It's a phone, and a good one
I put Talkatone on it, and actually upgraded to the "premium" status ( 20 bucks a year). It works perfectly. I generally hold it just like doing FaceTime. No issues. It's far better for my aging eyes than a smartphone. The fact I save a bundle doesn't hurt either. I carry one device as a result. Ipad mini is pretty remarkable device and this makes it even better. Now, I don't spend all day on calls like some people so that makes a difference I am sure. But I highly recommend trying it if you think you'd be comfortable with using a mini tablet as phone. I am truly surprised at how well this has worked out. Other apps include Line 2 and Magic Jack. The former costs considerably more but has its supporters. I actually keep magicJack app on the ipad as a backup and have used it successfully as well, but it elicits some comments about the strange caller number that shows up on caller ID! Plus it is really difficult to call a magicJack number apparently. Using talkatone , you have a "real" number from your own area code, and your call will be treated more like a standard number, so it eases some of the sideshow issues. My signal is great with cellular and when on wifi is better than I ever had with standard cellular. Clear as a bell. The only caution is Sometimes it takes a second ( or two, or three, or four) to really establish a good connection and your first word or so can be lost. This only happens occasionally to me, but enough to warrant attention.
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The talkatone app is also very good with SMS. Nice interface. A lot easier to text on tablet than phone. It is a well built app. It has made the mini as first class communications device.