While the advent of cellphones has made landlines largely obsolete, people are still paying hundreds of dollars per month on cell phone bills.
However, it is possible to get rid of those bills by using built-in features on your smartphone to talk for free over the Internet. In fact, apps are available on both iPhone and Android phones that allow you to make calls for free.
Eliminate Cell Phone Bills
A technology called Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) makes it possible for you to place phone calls over a broadband connection from your smartphone for free.
VoIP works by converting the sound of your voice to a digital signal. This signal travels through the Internet to the destination you have called. If you have called a landline number, the digital signal will be converted into a regular telephone signal so you can talk.
In order to place phone calls, you will need to have a broadband Internet connection that you can connect to with Wi-Fi.
How to Talk for Free on Your Phone
Depending on whether you have an iPhone or Android phone, your phone has built-in apps that allow you to talk for free. As such, here are some apps that are available on both types of smartphones.
iPhone
FaceTime is an app in the Apple iOS and macOS systems. As such, it runs on iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and any current Mac computer.
When iOS 7 released, FaceTime added the ability for users to place free international voice calls via Wi-Fi and mobile data plans. People prefer making voice calls with FaceTime over video calls because voice calls do not consume as much data.
Having the ability to make free voice calls on your mobile device allows you to place calls without eating up bandwidth or calling minutes.
Android
Several apps on Android phones allow you to talk or video call for free. These include Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Google Duo.
Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger includes voice and video calling features for free. With the app, you can place free calls to other people on Messenger.
The voice call icon appears on the upper right of a person’s name. You can click it to initiate a voice call.
If you want to make a video call, the video icon is on the upper right next to the phone icon. The calls are free when you use Wi-Fi. If you are not using Wi-Fi, the video call will use your data.
WhatsApp is another Android app that allows you to place voice calls to people in your contacts. Calls that you make with WhatsApp are free. This even includes international calls.
To place a voice call with WhatsApp, simply open the contact that you want to call and tap the phone icon. People who receive incoming WhatsApp calls can accept them by swiping up. If you are on a voice call and want to switch to a video call, you can do so by tapping the video call icon.
Google Duo
Google Duo allows you to place free calls to anyone in your contacts list. All voice calls that you make with Google Duo are free if you are using your Wi-Fi connection. If you are using your phone’s data plan, the calls will be subtracted from your minutes.
To place a call using Google Duo, start by opening the app. Select the name of the contact that you want to call, and then tap on the voice or video call icon. The person who you are calling will receive an incoming call notification and can then accept your call. When you are finished talking, you can tap the end icon to end the call.
If you have Google Home devices, you can call them with Google Duo by tapping call home. Additionally, you can make calls with Google Duo from other apps.
Conclusion
With today’s VoIP integration in modern smartphones, there is no reason for you to pay hundreds of dollars per month on your cellphone bill. As long as you have access to a broadband Internet connection, you can place calls across the U.S., Canada, and internationally for free.
By taking action and using these apps, you can lower your cell phone bills or eliminate your costly monthly bills altogether.
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