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best Free Voip for iphone 4

I

intoxicated662

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 29, 2008
165
3
What is the best Free Voip for iphone 4 available? I'm not in a contract and use my iphone 4 via wifi. I already have google voice for text'n and it works great, however i'd like to be able to receive phone calls on that phone # that I have for google voice. I've tried a few tutorials I found on google, but no luck. Here are the tutorials:

http://lifehacker.com/5349506/make-free-voip-calls-from-google-voice

http://jstnkndy.wordpress.com/2010/06/03/make-and-receive-calls-from-your-computer/


I've setup an account with sipgate already, I've got the sipgate app on my phone too and ready to go. What'll happen is, I load up Google Voice, dial a # to call and choose the sipgate # as the phone to use and it states 'dialing' Calling You (below that is OK), I then open up sipgate and receive an incoming call from my google voice #. I accept it and the timer is going but nothing is happening. So basically, my call didn't go through and it's not working. In sipgate, I go to Recent and it'll just show my google voice # on there. Is there a fix for this? Hope someone can help me out, i'd appreciate it. Thanks
 
I basically want to find a way for people to be able to call my google voice # so it'll ring, I answer and talk for free. Any way for this to happen?
 
Another vote for Talkatone. lots of folks have complained about quality and UI. It works fine for me. Quality is fine 90% of the time and being able to use my GV number at home/office (over wifi), without using cellphone minutes is worth it.

If you leave it running in the background (signed into your GV account), it even receives calls on your GV number. The only issue is sometimes despite leaving it running in the background, the app signs out and shuts down. You will see it in the background but its not signed in, dunno why it does it......some bug with multitasking perhaps since (Skype does the same thing to me sometimes) ?
 
Talkatone is a toy. Voice quality is pretty crap most of the time, the UI is horrid, and it has lots of quirks - signing itself out in the background amongst them.

If you want to do this with much better quality and reliability, get yourself a good SIP client (I use Groundwire, there are others) and use a free SIP account such as SIPgate to push and pull calls to/from Google Voice. It works very well. Groudwire is pre-configured for Google Voice in this manner. Just make sure the SIP provider offers a DID - Google Voice won't do a native SIP call to anything other than Gizmo5 (and the quality there has went to hell lately as well.)
 
I've got sipgate, but am having problems getting all this to work. Anyone have an up to date tutorial? What happens is I call a # from google voice, it says 'Calling you (OK <-right below that) and then I open up sipgate and I receive the call from my google voice # and I answer the call, it goes through but there is no sound and it's not ringing. After about 30 seconds it'll just hang up. Any fix for this? How do I make it to where when people call my google voice # it'll ring on talkatone?
 
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intoxicated662 said:
I've got sipgate, but am having problems getting all this to work. Anyone have an up to date tutorial? What happens is I call a # from google voice, it says 'Calling you (OK <-right below that) and then I open up sipgate and I receive the call from my google voice # and I answer the call, it goes through but there is no sound and it's not ringing. After about 30 seconds it'll just hang up. Any fix for this? How do I make it to where when people call my google voice # it'll ring on talkatone?
Click to expand...

Talkatone uses the GTalk API to interface with Google Voice. You need to make a successful call through Gmail before it will work. And make sure you sign out all other GTalk sessions as that may interfere with it. Obviously you need to also make sure GTalk is checked as a forwarding option for your Google Voice calls.

To be honest I'd avoid Talkatone completely. If you've got SIPgate they have given you a DID (a real phone number) - link that to Google Voice, confirm it, and forward your calls to that telephone number. Then you can receive the calls with your SIP client of choice.
 
I put the sipgate phone # in my google voice settings and had it verified. When someone calls me, I open up sipgate and accept the call but I cannot hear anything and the person calling me will end up getting my voicemail.
 
TextFree with Voice gives you free/unlimited incoming calls...

Although I doubt you could somehow set it up with Google Voice.

*edit* Actually, I take that back. Per "Feefer2" posted just today on TextFree reviews:

"..easy integration with Google Voice.."

"..In fact, after many months of use, I'm so impressed with TextFree that I've shut off the GSM/3G service on my iPhone 4, and ported my cell number of 11 years to Google Voice; I'll be using my TextFree number as my primary forwarding number, getting wi-fi over my home network.."

Looks like TextFree is teh winnAr
 
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James, you're a savior!! It works perfect now, thanks I appreciate the help and everyone else too. I already had an account, but hadn't used it in a long time and this updated version of that app is great. Woo Hoo
 
Cool! I've been using TextFree since last summer and have always loved it.

I'm really always kind of surprised it's not more popular than it is among average/adult iPhone uses (although it appears to be REALLY popular among teens). It's saves you so much money on texts/supplementing AT&T minutes and doesn't require a bunch of extra account setups or gimmicky stuff on the other party's end.
 
Correct & I agree. I've tried fringe and so many other apps, but they all didn't do the job. This is the perfect thing for me as I don't really make outgoing calls much. It's a great, free app and for Txt'n I use another app (Infinitie SMS) so it's all good. Thanks again.
 
New question now: Can I go pre-paid and buy some minutes & also get a web data plan? That way when I'm not in a wifi connection I can turn 3G on and be able to make/receieve calls & text messages. Just wondering if it's possible so I can do this and save $. Thanks
 
intoxicated662 said:
New question now: Can I go pre-paid and buy some minutes & also get a web data plan? That way when I'm not in a wifi connection I can turn 3G on and be able to make/receieve calls & text messages. Just wondering if it's possible so I can do this and save $. Thanks
Click to expand...

Yes but prepaid data plans are usually pretty expensive at the major carriers.

Ive used Tmo's webpass feature a couple of times, $1.50 per 24 hour period.

My GF has a locked iP4, she is on AT&T prepaid, they charge $20 a month for 100mb, which IMHO is a ripoff :mad:.

Thank God we rarely need data outside home/office :D
 
I was using Google Voice initiated call through (from my desktop browser) via Gizmo Desktop Client.

Gizmo was just shut. How / which VoIP can I use with Google Voice now?

Also, which VoIP (on iPhone) to PSTN gives Free dialing out to US numbers?
 
I've been trying out Textfree as well and it seems really cool. Anyone know if it'll work in Europe?
 
mds said:
I've been trying out Textfree as well and it seems really cool. Anyone know if it'll work in Europe?
Click to expand...

I am sure it does.
I use it in Asia and it works.

The only downside of Textfree for me, is that it can only call USA numbers, so I use it to call the States, and use FriendsCaller to make international calls.
 
bbmiLo said:
I am sure it does.
I use it in Asia and it works.

The only downside of Textfree for me, is that it can only call USA numbers, so I use it to call the States, and use FriendsCaller to make international calls.
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks! So if someone is using a US phone in europe and calls my Textfree number, it will work, right?

I was just playing with Textfree and it won't ring my phone if the phone isn't already on. Is there a solution to this?

Thanks!
 
mds said:
Cool, thanks! So if someone is using a US phone in europe and calls my Textfree number, it will work, right?

I was just playing with Textfree and it won't ring my phone if the phone isn't already on. Is there a solution to this?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

You can receive calls from anyone anywhere using any number, as long as the caller dials your Textfree number properly.
If you are to make calls out, you can only call a USA phone #.

If the program is active, and phone is on standby, it should ring when a call comes in.
 
I have textnow and use it for texting only! Im interested in how the phone call portion works now? I do believe I have a google voice number? so the person calls my google number and it gets routed to my phone? does it take minutes off the ATT plan and how does the phone number show up if anything on the phone bill? Hmmmm
 
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