New Vonage app provides free calls using Facebook

Updated Emily Banks 0 Tallied Votes 478 Views Share

Vonage, the voice over broadband service provider, announced today the release of its new mobile app that provides free calls from mobile phones to other Facebook users with the same application.

The new app, called Vonage Talk Free, marks the beginning of the company's attempt to reach a broader, and likely younger audience. The idea really is ingenious, bringing new customers into the Vonage VoIP system without setting up a new account or purchasing a new device. For the most part it works with the infrastructure already in place.

"The Vonage Mobile app for Facebook is a tangible example of our commitment to deliver extraordinary value and a better communications experience for individuals and their social networks, across broadband-enabled devices, around the world," said Marc Lefar, Chief Executive Officer of Vonage Holdings Corp in a statement today. "This is just the start. In the future we will expand on this service to include a wide range of integrated voice and messaging services that change the way people communicate."

The app is free to download and free to use and works on most Wi-Fi and 3G/4G networks in the world, according to the company. So far the app is available on the iPhone, iPod Touch and Android phones.

There's also no need to remember screen names or phone numbers with the app, according to the press release. The app utilizes users' existing network of friends and calls are placed with a single touch.

The app can be purchased through the Android Market and in the App Store, as well as through Vonage's Facebook page and at .

Dani AI

Generated

A short, practical update for readers who find this thread years after the original announcement: the Facebook-linked Vonage experiment described above was a product of its time, and two classes of platform changes have since altered how — or whether — an app like that continues to work. First, Facebook changed its Graph API in 2014 so an app can only enumerate a user’s friends who have also authorized that same app; many social-discovery flows based on the old friend list no longer behave as they did in 2010. Second, mobile OS and store rules (notably iOS’s removal of 32‑bit app support with iOS 11) mean older apps that haven’t been updated can simply stop launching on modern phones. (macrumors.com)

Quick checklist if trying to use or revive the app now:

  • Confirm the vendor’s current mobile offering and the app’s last-update date (Vonage lists its maintained mobile apps and business apps on its downloads page).
  • If calls or friend-discovery fail, re‑authenticate the Facebook connection and re-grant any permissions the app requests — Graph API rules now limit which friends are returned.
  • On iPhone, an app that hasn’t been updated since mid‑2015 may be 32‑bit and won’t run on modern iOS; check device/OS compatibility.
  • On Android, verify the app has runtime permissions (microphone, background data, local network as needed) in Settings; modern Android enforces explicit runtime permissions for microphone/camera.
  • If audio quality or NAT issues appear, try a stable Wi‑Fi network and restart the app/device; if problems persist, remove and reinstall the app so the platform prompts for fresh permissions. (vonage.com)

If these steps don’t help, the simplest path is to move to a currently maintained VoIP/messaging app or to Vonage’s up‑to‑date mobile/business apps (check the vendor downloads page). For people who closed or deactivated their Facebook account (as noted), any Facebook‑authenticated app will need a valid Facebook login to reauthorize; for those still using the app (like ), keep an eye on store update dates and OS compatibility. (vonage.com)

Further reading: original 2010 coverage of the launch and technical followups are useful for historical context. (macrumors.com)

Member Avatar for Member #949455
Member #949455

New Vonage app provides free calls using Facebook

I did try that before I close my Facebook account. Not bad. I like the app. Nice article.

halenmartinez 0 Junior Poster in Training

nice app, i all ready using this.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.