India is my favorite testing ground for testing VoIP applications. The savings have always been attractive and years ago I couldn’t have done business here if it wasn’t for VoIP programs including Skype. I thought this would be a good test for Truphone too. I’d also wanted to get Truphone working on the iPhone. It had been a godsend when in India in 2006 and so I’d installed it on the family iPhones.
So here’s the summary. Truphone doesn’t work for me. I’ve tried it with both my US SIM (it won’t make a free call – I just get a disconnected.) I then swapped out my SIM. I managed to make calls but every call costs $$$$$$! So I’m a little baffled. I’m also testing Jaxtr while here. I can tell you their FreeConnect service does work and is much much cheaper and doesn’t require a WiFi connection.
Truphone Update and Assessment:
I’d heard whispers that Truphone was “rescued” by the interest in their iPhone and iPod Touch apps. If so I can only hope they find a Blackberry or Android solution soon for from what I’ve seen it’s unworkable. Now here’s the deal. When you register your iPhone with Truphone, it uses your mobile number to create the account. This contrasts with the earlier solutions where they issued you a number. The problem. When you swap your US SIM card for an Indian one, Truphone is no longer able to make a truphone-to-truphone call which is free. Now from my perspective this is all bull. I have two iPhones I want to make calls between using Truphone. That call should be free. I can’t make that call.
So I checked “my account” and found I can’t change my phone number or add a second number. (This is something I used to be able to do.) I also can’t log out of my account on the iPhone and log in to a different one! Linking two accounts. No way! Now Truphone would probably say the iPhone is locked and you only need one number. If that’s the case then my comment would be… for an iPhone user with multiple SIM cards, Truphone doesn’t cut it. If I go out of the country then AT&T rates are expensive – ripoff expensive. Truphone rates are supposed to be better. How expensive. The call I made yesterday to an Indian Truphone user cost 50 cents for the minute (ie test connection of six seconds). Both iPhones had Truphone launched and thus both were iPhone users. But my SIM card change meant that for some reason it wasn’t recognized as a free call. Similarly for the other phone. It was recognized as a Truphone number. I of course wasn’t charged for the inbound call. The other phone was charged 20 cents per min.
Months ago I complained when Truphone changed their rate plan. I didn’t get it then. Today I get the iPhone plan even less. I’m willing to bet that after the download to the iPhone people just aren’t using this app. Yes it is cheaper than AT&T overseas.
I wanted to be fair. So I slipped my US SIM back in. It registered with VodaphoneIN ok. I then launched Truphone. I took the second iPhone and launched Truphone. I then tried to make free call between TruFriends. Two iPhones in the same room. It didn’t matter from which phone I tried this test on both failed to connect. I got “call failed”. So effectively end of test!
Maybe Truphone had to “lock” their app to a single SIM for approval by Apple. Wouldn’t surprise me. However, my conclusion is that VoIP and the iPhone will never work for as long as 1)iphone apps can’t run in the background and 2)it it locked to a single SIM card. The experiences I had using my N80 and N95 with Truphone over a few years as a truly useful app and convenient way to communicate at reasonable rates is gone. There are other dial-around solutions that are better (read both cheaper and easier to use or keep on) than Truphone for iPhone. I’m going to go back to looking for that ultimate VoIP app for the iPhone. I’m not sure if any of the first generation ones (good for the 2G iPhone) have progressed or are still around. I’ll have to have a look. Of note, call quality is important. That’s something Truphone still delivers. So anyone that tells me to use Fring… well I’m yet to get it to work for a clear call.
The strategy for apps like these is to get your buddies signed up and using them for free calls. In the iPhone case you have to do a lot of work to get them “online”. Frankly my whole experience with the iPhone and VoIP is one that says forget it. The terms and conditions are such that it isn’t attractive. I think the only application that might change my mind in that regard would be a Skype one although not being able to run it in the background is a problem. A final note. If iPhones have standard plans and are in countries with local dialing options (Jaxtr, Jajah, Gizmo etc) it will be simply cheaper to phone home that way.
My next set of tests will use Jaxtr’s FreeConnect service. That too is supposed to provide free calls. As it is very Phweet like (copycat!) I think it will be more interesting.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I received five questions about my post which I thought I’d clarify here. I’d also reaffirm I was looking to do WiFi / “Free calls” home while traveling.
1. Is you iPhone unlocked?
I’ve tested Truphone in both an locked mode and now unlocked. I had to unlock the iPhone to use my India SIM card on it. I used Quickpwn and Yellowsn0w.
2. Did you try to use a SIM already registered with Truphone?
At first I didn’t. I then put my US SIM in and tried again to make a call with another “unlocked” 2G iPhone that has a registered Indian SIM.
3. Is the iPhone Jailbroken?
Answered above.
4. Were you using any kind of SIM Shim such as Rebel SIM?
No I commented on this in a separate post yesterday too. RebelSIM seems like a good way to get your SIM stuck in the iPhone permanently.
5. Were you making calls over WiFi or trying Truphone Anywhere?
Only trying to make “free calls over WiFi”. By contrast using Jaxtr’s “FreeConnect” service which uses local numbers I was completing calls at next to no cost.
I remain a fan of the Truphone Nokia solutions. However the iPhone solution appears to have too many technical barriers to really make it interesting or effective. It’s less about Truphone and more issues with Apple / AT&T.
Separately, I’ve not really changed my view re “rates”. There are lower cost options available that work perfectly well. As a consumer device “rates” rather than “convenience” will be the focus of users. A traveler with an iPhone that’s locked is stuck with ridicuous rates. It takes only a couple of minutes to unlock the iphone now. Low cost calls home when traveling are important to me. It’s convenient when on the mobile rather than using Skype on a laptop.
I’m happy to help Truphone “test”.