Who remembers when we had to wake up at midnight just to make free calls to our friends and loved ones? The idea of free ‘’midnight calls’’ back then was so popular, so many people would starve themselves of a good night sleep just to talk for free. But now you don’t need to deprive yourself of sleep to make free calls, because there’s an app for that.
Or several apps for that.
Here are 10 apps you can use today to make free calls, day or night. All you need is a smartphone and data or Wi-Fi.
1. Facebook Messenger: Did you know you could make free video calls with Facebook Messenger? There’s a video icon on the top right corner of your existing Facebook Messenger conversation that allows you to make free video calls. One great advantage of this application is, since most apps require users to use the app before they can call, it’s safe to say 90% of your friends already use Facebook. This feature is currently available for iOS and Android users in Nigeria and several other countries.
2. Skype: Here’s another popular service you could use. It’s especially popular among business professionals who use it for group calls and messaging. Skype also works on most mobile operating systems (like Android, iOS and BlackBerry) and computer operating systems.
3. FaceTime: Apple’s FaceTime, like most of Apple’s apps, work on only Apple’s devices – iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, or Mac. To set up FaceTime, all you need is your Apple ID and your email address. Now, for your friends who don’t have FaceTime installed but have Apple devices, all you need to do is call them from your address book, phone book or email, and they receive an invitation on their devices. Once the invitation is accepted, your video call begins. Pretty neat right?
4. WhatsApp: Put your hands up if you’ve used WhatsApp to chat. Now, put your fist up if you’ve used it to call. WhatsApp allows free calls even to other countries. However, you need to have at least a BlackBerry 10 device and it’s also available on Android and iOS. You can use WhatsApp calling over Wi-Fi or your data connection.
5. Line: Line is another great app for free video and voice calls. One thing I love Line for, is their stickers (I love stickers and chat emotions, don’t judge me). The app runs on your PC (Windows and Mac), your Android, Windows Phone, iPhone and Nokia devices. Oh, Line also allows for video and photo sharing too.
6. Viber: ‘’Talk, message, and talk and message some more – for free!’’. Viber is a simple yet efficient platform. It also works on Android, BlackBerry, Nokia, Windows Phone and iPhone. The app boasts of high quality voice calls between Viber users, and really low call rates between a Viber user and a non-Viber user.
7. Magic App by Magic Jack: This app is strictly a “call” app. It doesn’t allow for texting or file sharing like the rest on the list. Another interesting thing about the app is, if you are in the U.S or Canada, you can still make free calls to non-Magic App users.
8. BlackBerry Messenger: If you are on the BlackBerry 10 series, on Android or own an iPhone, you will see a green icon on the top corner of your chat. Tapping that icon will call your contact either over Wi-Fi or your data connection.
9. Google Hangout: Did you think I was going to leave out Google’s social network? Many people see Google Hangout as just another social media network, but you can actually use the app for free calls too. There are different ways to use the app for calls though, depending on the device. You can use it for Android (of course), iOS and your computer.
10. Tango: Tango is a fairly popular app too. It is sort of like a social network + messaging app + game app + call app. But it gets the job done. As with other apps on the list, your friends need to be on Tango for you to make free calls. You can also make calls to other numbers at a pretty low rate. The reason I love Tango is because of … the name Tango!
So there you have it. No need for midnight calls, just get the app for that. Did I miss any of your favourite apps? Let me know in the comments below.
