We have seen some good VoIP iPhone apps like Fring and Truphone for the iPhone, however the good news from Macworld 2009, which otherwise had very little iPhone News and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2009, was that things are going to get even better as Truphone has announced that very shortly they will be launching Skype calling on the iPhone.
If that's not good enough then Skype announced that they are also developing their own native client for the iPhone.
Truphone had recently released an updated version of their app which enables iPhone users to make low-priced international calls via the GSM network even when the iPhone is not connected to the Wi-Fi network.
Truphone made the following announcement at Macworld 2009:
That very shortly we will be launching Skype calling and IM on both the iPhone and the iPod touch apps. This means that you will be able to use Truphone to make and receive Skype calls and instant message."
DenverPost reported from CES 2009:
Scott Durschlag, Skype's Chief Operating Officer said:
This is great news for all those looking for VoIP apps to make cheap international calls using their iPhone over Wi-Fi.
Unfortunately, there were no details available on when Skype's iPhone app or Truphone's new version with Skype support will be released. We will definitely let you know when they are released.
I had started using Truphone when it was first released and found it to be a very solid app but switched to Fring as it lets you make Skype calls using the iPhone which are lot cheaper.
But with Truphone adding Skype support and Skype launching their much awaited iPhone app, we are soon going to be spoilt for choice.
Which VoIP app do you use on your iPhone and Why? We would love to hear from you in the comments.
Update (March 30, 2009):
Skype for iPhone is Available on the App Store
Disclosure: iPhone Hacks is an affiliate of Skype.
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Now if Apple would just let them run in the background. :-/
Hey JS,
You bet! Lets hope we see the Push Notification Service, Apple's solution to run iPhone apps in background in the next iPhone firmware update.
It was also heartening to hear that Skype engineers were focusing on cutting the amount of power the application consumes.
if your iphone is jailbroken, there is an awesome app that lets you run programs in the background very easily
Hey Josh,
Yeah you are right, I guess you are referring to:
http://www.iphonehacks.com/2008/10/backgrounder.html
However, running apps in the background would drain your iPhone's battery life quite quickly.
There needs to be a better solution then just allowing apps to run in the background like the desktop.
That's probably one of the main reasons Apple has delayed the launch of their Push Notification Service which was earlier expected to be released in September 2008.
That's good news. I've used Fring but it didn't work too well for chat. Lots of chat messages never made it. Either way.
I hope the Skype app is more reliable.
I use Pennytel a voip app by an Austrlian company. The call cost to major destiantions are much cheaper than Truphone.
7 aussie cents per call not per minute so a 2 hour call to the US is 7c fixed . They also offer call back and it can be used on your pc
Do you guys know of any VOIP that is free for local and national calls?
I'm using siax with backgrounder and it works great. To combat battery drain I just leave the iPhone sitting on its dock when I'm not using it.
We just tried the SIP client called "SipPhone on iPhone", it is in app store. With the cheap SIP account, It is much better than fring.
hey guys, even with all the trick of backgrounder to make the client sit in memory, i tot skype blocked the call when we use gsm data line, the call is only applicable to wifi rite?
anyone could clarify these. thanks…
btw, i would try "sipphone on iphone", i never heard this app before. will come back this thread again…