US Number and Incoming Calls While Abroad
 

Hi,
I would like to add a US incoming number to my UK phone so my parents can easily call me when I am abroad.

1. Skype - offers an incoming US number, however the Skype App for iOS is not that good - even when open I cannot see who is calling me and end up getting a missed call.

2. Google Voice - I have a US based Google Voice account setup, however I cannot get the calls to ring to my iPhone even with the app open.

Any other ideas?

Thanks,
George

The Google Voice app for iOS doesn't work for incoming voice calls. It's mainly a dialing out, texting and voicemail retrieval app.

If you want your parents to call your Google Voice number and have it ring your iPhone directly, get the free app Talkatone, which will use your data connection to route the call. It will work over wifi and 3G, but be sure you have a large enough data allowance for 3G calls. Keeping Talkatone running in the background is a bit of a battery drain, however.

I think a more reliable option would be to get a Skype In number in the US for your parents to call. Set your Skype account to forward calls to your UK number. This won't be free - about 25 cents/min or whatever Skype charges for calls to your UK number. So, you'll need to keep your Skype account topped up. But you won't need to have a good data connection since it will just be a regular phone call.

What mobile network are you on? O2 have this product - not sure if any of the other networks have something similar:

https://if.o2.co.uk/templates/home.aspx

Basically they will assign you a US number for your phone so people in the US can call it like a regular domestic number. May be worth looking into this.

Plus 3000 minutes for you to call three US numbers. What a great feature! ^

This is a great idea, however I am using Vodafone Corporate plan (which I get through my employeer) not sure if they will have the bolt on for this.

I will check this out thank you.

I use Skype and Skype to Go to call my parents ($3/month for unlimited US and Canada) which works really great. The Skype app is great at home over Wifi, however it is rubbish for notifications. Even if I have the app loaded in the background, I miss notifications of people sending me messages and call on Skype.

Thanks

The do not have a smartphone? We use viper ...

An alternative to Talkatap is an app called GrooveIP - both have the same function of routing calls to your google voice number to your phone via a data connection. I plan on using one (or both) of these apps in Europe in a few months.

No, this isn't what I'm saying. Get a Skype In number (a regular phone number in the country of your choice that rings your Skype account). Set your Skype account to forward all calls to your UK mobile number. Your UK mobile will ring because its number is being called. You don't use the Skype app on your phone.

if they are only calling you from home is it that hard to set up calling from home ?
01144 and your UK number

or set-up a onesuite account and add your parents number so they do not have to imput the access number, only your UK number

Soarer

What I'd recommend is a Piranha Mobile SIM card (but not using the SIM card most of the time). They give you a US number in the area of your choice and UK mobile number with VOIP. Install the VOIP client and you can receive free calls over 3g or wifi where the connection is good plus it forwards to a UK mobile number fo $0.08 a minute. (Search on their call forwarding rate).

When you are visiting the US you can use the SIM in the US as a local number that everyone knows and when you are and it gives you a good back up sim for foreign travel or personal usage that you don't want on your business phone.

I have an iOS phone and one thing I don't like is the fact that VOIP applications can't build themselves into the dialer the way they can on Android phones. If you have any sort of security on the phone, it is a race to unlock the phone quick enough to grab a VOIP call. Piranha's VOIP client integrates well with Acrobits.

I don't think Piranha is the cheapest solution for outbound calls, but it is not bad. I'm just suggesting it because if gives you the most utility in a single provider solution and the $0.08 to a UK mobile is pretty good.


Stu

http://voip.ms or similar will be your best bet.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...-overseas.html for all of the details...

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Rebtel is another option.

I have been using Kall8.com for a while, I have a US toll free number that I forward to my international number when I'm out of the country. It may not be the least expensive, or the most sophisticated solution, but it does what I want it to do, and it does it very well.

People call my number
My phone rings with the number I've forwarded it to

Am I mis-reading their website, or do they really charge $2-5/month plus 6.9 cent/minute for that? (Higher to international)

There are dozens of providers that will do it for half that price...

I'm sure there are.

But as I said

I have been with them for years and they work. To me it's more than worth it paying two or three pennies extra per call for something I have confidence in that has been around for years then going with something that may or may not work.

If you have other suggestions for the OP, please don't hesitate, I offered what I use, and I have no intentions on changing from something that has never let me down to save a pennies per call.