The Truphone Blog

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

Want to make a suggestion?

Do you have a suggestion for a new product you want to see from Truphone?

Or perhaps you have thought of a feature to add to one of our current applications?

Then head to the Truphone Feedback Forum - our all-new home for you to voice your ideas.

Lots of ideas have already come in, so if your idea has already been suggested, don't worry! You can still show your support for the idea by voting for it. The more votes a idea receives, the more we know that it is something that we need to focus on.

So, if you have something to suggest, the feedback forum is the place to go!

Truphone now supported locally in 41 countries

Truphone Anywhere technology allows users of Truphone on the iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Nokia to make international calls from their home country without being connected to a Wi-Fi network, by connecting the call via a local call to a Truphone server in their country. Truphone then routes the international portion of the call over the Internet.

The ability to use Truphone Anywhere is limited to users who are located in a country that contains a Truphone server, so we are constantly working to increase the number of servers we have located around the world.

We are very happy to announce that eight new servers are set up, in countries including Bahrain, Greece and Peru, bringing the total number of countries that can enjoy Truphone Anywhere to 41!

You can see the full list here, and find out more about Truphone Anywhere 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.

AIM launches on Truphone's iPhone and iPod touch apps

We are excited to announce the launch of AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), into the iPhone and iPod touch applications.

Now Truphone customers on both devices can reach their AIM friends via their AIM identity.

With the addition of AIM Truphone customers can now keep in touch with over 800 million addressable accounts for free.

The integration of this messaging service reinforces Truphone as the “all-in-one conversations hub” for iPhone and iPod touch users.

Truphone has already integrated Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger into its applications for these devices, blending a combination of voice and Instant Messaging across multiple IM platforms within one application.

“Our goal is for mobile phone users to be able to reach any contact in their address book or on their buddy list, in a low cost way, at any time, using just one application,” said Geraldine Wilson, Truphone CEO. “Today’s announcement means that Apple iPhone and iPod Touch users gain a great way to stay in touch with AIM users. We will continue to integrate further services and functionality, on other platforms too, giving people everything they need to stay in touch all within the Truphone application,” she stated.

Using Truphone to communicate with any of the supported IM services is free over the Internet. When not in Wi-Fi, Apple iPhone users can also make and receive calls and messages to and from Google Talk for the cost of a local call*, using the Truphone Anywhere feature.

You can download Truphone for the iPhone for free from here, and Truphone for the iPod touch for free from here.

 *Operator roaming charges will apply if users are abroad.

Top-Up your Truphone account on-the-go with PayPal

Truphone has today launched PayPal as an on-device payment option for iPod or iPhone users wanting to add credit on-the-go to their Truphone account.

Payments can already be made with a variety of credit and debit cards, and this addition makes it easy for people who don’t have such accounts to benefit from Truphone’s low priced calling rates to more than 200 countries around the globe.

Users can already easily top-up their credit while on the move (via either handset screen-optimised web pages or an automated IVR (Interactive Voice Response) based telephone top-up service) as well as via the My Account section of the Truphone Web site.

“As Truphone adds more new offerings to our suite of mobile services we wanted to increase the convenience factor for consumers by expanding the number of ways they can pay for those services,” said Geraldine Wilson, Truphone CEO.

If you are a Truphone user with PayPal, why not top-up your account now :)

Instant Messaging launches on Truphone for the iPhone

Truphone for the iPhone has today been upgraded, with some exciting new features!

These new features are:

1. Instant Messaging (IM)*
You can have two-way IM conversations with MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk users.

2. Google Talk Calls
You can now make and receive calls using Google Talk.

3. Twitter Integration
If you have a Twitter account you can tweet to your heart’s content, and see your friend’s latest tweets.

The app will update automatically, so if you already have the app you won't need to do a thing. If you don't yet have Truphone for the iPhone, and want it, you can download it for free.

As announced at Macworld, we plan to introduce Skype calling and IM on Truphone for the iPhone very shortly. We are as keen as you to get this exciting new feature out and are also well aware that everyone is anxious to experience Skype on Truphone, but given we’re not completely happy with the user experience at the moment we’re reluctant to launch that piece of the suite at this stage. Our engineers are working flat out to resolve this issue and we expect to make Skype available for you as soon as we possibly can.

*You may incur third party data and call costs when not in Wi-Fi, so look out for those. Roaming charges may apply when not in your home country.

Recommended Truphone upgrade: internet-rate calls, even when you're not connected to the internet

Saving money on mobile phone calls can be extremely complex; there are many options, but often they address only one type of calling scenario.  At Truphone, we believe that you should be able to simply to dial and save.

So, today we're pleased to reveal Truphone Anywhere. Truphone Anywhere uses a combination of your bundled minutes and our internet-rate calls to save you money even when you're out and about and not connected to the internet!

It works by making a call/SMS from your mobile to our server, which then makes the long distance part of the call over the internet at Truphone's excellent internet rates. This makes it especially good for making international calls, of course.

We've integrated Truphone Anywhere into Truphone 4.0, the latest and greatest version of Truphone. Learn more or upgrade now and start saving straight away.

New: easier voicemail and easier balance check

We've made a couple of enhancements to the Truphone service.

Easier balance check
Now you can text the word BALANCE to +44 7978 88 11 11 and we'll reply with your account credit details.*

Easier voicemail
We've removed the PIN number check if you're calling from Truphone! Simply dial 1571 when you're connected to Truphone and you can listen to your voicemail straight away.

*Truphone will never charge you to check your balance when you're connected to Truphone, but be sure to check your SMS charges with your operator if texting from a GSM number.

We've got big news about small prices.

Today, Truphone is introducing the Tru Zone - simple, low-cost calling from anywhere on the planet.

We've abolished roaming charges. That means it doesn't matter where you are or where you travel to, you'll pay the same easy to understand rate to make Wi-Fi calls to domestic and international numbers. And there are no inbound charges either.

You can call any of the 40 countries in the Tru Zone for a tiny 3p to landlines and 15p to mobiles. Some countries such as the USA, Canada and China are double special. Calls to both landlines and mobiles are a flat 3p! Calls to much of the rest of the world are flat and simple too at just 5p to landlines and 25p to mobiles.

For full details, visit www.truphone.com

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All at Truphone