Google turned my iPod touch into a free wifi phone | Hacker News Reader

Google turned my iPod touch into a free wifi phone

codercowboy.com

100 pointscodercowboy53 comments

"The downside to Google Voice has always been that it’s not actually a phone. When you dial someone with the Voice app, it dials your contact, then dials your real phone, and connects you together – you can’t just dial right out on a computer or non-phone smart device like an iPod touch and use a headset."

On a computer it can "dial" GChat, so you don't need a "real phone." I don't own a landline or a cellphone so I would know.

But I never knew you could make calls from apps. I have an iPod Touch 4, so this is going to be awesome. Now my friends might actually think I'm normal.

The quoted claim is false. I use Google Voice on Android. There's an option to "make all calls with GV" in which case all your outgoing calls go to the corresponding proxy number. There's also an "ask every time" option.

The quoted claim was qualified by referring to "non-phone smart device[s] like an iPod touch".

Although I'm pretty sure doing that in android still uses your mobile number and cell network to make the connection, not the WiFi or data connection. So it's still not true VoIP/WiFi-calling like it is on the iOS version of hangouts.

That's what acchow is saying. "Calls go to the corresponding proxy number." As opposed to the call being incoming.

Look up 'Talkatone' in the App Store. It does let you place and receive Google Talk calls on your iOS device without having to use a PSTN phone of any sort.

Wow, free? What's the catch?

Oh, they collect all my texts, instant messages, and phone call data and metadata? That's not for me, then.

'cause that stuff totally doesn't happen when you pay carriers money...

Right. You're absolutely safe with Verizon or AT&T in this respect though.

I'll be honest, I'll be surprised if Google Voice is alive in a couple of years. I've been an avid Google Voice user since before it was even owned by Google (back when it was GrandCentral), and Google have showed it little love, made virtually no new features or improvements in the past four years, and now buried it into Google Hangouts. Which is a shame, because I use it regularly and find it really useful.

I think it really would have taken off if the MMS deals went through with the big carriers. But, alas, that never happened. :/

> virtually no new features or improvements in the past four years

Lack of MMS is a big one. No group text messages, with no notification to either the sender or the recipient that it was simply discarded. Aside from that, what are some features that you wish it had?

They've started sending the MMS through email, at least for ones coming from Sprint users.

And it has never reached the rest of the world.

It makes Google Reader look like a vibrant growing community, in comparison, which makes me think its ripe for cancellation, which annoys me. I've been using it as a forwarding / voicemail service for years across three carriers. Its very convenient, it just works.

I'm somewhat hoping that Twilio comes out with something similar. They've already got the infrastructure set up, just need someone do a bunch of API work.

Where can I buy myself a tinfoil hat?

www.google.com

So this is integrating Google voice and hangouts? Still separate on my android, but if so, I suppose you might say it could be inevitable..

It's still two separate apps on iOS too, though this does appear to be a step toward a unified product that's less of a kludge than voice has been on its own.

Does this work on android devices too?

Not yet.

"We have massive investment in Android. I promise you will be happy soon."

http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/10/18/free-voip-calls-now-...

Doesn't seem to, although the last update was a few weeks ago. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.and... There are apps that do this though, I use GrooVe IP for example.

I use that, too. You can configure your phone so that outgoing and incoming calls use wifi when it's there, and the cell connection when it's not, automatically, and you can use the phone's default dialer. This kind of flexibility is not available on iOS.

I have a feeling that this would be part of new Android. I would say they want to merge traditional voice and text into Hangouts

Hangouts is looking to get a huge update for 4.4 (integrated SMS and more). I'm sure we'll see it then.

There were apps to do this a long time ago, at least 3 years ago I remember texting and voice calling with the first iPod touch with retina screen with a VoIP app. I forget the specific app name though, and the mic wasn't that great. I remember calling someone and they said that they couldn't really hear me, but they guessed what I had called them about anyway because of the specific time. Google's apps might be more convenient than the app I used and/or cheaper, but they weren't the first.

It says: There have been several inexpensive or free “turn your iPod Touch into a wifi phone” gimmick apps or services over the past few years, but they’ve always been a hassle (listen to a 30 second ad before your call begins..) or short-lived – so, I’ve just always dialed directly with my brick phone, and told my contacts “my real number is the google voice #, ignore the caller id”.

Which is not really true, skype have been providing real phone service for years.

The biggest difference is that you have to have a Skype In number, which is yet another phone number to give to people and for them to have to manage. Plus, it costs $5/mo. I like the one-time charge to port my number to Google Voice, and I'll simply answer the device that's closest to me at the time.

The author is running iOS 7, so his iPod Touch was already a "free" wifi phone, using FaceTime Audio.

As far as I know, FaceTime audio only allows you to call other FaceTime users, not old-fashioned landlines, mobile phones etc.

Google Voice is nothing new though. Google voice already offered VOIP (I regularly use an app called "Talkatone" for this). What's changed is that Google now offers a nicely packaged, official app for this.

True, didn't think about that.

FaceTime only lets you connect to that small percentage of the world that uses FaceTime. FaceTime won't work on Windows (91% of PCs) nor will it work on Android (80% of shipped smartphones last quarter). So it's not really a viable solution unless you only talk to Apple users.

Your sibling comment already pointed out my mistake with no unnecessary snark.

No snark intended. Just included some stats for context. I'm not sure where you are, but I have a few dev friends in the valley that have a habit of forgetting that context.

This has been available in the form of Talkatone (on the App Store) for at least 3 years. This is nothing new.

This is good news and because I don't make calls frequently, I'm selling the iPhone and iPad for the next Verizon iPad mini with month-to-month data. Just tired of paying $90/mo for voice minutes that are mostly forfeited anyways. VOIP and telephony apps all the way!

Just an FYI: you cannot send/recive MMS (this includes Group Messages) with a Google Voice number. This doesn't matter to many of us, but if you still have contacts that rely on these protocols just be aware before you port your number to GV.

oddly, i do get occasional mms messages on my google voice #. most of the time, it doesn't work though.

Buddy has been doing this for a while with an old 3GS. Problem is if he's not on wifi he can't take a call so I end up leaving home a voicemail and waiting hours for him to call back.

For some people, that "problem" is a feature.

More like "Google turned my iPod touch into one of their data-hoarding drones. But I don't care about my data, as long as I get a free service in return!".

As if any other carrier is any different?

I'm not one to overly worry about data collection, but there is a difference between giving all your data to the same company and different data to different companies. Consider the reactions when Google itself changed their T&C to unify all their services.

So... voice, the telephony app can be used for sending text messages. And hangouts, a text based chat service can be used to make phone calls. Great logic there google!

Problem is, when is the last time google voice has been improved? Sounds like it's going down the hole of google reader.

To be fair, Facebook has had this for close to a year now (albeit on on an iPod, but other cellular devices.)

Great news. Might finally be able to delete skype! I really have to wonder why it took them so long though.

I used SIP on that for years, what's the big news?

TIL. devs continue using google after NSA revelations. They also praise google voice. google and apple ftw yo.

In light of all the NSA revelations, I think we can say that using Google Voice is probably not any more dangerous than using any other type of SMS or telephone service.

That's not the point, though, is it?

Isn't it? OP was suggesting boycotting a particular company and someone responded to essentially say "Boycott them in favour of whom?"

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