Wanting a virtual cell phone for iOS and desktop, looking at 2Talk, but SMS costs and functionality unclear.

Forums › VoIP › Wanting a virtual cell phone for iOS and desktop, looking at 2Talk, but SMS costs and functionality unclear.

Baboon

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# 173409 22-May-2015 06:54

G'day.

I'm trying to avoid the expense of another real cell phone and plan, by using an app on iOS (and desktop too I guess - is that an option?). So far as I can see, in NZ my only option for a virtual cell phone is 2Talk - is that right?

Before I buy, my biggest question is about their rates. It's very unclear from their site, but maybe I'm just tired, I dunno. What I need to know is how much SMS texting costs to and from the app, and how things work when I run out of credit - is there an auto-recharge feature as with Skype (my current virtual landline solution)?

Any and all advice is welcome. But I don't want a real phone, just apps. Unless, and I'm told it's not, setup isn't too damn hard. I recall during my brief foray with WXC's VFX service and their supplied WAG54GP2 I never could get it all working well enough - people could barely hear me, yet Skype worked really well on the same connection. Which is why I went with and stayed with Skype the past eight years I think it's been.

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# 1309642 22-May-2015 07:41

I'm not quite sure what you mean by a "virtual cellphone", because that's not what 2talk is. They are a VoIP provider, just the same as WxC.

You can use an app on your phone or desktop with pretty much any VoIP provider.

timmmay

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# 1309643 22-May-2015 07:45

Can you tell us what you're trying to achieve? Another number for some reason - a business number? A number you can call from/to and txt from/to?

Baboon

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# 1309647 22-May-2015 07:54

Virtual cellphone - calls and SMS with a softphone. 2Talk do say (though it is well hidden) that they support SMS to and from an 028 number on their mobile apps.

I decided to move forwards and sign up to the free pay as you go option, just to try things out. It isn't going well. Before I can even try the service I'm stuck being unable to connect a call to their 0508 100 208 setup number - on my current service it just results in a recorded Telecom message pretending the number doesn't exist, as moronic Telecom does when a call cannot be connected because the provider refuses. I tried another VoIP app to call, but my account number is not recognised when I input it (problem with the tones that VoIP app sends or did I get a bum account number? No way to tell yet).

Why on Earth don't 2Talk just allow me to setup things online? I don't get it - why piss around with these extra steps involving phone calls, especially if you're going to use a number you've not setup so every provider can connect to it, as I can with every landline, mobile, and nearly every other 0800 or 0508 tollfree number?

*frustration over totally pointless complications and troubles that could be so easily avoided with a little sense and planning*

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sbiddle

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# 1309666 22-May-2015 08:45

2talk do allow you to set up an account instantly online in a few minutes. As for that 0508 number, I've got no idea where you got that number from because it's not a valid number.

Baboon

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# 1309996 22-May-2015 17:03

I got the 0508 number from 2Talk's signup email https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1442584/Screen%20shot%202015-05-22%20at%205.00.19%20PM.PNG

But now I'm stuck (after their support manually signed me up, avoiding the 0508 call part) with this "Registration failure io error" in the app https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1442584/IMG_0226.PNG

Does 2Talk software even work? If so, I'm guessing it's a long way from the ease of use of any other VoIP app I've ever used, and I'm only a few minutes in... :-(

"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us."

- Calvin and Hobbes (Bill Watterson)

Baboon

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# 1310013 22-May-2015 17:08

Bugger me this is bad. Now I get this trying to create a support account (I think) while logged in to my 2Talk web account. One wonders why the two are not just the same... Anyway - I get the following rubbish: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1442584/Screen%20shot%202015-05-22%20at%205.06.31%20PM.PNG

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robjg63

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# 1310037 22-May-2015 17:59

I have a 2talk account and set it up several years back - was pretty easy.

That said I just downloade the PC client and cant get that to work at all.
Just tried the 0508 number on my tablet (I set it up with Zoiper to use 2talk).
The 0508 number works ok - send them an email and tell them it doesnt work on spark....

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robjg63

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# 1310063 22-May-2015 18:32

That 0508 number works on on vodafone landline, also works from skinny mobile.....

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Baboon

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# 1310068 22-May-2015 19:06

I don't understand how this can be so bad. Despite the "io" error, the iOS 2Talk app is now working, and I've made and received calls, though I'm told the first test call to be did not work, but the second did.

However I'm now having frequent crashes in the app, it's contacts management is awful and seems a bit broken with iOS 8, plus receiving and sending of SMS often fails without any indication.

"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us."

- Calvin and Hobbes (Bill Watterson)

robjg63

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# 1310070 22-May-2015 19:20

The 2 talk network is pretty good - it is resold by many vendors.
I would say their apps are a bit sh*t though.
As mentioned I installed zoiper (google play store) and it works ok on that for me.
Perhaps its worth installing another SIP softphone - the parameters are available on the 2talk help pages.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

cyberhub

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# 1310072 22-May-2015 19:27

2Talk are tricky to get hold of but they have a pretty good self provisioning system.
I tried the app a while ago and I had issues with it so just brought a desk phone and a ata voip box with two phone lines connected to it and I have never had an issue with it.

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sbiddle

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# 1310084 22-May-2015 19:41

That 0508 number doesn't work from WxC

Baboon

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# 1310107 22-May-2015 19:50

I would consider a 'real' phone, but I wanted SMS and I understand that is only available via the iOS and Android apps.

Another annoyance - Skype and other VoIP apps require the leading zero in area codes to be left off (as they treat all numbers as if they're dialed internationally) for the Address Book app numbers to work with them. But 2Talk will try to dial the number, e.g. 9 123 1231 as a local number and it thus fails. In other words 2Talk's interfacing with Address Book is useless to me, so I'll have to use it's own contacts and input numbers there with the leading zero.

I swear it's like none of the 2Talk devs ever actually USED their own app in practice.

Meanwhile SMS messages sent and received continue to be a crapshoot as to whether they make it, and the app crashes all the time.

How does a company survive with such a bad product?

"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us."

- Calvin and Hobbes (Bill Watterson)

richms

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# 1310158 22-May-2015 21:28

The number should be in your contacts as +6421xxxxxxxx or whatever. I only used the app ages ago and it was functional but not very good quality over 3G

Richard rich.ms

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# 1310162 22-May-2015 21:33

One person supports this post

Regardless of app I always store number in international format - very helpful in case I am overseas and THEN it would be a mess.

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