How To Call From iPad Air 2
Apple iPad tablets, even in the Cellular version (with a built-in LTE modem), cannot call. Absolutely. The user can install a third-party messenger or use the Facetime service, but still there will be no possibility to contact the required subscriber using a regular landline or mobile number.
The solution to the problem lies in the use of third-party telephony services, for which only a stable Internet connection is sufficient.
In this article we do not undertake to cover the entire market for such solutions; there are really a lot of them. Even Google Hangouts for quite some time now allows you to make calls to some numbers in the US and Canada. Absolutely free. Instead, we will look at three relatively convenient, popular and universal software products, and try to choose the best.
1. Wephone | official site
Ios: Free Ad-Free Application
Pros: Pleasant rates, simplicity, test call
The WePhone application has a simple and pleasant design. Which is very pleased, because the service site is literally striking with some clumsiness.
After downloading the application from the Appstore, no settings or registration is required. Only a few permissions to access iPad features.
On the first test call, the user is immediately given 10 cents. Not very generous, but this is enough for one or two minutes of communication with almost any mainland. Thanks to the very, very affordable WePhone tariffs.
We used a test minute by calling the cell number from the Megafon Siberia network. A minute cost 9 cents; There is no connection fee. Dialing to the target subscriber takes about ten to fifteen seconds, about two times longer than with a regular long-distance telephone call. But the sound quality could be called impeccable (better than with a regular 3G mobile connection).
During a conversation, the called subscriber displayed an incoming call from a Moscow landline number. At the same time, the program has the ability to activate the display of any of its numbers, as if the call is made from it. To bind to the specified number, a short call will be received from the American number, by which a four-digit confirmation code will be called with a metal female voice.
2. Rebtel | official site
Ios: free ad-free app
Pros: a wide selection of tariff options, three minutes per test call
Rebtel has been in the market for a long time. The seriousness of the application and the site are immediately noticeable, and not only in a good, but also in a bad sense: for at least some actions with the program, you will first have to attach it to your phone number. To do this, he will receive a call from a stationary Russian number from Moscow or St. Petersburg, where a metallic English voice will prompt you to press the unit in tone mode to confirm the action.
When registering, the user is not given “free money”, as is the case with WePhone. Instead, three trial minutes are activated, which can be spent on a call absolutely anywhere. After the trial minutes have been spent, you will have to fill out a profile with your personal data and deposit money into your account. Almost all available tariff plans are limited regionally and in time, and in general, do not look particularly cheap by Russian standards. However, they will still save a lot of money if the user often needs to call abroad. Especially in European and North American countries.
A test call made to the same number as in the case of WePhone gave normal voice quality. For the called subscriber, the call looked as if it was made from the number to which our Rebtel account was originally associated.
3. Skype | official site
Ios: free ad-free app
Pros: the ability to completely abandon the phone
Unlike the Windows version of the application, Skype for iPad is not annoying with advertising. I. Unlike the version for Android. Doesn’t crash every five minutes for no reason.
True, three out of five stars in the App Store still say that Microsoft does not pay enough time to work on stability.
Almost everyone had a call or a regular conversation via Skype in their life, at least once. But it’s not very customary to use paid program features in our country. Therefore, we will try to set out a little more.
Calls can be made either without subscription, or on the basis of a regularly paid tariff plan. The first option can be described as “put money on the account and call“; it is suitable only for rare calls, since for calls without a tariff plan the cost will be much higher, and the so-called connection fee.
The second will require linking a credit card to your Skype account and choosing a specific tariff. It will not be so cheap, but it will be very profitable for large volumes of conversations with other countries. Once in a certain period of time, the cost of the selected tariff will be debited from the linked card. Sometimes Microsoft also arranges a variety of promotions, offering to try some kind of paid tariff for free for several days or even a month. The trick lies in the fact that to activate the offer you need to confirm the bank card number, and at the end of the trial period (if you do not disable the subscription in advance), money will be debited. Not everyone will notice.
In our test for voice quality, Skype unexpectedly turned out to be slightly worse than the services described above. Which, however, is probably compensated by the lower consumption of mobile traffic. If Skype does not provide low rates and maximum voice quality, then why do we need it, the reader will ask?
The answer lies in additional features. Skype allows you to not only make calls, but also send SMS messages, and you can also buy yourself own internationally available number in one of 24 economically developed countries. Ireland, Germany, USA, Hungary, Australia. A complete list is shown in the image just above. The acquisition can be used in the same way as a regular phone number; receive calls and messages, as well as call yourself. This separate service is not cheap, for example, 30 euros (approx. 2000 rubles) per year for a room in New Zealand. But for frequent travel or business, such a thing can be simply irreplaceable.
