iPod touch Use iPod Touch 5G as a phone

garirry · May 4, 2013

I want to replace my current old phone with an iPod Touch 5th generation. I wonder, if I'm using Skype with my iPod, it is a good idea? I know I can't get 3G working on this thing, but I'm okay with that, until Skype can work with Wi-Fi. If I'm running Skype in background, can I receive calls? Oh, and can I also receive calls from A PHONE to Skype? Sorry if it's in the wrong forum.

paulbennett95 · May 4, 2013

Use google voice with talkatone, it's what I do. Talkatone works great with wifi, and it's free and allows texting too, although there are ads at the bottom.

garirry · May 4, 2013

paulbennett95 said:
Use google voice with talkatone, it's what I do. Talkatone works great with wifi, and it's free and allows texting too, although there are ads at the bottom.

I heard it has all the feature only in US, not in Canada. Is it true?

paulbennett95 · May 4, 2013

garirry said:
I heard it has all the feature only in US, not in Canada. Is it true?

Rather certain it's free texting and calling to anyone in the USA and Canada, and relatively cheap for everywhere else.

siurpeeman · May 4, 2013

paulbennett95 said:
Rather certain it's free texting and calling to anyone in the USA and Canada, and relatively cheap for everywhere else.

calls and texts to people in Canada, sure, but you can't have a gv account originating from Canada. it's United States only.

garirry · May 4, 2013

siurpeeman said:
calls and texts to people in Canada, sure, but you can't have a gv account originating from Canada. it's United States only.

GV account?

siurpeeman · May 4, 2013

garirry said:
GV account?

google voice. to answer your original post, though, you can get a Skype number so people can call you, but that'll cost you money (can't remember the pricing, but i think it's $30/yr).

garirry · May 4, 2013

siurpeeman said:
google voice. to answer your original post, though, you can get a Skype number so people can call you, but that'll cost you money (can't remember the pricing, but i think it's $30/yr).

But can I receive calls using Talkatone? Or at least receive messages?

paulbennett95 · May 4, 2013

You need a google voice account to use talkatone, didn't know it didn't work in Canada.

Another reason I won't move there I suppose..

Idk if Skype can receive calls, I know GV can, since I use it with talkatone as my phone, but it's US only.

Whatsapp looks to be an alternative, I think the app costs like $3 or something, I'd look into it.

Good luck.

Zmanbaseball2 · May 5, 2013

You can pay for Skype credits.

Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk 2

fricotin · May 5, 2013

I use Talkatone with my Gmail account to make calls from Canada but it cannot receive.

Garsun · May 5, 2013

The largest problem I ran into using an iPod touch as a phone is that the speaker is on the bottom not the top. I could not hold the device up to my ear like a phone and instead had to use either a headset or use it as a speakerphone

paulbennett95 · May 5, 2013

I read that if you hold it upside down with the back facing your face it works more like a phone (I know it sounds stupid but it's what I read)

TacticalDesire · May 5, 2013

Get a used iPhone 4/4s instead and use the same voip apps. that way you can still hold the phone to your ear.

paulbennett95 · May 5, 2013

TacticalDesire said:
Get a used iPhone 4/4s instead and use the same voip apps. that way you can still hold the phone to your ear.

Why pay $350 for a used 16GB iPhone w/unneeded phone features and outdated hardware when you can pay $300 for a brand new 32GB iTouch 5G with brand new specs?
You can just do what I suggested to deal with the speaker/mic placement, or buy this case I saw which connects to the iPod via the 3.5mm jack and has a speaker at the top and a mic at the bottom.

617aircav · May 6, 2013

paulbennett95 said:
Why pay $350 for a used 16GB iPhone w/unneeded phone features and outdated hardware when you can pay $300 for a brand new 32GB iTouch 5G with brand new specs?
You can just do what I suggested to deal with the speaker/mic placement, or buy this case I saw which connects to the iPod via the 3.5mm jack and has a speaker at the top and a mic at the bottom.

A used iPhone 4 is not $350, I just bought a used iPhone 4s 32gb on Friday for $200. Voip quality is inconsistent at best. If you rarely make calls and people don't call you, it could work. For normal folks who expect works calls, family calls etc it will never work.

paulbennett95 · May 6, 2013

617aircav said:
A used iPhone 4 is not $350, I just bought a used iPhone 4s 32gb on Friday for $200. Voip quality is inconsistent at best. If you rarely make calls and people don't call you, it could work. For normal folks who expect works calls, family calls etc it will never work.

I was referring to the price of a 4S, but i guess you got a good deal on a almost 3 year old phone, if you don't mind the 3 year old specs and 3 year old design, and that it will be obsolete soon, just as the previous iPhones.
I was just saying buy a good iPod rather than a crappy iPhone with unneeded features.

baypharm · May 6, 2013

This question seems to surface a couple of times a year....the best one I have found and use regularly is MagicJack app....

joshdammit · May 7, 2013

paulbennett95 said:
I was referring to the price of a 4S, but i guess you got a good deal on a almost 3 year old phone, if you don't mind the 3 year old specs and 3 year old design, and that it will be obsolete soon, just as the previous iPhones.
I was just saying buy a good iPod rather than a crappy iPhone with unneeded features.

The 4S isn't exactly a dinosaur. It has an A5 chip, same as the new iPod Touch, and it even has an 8 megapixel camera, compared to the new Touch's 5 megapixel. Considering the 3GS is still supported (albeit barely,) the 4S isn't going obsolete anytime soon.

As for unneeded features, if you really don't need an earpiece on your phone, but really, REALLY need that tiny bit of extra screen space, go for it, but either way you're really blowing the tech specs out of proportion.

paulbennett95 · May 7, 2013

joshdammit said:
The 4S isn't exactly a dinosaur. It has an A5 chip, same as the new iPod Touch, and it even has an 8 megapixel camera, compared to the new Touch's 5 megapixel. Considering the 3GS is still supported (albeit barely,) the 4S isn't going obsolete anytime soon.

As for unneeded features, if you really don't need an earpiece on your phone, but really, REALLY need that tiny bit of extra screen space, go for it, but either way you're really blowing the tech specs out of proportion.

Im merely saying you don't have to buy an iPhone if you don't need the "Phone" part.

And I actually forgot the new iPod has a bigger screen, thanks for reminding me lol.

garirry · May 7, 2013

joshdammit said:
The 4S isn't exactly a dinosaur. It has an A5 chip, same as the new iPod Touch, and it even has an 8 megapixel camera, compared to the new Touch's 5 megapixel. Considering the 3GS is still supported (albeit barely,) the 4S isn't going obsolete anytime soon.

As for unneeded features, if you really don't need an earpiece on your phone, but really, REALLY need that tiny bit of extra screen space, go for it, but either way you're really blowing the tech specs out of proportion.

I don't need an iPhone, I don't really call. I'm calling like maximum 3 times per week, that's almost nothing, compared, I can pay 200$ for an outdated iPhone 4S plus 50$ per month, or, an iPod Touch 300$ and paying like 15$ a year, compared I'm currently paying 25$ month for a cheap NOKIA phone...
I'll try to find the best app for light calling on my iPod.

joshdammit · May 7, 2013

paulbennett95 said:
Im merely saying you don't have to buy an iPhone if you don't need the "Phone" part.

And I actually forgot the new iPod has a bigger screen, thanks for reminding me lol.

That's true, although I think it really depends on the price you'd be getting it for. The Touch is $300 for the 32gb model, and I noticed prices ranging from 300-450 for an iPhone 4S on Craiglist. So yeah, maybe the Touch would be a better buy for you, if you really don't need the earpiece and don't plan on ever using it with a carrier.

saturnotaku · May 7, 2013

Here is a succinct list of reasons why this is a bad idea.

Actually, just read that whole thread. Lots of folks there bring up great points that aren't necessarily covered in just what I linked to above.

garirry · May 8, 2013

saturnotaku said:
Here is a succinct list of reasons why this is a bad idea.

Actually, just read that whole thread. Lots of folks there bring up great points that aren't necessarily covered in just what I linked to above.

I actually call almost only at home and only at school, they both have Wi-Fi available. And a calculated, I can use a cheap phone that I don't use really much, for 25$ per month, basically 300$ per year. OR, I can use a new, nice-looking device with a lot of capacities, including a camera, for only 300$ one time, which basically after finishing one year using the iPod, I am saving a lot of money. And I haven't touched to my phone started this week.

cnev3 · May 8, 2013

garirry said:
I want to replace my current old phone with an iPod Touch 5th generation. I wonder, if I'm using Skype with my iPod, it is a good idea? I know I can't get 3G working on this thing, but I'm okay with that, until Skype can work with Wi-Fi. If I'm running Skype in background, can I receive calls? Oh, and can I also receive calls from A PHONE to Skype? Sorry if it's in the wrong forum.

Check out freedompop dot com. You can get a mobile hotspot device (you pay a refundable deposit for the device) and you can get a gig of 4G data free every month. I did that to make my iPod Touch like an iPhone.

iPod touch Use iPod Touch 5G as a phone

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