The Truphone Blog

Truphone Slashes Mobile App Calling Rates

As from 1^st September, we're cutting our prices in a big way to offer you Truphone’s most incredible calling rates over Wi-Fi and 3G to date.

International calls from just 1.3p/2.1c per min!

We looked at our 37 most popular calling destinations and have reduced those call rates by at least 50%, which means you'll be able to talk for longer, for less.

So now you can call USA, UK, France, Australia, Canada and many more countries, for just 1.3p/2.1c* per minute!

And of course, you'll still be able to call Truphone, Skype and Google Talk users for free over Wi-Fi and 3G, anywhere in the world, from supported devices.

Upgrade to TruUnlimited and never worry about the time again

We've also reduced our TruUnlimited bundle to just £7.99/$12.95 per month which lets you call 38 countries for as long as you like, without having to worry about how much it's going to cost...

We're also saying goodbye to our TruSaver tariff as it's no longer the same great value it used to be. TruSaver customers will receive an email informing them about the changes.

Find out more about our new pricing now

Happy chatting,

The Truphone Team

p.s. If you have any questions, you can visit our support page within your app or by going to www.truphone.com/support 

* A connection fee of 3p/4.8c applies to each call made. Charges to premium rate numbers may vary.

Background calling on iPhone & iPod 4.0

Recently we released Truphone for iPhone 4.0 & iPod 4.0, which performed in background mode, allowing you to receive calls regardless of what other task you were performing at the time. We believe it’s a great feature that really expands the way you can use Truphone and make calls for free or next to nothing - but a few weeks into it, we are not happy with the way the app has been performing in background mode.

So, we’re doing something about it. We just pushed a new version into the App Store that has all the features you know and love from Truphone, but temporarily it doesn't have the feature that allows people to call you even when the app isn’t open. We’ll add this great feature back in as soon as we’re satisfied that it’s performing properly. You will however still be able to surf the internet and write emails whilst on a call – only the incoming call feature is affected.

If you've been experiencing any issues with the new app, we encourage you to download the new updated version of Truphone for iPhone or iPod and hope you like the results.

We’ll keep you updated with any future developments to background calling.

3G and background calling now available with Truphone v4.0

Unless you have been living in a cave over the past few months, you would have heard about iPhone 4, Apple's latest and greatest phone, which went on sale overnight.

To celebrate, we are all very excited to announce that we have just upgraded our iPhone and iPod touch applications to take advantage of some of the great new features with this launch.

So what’s new with these updates?

======

3G Calling

You can now place and receive calls over 3G networks! This means that you have the option to make calls as part of your data package even when out of Wi-Fi range.

======

Background calling

This has been one of most requested new features from users of our iPhone app, so one we are very excited about. Thanks to Apple iOS 4’s multi-tasking feature, you can now be on a call and running another application at the same time. You also won't miss incoming calls when running another application and you can place a call while surfing the Internet or checking email.

======

Truphone Instant Messenger

We have now added a new feature called Truphone Instant Messenger. For the first time, you will be able to chat via IM with other Truphone users as well as contacts on several of the most popular social networking sites, including Facebook, Skype, AIM, GoogleTalk and MSN – all in one place, without having to open up multiple IM applications.

======

Both are now available to download for free from the App Store, or via iTunes.

To download Truphone for iPhone v4.0, click here

To download Truphone for iPod touch v4.0, click here

If you already have either application, you can upgrade now via the App Store to get all of these new features (you will need to have upgraded to iOS 4 first).

Worry about your team, not your phone bill in South Africa.

The preparation is almost complete, the hard months of training are nearly over and the big event is just one day away… Now you just need your team to win!

The 2010 World Cup in South Africa is going to be an incredible event and with many fans travelling thousands of miles to watch their team, what better way to stay in touch with loved ones back home than with Truphone.

With a free Truphone application, you can make low cost calls over Wi-Fi to any local or international number. You can even make free calls to other Truphone, Skype or Google Talk users over Wi-Fi. Check out our rates to the 32 World Cup countries.

So when you arrive, check if your hotel has Wi-Fi and use Truphone to avoid expensive roaming rates. We’ve also got a list of Wi-Fi hotspots which can be found by visiting our special Truphone World Cup page.

Enjoy the World Cup and good luck!

Happy chatting,

The Truphone Team

New Twitter features added to Truphone for iPhone and iPod touch

Version 3.3 of our iPhone and iPod touch (2nd Gen) applications has just been released in the App Store, with some fantastic new Twitter add-ons to give all Twitterers an even better experience when using Twitter on Truphone.

The upgrade includes:

• Integration with yfrog and Twitpic, so you can post photos to your Twitter account
• Integration with bit.ly, so you can shorten links you want to tweet about
• Full Twitter search tools
• The ability to view direct messages as complete conversations
• The ability to follow and unfollow, and read the profiles of other Twitterers
• The ability to change your location, add map links and geotag tweets

This adds to the long list of great features already available, including free calls to Truphone, Skype and Google Talk users, and low cost international calling on the iPhone even if you aren't connected to Wi-Fi.

Upgrade now to take advantage of all the new features, or download if you don't have the application already, via one of the following.

Download Truphone v3.3

Download Truphone for iPod v3.3

iPod Touch is now also a phone

The 3 network in the UK has started selling an iPod Touch and a 3G Wi-Fi modem bundle (left, image courtesy of CNet). It’s on a £24 (about $40/26€) per month contract and you get the iPod Touch for free.

This provides iPod Touch with a constant Internet access and with some clever magic the almighty iPod can be easily turned into a (nearly) full-featured phone. And because iPod Touch will think it’s connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot, rather than a 3G network, most of the applications that are currently restricted on 3G should work, including Truphone, BBC iPlayer and others. 

Only thing that’s missing on an iPod Touch is a microphone so if you’re not a fan of one-way communication, you can get one of the iPod Touch microphone adaptors from our shop. It’s only a few pounds and we’ll also give you an extra £5/$5 calling credit when you top up £5/$5.

If you haven't downloaded Truphone for the iPod Touch yet, why not download it now for free.

Truphone Mic Adaptor review

iAligator was nice enough to review our iPod Touch Mic Adaptor, in the video below.

For anyone with an iPod touch 2nd Generation wanting to make calls using Truphone, you can buy our low cost, great quality Truphone Microphone Adaptor from here.

Truphone OS 3.0 now available, with voicemail notification

With the recent, and much-anticipated launch yesterday of the iPhone OS 3.0 software, we are delighted to announce that a new, OS 3.0 compatible version of Truphone for the iPhone is now available.

'Truphone OS 3.0 for iPhone' uses the new push notification technology in iPhone OS 3.0 to provide Truphone users with a great new feature - Truphone Voicemail with Message Waiting Alerts.

Truphone Voicemail with Message Waiting Alerts allows you to receive a real-time alert whenever another Truphone user leaves a message on your Truphone voicemail, even if you don't have the Truphone application open on your iPhone.

Truphone Message Waiting Alerts gives you:

• On-screen Message Box - tells you who has called and left a message
• App Icon Notification - tells you how many messages you have waiting
• Real-time alerts - gives your callers confidence their message will reach you quickly

This new feature is completely free, as is receiving calls, and retrieving and listening to your voicemail message.

To personalise your Truphone Voicemail Welcome Message, or retrieve your waiting messages, dial 1571 from the Truphone keypad, or click on the Voicemail contact in TruFriends.

How do I get Truphone OS 3.0?

Truphone OS 3.0 is only compatible with iPhone OS 3.0, so you will need to upgrade to iPhone OS 3.0 first (find out more here).

For new users, once you have done this, you can get Truphone OS 3.0 from here for free.

For existing Truphone for the iPhone users, please follow these instructions:

• STEP 1 - Delete your current version of the Truphone application (touch and hold the Truphone application icon until all icons shake, then select the 'x' that appears on the Truphone icon) and restart the iPhone
• STEP 2 - Go to the App Store and install 'Truphone OS 3.0 for iPhone' (not 'Truphone OS 2.0 for iPhone'). Select 'Existing customer' and tap 'Go'. You may be prompted for your account details. If you can't remember your password, you can reset it here

Please note, if users don't upgrade to the iPhone OS 3.0 software, then there don't have to do anything. Truphone will continue working as normal. Users who upgrade to iPhone OS 3.0 but don't install Truphone OS 3.0 for the iPhone may experience some quality issues though.

What about Truphone for the iPod touch?

The latest Truphone for the iPod touch application (v3.0), which launched on May 31, is already compatible with the OS 3.0 software, so users who have downloaded or upgraded the app since May 31 will not be affected. Download the iPod Touch OS 3.0 compatible version here.

Truphone 3.0 launches on the iPod touch

Following hot on the heels of the launch of Truphone 3.0 for the iPhone, our iPod touch customers will be happy to find out that we have now launched Truphone 3.0 for the iPod touch (2nd Gen) as well.

The new version dramatically builds on the success of previous versions of the iPod application, enhancing the instant messaging and account management experience, making the application faster than ever before and delivering a new standard for call quality.

Among the many improvements in Truphone 3.0 are increased ease of use, speed of function response, intuitiveness and simplicity – all designed to enhance the user experience.

Voice quality has also greatly improved, making this app better than it’s ever been before.

Using Truphone’s integrated messaging tool that unifies all IM communities in a single place, users can now simply manage all their IM communication from a single page within the application, eliminating the need to constantly jockey between different applications or even different pages within an application. IM services currently supported include Skype, MSN Messenger, AIM, Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk. 

“Following the successful launch of Truphone 3.0 for the iPhone we were keen to follow-up as quickly as possible for all our iPod touch customers. That’s what we’ve done to ensure that they can take advantage of all our new improvements: improved UI, account management and call quality. We believe Truphone 3.0 sets a new benchmark in terms of quality and performance”, said Geraldine Wilson, CEO Truphone. “With these improvements, we believe Truphone 3.0 is the best application to turn your iPod touch into a Wi-Fi phone and staying in touch with all of your IM communities.”

If you already have Truphone for the iPod touch, you can upgrade to Truphone 3.0 from within the App Store on your iPod.

New users can download Truphone for the iPod touch from here.

Don't forget, to make calls with Truphone for the iPod touch, you will need a headset with microphone, or a microphone adaptor. You can purchase the great quality (and great value!) Truphone Mic Adaptor here for just £9.99 plus postage ($14.99 plus postage for non-UK and non-EU residents). Every Adaptor pack comes with a special bonus too!

Truphone Microphone Adaptor for iPod touch now available

To start making free and low cost calls using Truphone for the iPod touch, you need a headset with microphone, or a microphone adaptor. If you don’t have one of these already, we have the answer - the Truphone Microphone Adaptor, designed for the 2nd Generation iPod touch.

The Truphone Microphone Adaptor is a simple device that works by plugging one end into the iPod touch, and the other end into your iPod headphones. It even comes with a button to answer calls and stop/start music. Find out more here.

It is available NOW for just £9.99 ($14.99 for non-UK and non-EU addresses) plus postage. Stocks are limited, so get in quickly before they run out, by buying now from our secure on-line site.

The Truphone Microphone Adaptor even comes with a special scratch card. By entering the scratch card code in the promotional field when you top up £5 credit on the Truphone website, we will give you another £5 call credit for FREE (for non-UK accounts, when you top up $5, we will give you another $5).

(you can download Truphone for the iPod touch for free from here)