Ever since the first VOIP call was created, the world has changed into a better place where it is possible to easily (and cheaply) keep in touch with people that matter in one’s lives, for a cost that was once unthinkable: free. However, and despite the ubiquity of VOIP technology, the only way to have a truly seamless integration of VOIP in the mobile phone experience is a Carrier-supported WiFi call feature, which is very rare.
And this friction is exactly who most people don’t use VOIP calls all the time. For sure, there are other factors such as call quality and the fact that you already pay for minutes (probably), but user experience “friction” has a lot to do with it.
Bridgecall may be the solution: it is an Android app, which aims at being invisible. It integrates completely with the existing phone app and contacts user interface in Android phones. Users simply place call the way
When a call is made, it determines if both parties are registered on BridgeCall, and if that’s the case, the call switched to a free VOIP call, without user intervention. If not, the call uses the standard voice call provided by the carrier. This is pretty much the way it should work.
For this to function properly, both parties need to have a data connection, whether 3G, 4G or WiFi. I’m not sure how much data it uses, but typically a good voice connection uses 28 Kbps which is quite small.
BridgeCall does an impressive job of integration that has eluded established players who all require users to open a different app. This gives Mobile Bridge Inc a chance to provide what users truly want: free calls that just work (whenever technically possible).
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