advocacy, FixMyCellBill.com
By: Toktumi Line2
February 18, 2010 @ 12:01 PM
Nice list of apps. You might want to check out the new Line2, http://www.line2.com/ It's the first and only true dual mode WiFI VoIP / Cell app in the market. It let's you place and receive calls from the same number over both VoIP and cell networks, no other app let's you do that. It also has PBX features – auto attendant, call handling rules, and 20 person conference calling built in.
By: nik
February 19, 2010 @ 11:48 AM
I wanted to confirm if voip calls still cut your minutes on att. I have read for sure that vonage on iphone just sucks cos even if you are using it on a data line, att still cuts the minutes for the amount of time you use the voip call. if that is the case with all voip solutions, then there is no point enabling voip calls. Its just another means of making more money as you have to go for unlimited plan!!
By: voipproviders
February 26, 2010 @ 3:16 AM
There are two ways to phone through IP-phone. You can phone from the web-site with the help of your personal account and with using special program installed on your PC. http://www.voip-catalog.com/ Voip providers. Also, during IP call you may use any additional headsets if you do not have built-in loudspeaker. So, with using headset and microphone you will hear your interlocutor.
By: jess101
March 6, 2010 @ 9:01 AM
If you'd really like to cut your AT&T bill down, consider combining a home voip service with that of your iPhone. Of course, you will need some type of voip service provider, but there are some that let you register you home analog telephone adapter and another device (iPhone) at the same time. These type of providers are few and far between, but it can be done. We have a plan that can set you up for this with a quality voip provider and shares minutes with your iPhone, or even an iPod Touch. http://austexvoip.com
By: Sharu
April 10, 2010 @ 12:23 PM
Please let me know some Voip service where i can link my mobilephone number and make internatianl calls so that my customers can see my phone number when i call them
By: Free International Calls
April 27, 2010 @ 11:07 PM
You can use this link for Free International Calls
By: international call
May 1, 2010 @ 12:37 AM
This is good for those iPhone users but how about those who doesn't have iPhone? We can't still prevent using prepaid. Good thing that there are company which offers cheap international calls.
By: Parking Games
May 16, 2010 @ 4:23 PM
very nice, I could use it to save some buck.
By: Iphone Jailbreak
May 18, 2010 @ 3:05 PM
is it true that iphone 4G will be release on july ?