Has anyone explored TruPhone, which includes unlimited free incoming calling on their PayGo SIM (which costs $30 and includes a $15 service credit), and using the Voice+ app with Google Voice to make outgoing calls into incoming calls?
Hi. Interesting question. Some months ago I bought the $30 Truphone sim to use for a trip to Europe and still have over $13 left of the $15 dollar credit. When I first purchased the sim, I did not even think about the free incoming call feature. But now that R+ is kaput, I am using it as a forwarding phone with GV.
I have not yet tried using it with the Voice+ app and I have mixed feelings about doing so. I haven't read the full TOS as of yet, but if they do not permit one to use an app such as the Voice+ app that would produce some interesting questions. Would TruPhone be able to detect such use, and ,if not,should one use the app if TruPhone has clearly stated that it violates their TOS? Also, would it violate the TOS if I call friends and family members who have unlimited voice plans and ask them to call me right back so as to save money, thereby only spending 9 cents for , say, a one hour phone call?
What's more, I also use GV and an Obi for my home phone, and a member on the R+ forum mentioned that there is a way to have the Obi call your TruPhone and connect you to whoever you just dialed out to, which appears to be the same behavior as the Voice+ app.
So it would be great to hear what other members think about this Truphone subject.
Note that the PayGo balance never expires as long as you make one outgoing call every 90 days. I haven't seen anything in the ToS precluding using the service as suggested above.
Also, I think the official Google Voice app for the iPhone has a built-in feature where outgoing calls are turned into incoming calls.
I would think that would be abuse even if it is not specifically mentioned. I think I tried it once and it didn't work. Can't remember if that was voice+ but I felt uneasy doing it.
Wow, can you verify if this is for sure? I don't use iPhone but know several who do...
TruPhone would be attractive if/when their SIM price comes down;
$30 just to check it out seems a bit too high to us to be practical.
In the dispersion from RP we're now using a total of 4 services via both CDMA & GSM & the total outlay for all the most recent changes is presently zero dollars due to promotions & bonuses;
Before that became a need the highest cost service we got was a $20 Tracfone with a year + 800 minutes & a bunch of $1 SIM kits with minutes that triple on that phone.
All things considered then, the notion of spending $30 on just a single SIM even if it comes with a 50% credit in usage fees covered - just doesn't ring any bells here.
But that's just my 2.5 cents on the idea from my own POV.
If you're going to convert outgoing calls into incoming, then it isn't 50% off; it is essentially 100% off. And for that one-time $30 you get indefinite unlimited calling.
I've known about Truphone for a while and never bitten.
I think the SIM was in the $15 range a while back.
I have Google Voice and an obihai so could set it up for free outgoing calls. And no doubt I could get an app to do the same.
But I'm actually a low voice and phone based sms user (I use my GV number for text subscriptions). Data is more useful for me.
So I'd rather have simplicity for the few phone calls I make and data for text and other reasons.
In fact, I've begun to make outgoing calls to selected people without google voice because I value the line clarity.
Yes, this appears to be entirely possible. And the fact that one need only make a call once every 6 months to keep the account active is another plus. Moreover, Truphone runs off the AT&T network, which provides the best signal ( all signal bars always lit up ) of the big 4 in my corner of the world. That said, 100% off or free service is an ethical quagmire for me, for if everyone who used Truphone used the Voice+ app or a similar method for free outgoing calls , TruPhone would soon be the most popular cell provider in the world and, ipso facto, would be the quickest to go bankrupt, which leads me to believe that such behavior is strictly prohibited.
Thus, to my thinking, the unlimited free ( there must be some limitations ) incoming calls combined with the occasional 9c a minute outgoing call is well worth the off putting $30 initial outlay for my needs.
Since I really like truphone please don't abuse it!!!
I've had mine for years though I've hardly used them they are great for backups. I was lucky to get a UK sim when they let you buy them here in the US. Great for my infrequent UK incoming business calls. They don't stick to the one call per 90 day rule at all as well. Mine were idle for a whole year and I fired them up a couple of days ago and they worked just fine. No instant R+ type suspensions here!
They were better when it was tmobile with att roaming to me but still good with just ATT.
When will we see TrumpPhone?
Where can a Dual SIM phone be obtained very inexpensively and which models would be ideal to use with TruPhone + FreedomPop?
Does anyone have experience using the Voice+ callback app? Particularly after Google Voice's app upgrade a couple of weeks ago which reportedly broke the Voice+ callback ability.
There are some things that people haven't mentioned about TruPhone.
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Their sim really is different. It can hold up to I think 3 distinct phone numbers (you have to pay $8.00/month for each additional line). But this is great if you're going abroad and want a local number. It can be added without you changing your sim. (For the countries they've partnered with)
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Yes, you can call out for very cheap/free. I don't know how the google component works, but I use it with my Obi. Don't abuse, this though. 90% of my calls/texts are incoming anyway, so I don't actually mind paying a bit for out-going, the few times I have to. If you want to be 'fair', go ahead and call out and ask the other person to call you back.
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Their customer service has been BRILLIANT, they're very well trained and knowledgeable about things. They do the legwork when things need to be escalated.
A TruPhone question, for anyone who might have a better idea than I do...
Sometimes my family wants to text me, but they're at a computer (or they want to send a group text without it being MMS). Anyway. Most carriers provide an SMS Gateway for this kind of thing.
I can't find it anywhere on Tru's website. Nor does it come up in other places I've tried to search. They might not have one because of their uniqueness, but I'd like to help my family out with it if I can.
Textmagic seem to be offering a service to email a text to any number.
Alternatively, this website gives you the direct gateway.
Thanks for suggesting text magic.
Freecarrier doesn't provide that info for Tru:
Carrier: Truphone Jersey UK-LAX/Level 3 (Syniverse)
Is Wireless: n
I just noticed at the truphone website, close to the bottom that incoming calls and texts are free. I thought it was only for incoming calls. The sim is still quite expensive with credit given.
Yes--it seems that way, but, to me, the free incoming calls and texts, the AT&T network, and the fact that taxes are included in the charges make it appealing . The 9 cents a min. USA rate for outgoing calls and mbps of data are reduced to about 7.5 cents for California people who pay about 17.05 % tax rate on their cell phone bills. And if one divides the total of incoming and outgoing call minutes by 2, assuming that one uses about equal amounts, then the per minute rate is cut in half. Add the fact that one's credit or money in the account never expires if not used, then it's not a bad deal. I use mine on a dual sim phone with GV-- so all incoming are free and I call out and use data with the other sim. Oh, thanks for pointing out the incoming free texts mentioned on the website, for I do not remember seeing that before. Also, the service has been flawless for me.
If you're okay with using TMobile, Toggle Mobile also provides free incoming calls and free incoming text. For outgoing calls they're much less expensive than TruPhone. Outgoing is 3 pence/minute. Outgoing texts are 9 pence/text and data is 15 pence/MB.
You can buy a SIM directly from them. Or you can purchase a £10 SIM for £12 plus shipping on eBay. The £10 SIM with shipping would cost a total of about $20 to the US.
It includes a free US number that expires every 30 days but can be renewed. If you want the same number without having to renew, it costs £5/year.
The balance and service never expires as long as you make at least one outgoing call or text once every three months. There's no requirement to add additional funds.
*** I can and do use T-mobile, and I did have a look at Toggle mobile some time ago, but the data cost was a drawback for me. At the time, the exchange rate betwixt pence and the US penny was much worse for US people than it is now ( 3 pence=about 4 cents--the lowest ever, so I'm told ) and I had had better success with AT&T than with T Mobile. But that was before I had a dual sim phone-- so now I could use both a Toggle and Truphone sim--one for outgoing calls and either for incoming. But , even though I need little data, I still balk at data costs on both sims. I've been trying and liking Speedtalk mobile and have been thinking about getting their yearly plan with rollover data, which might be cheaper in the long haul for my data and outgoing call needs. But in any case, thanks for reminding me of Toggle, for it might be the most viable option. It's hard out here being a penny pincher.