Pinger brings free texting and calling to Android

The prospect of “free” calling and texting has always been something of interest for many people, but most methods are either too convoluted or just plain misleading. For true free calling and texting you still need a source of data, but as long as you can provide that you won’t have to deal with the excessive costs which come with the need of texting limits and voice minutes. Pinger provides just that and its Android application has finally been added to the Google Play Store.

Pinger will issue users a phone number in order for their friends and family to identify and contact them with. From there, the Pinger app is used to connect you with friends and family even if they don’t have a Pinger account.

In fact, they could be on those dastardly landlines many of us have ditched and you can still call them and vice versa. The full service works between the United States and Canada, though we understand there are 35 more countries where free text messages can be exchanged.

The downside to Pinger is that MMS is only properly supported between two Pinger users, but perhaps that can be changed in future updates. Pinger also gives you a voicemail inbox in case you want to allow your friends and family to leave you messages should you become unreachable.

Many of us probably wouldn’t ditch our current smartphone plans to go this route. For starters, the need for data connectivity is going to be something of concern for people — not every inch of the planet can get high speed data, or just data to begin with. There’s also the unfortunate fact that there aren’t many carriers that will give you a data-only plan for your smartphone in this day and age.

The more feasible route for someone who doesn’t mind the risks of unreliable data connectivity is to get a 4G hotspot broadcaster and an unlocked phone. A lot of plans start at $30 for a minimal amount of data, but can get as pricey as $100+ if you start needing double digit bandwidth.

There are some catches to keep in mind on the Pinger side of things, though. For starters, SMS is totally free — there’s no limit to the amount of bits you can send to your friends as long as it’s all text. Incoming calls are free, too. But if you want to place outgoing calls you will have to mind a limit. First-time Pinger users get 20 free outgoing minutes, and users have the option of earning more minutes or buying them. We understand the cost of buying outgoing minutes won’t break the bank, though.

This is a perfect solution for people like me who don’t use their phones to place or even receive calls often. Myself and many others prefer to communicate without using voice, and should the rare desire or need to place a call present itself then costs are sure to be minimal. While I personally won’t be ditching the full extent of my wireless plan to go with Pinger it’s something that I will definitely think about in the future.

But even if you don’t bite on the ability to cut down on your phone bill you can still use Pinger as an alternative phone number. Think of it as Google Voice in that regard, a service I know many people use to help separate their lives. The free download can be had in the Google Play Store. Read on for full press details.

Pinger Launches New Free Texting and Calling Service For Android Devices

 

Maker of Textfree, the #1 Free Texting App, Adds Free Voice Communication for Android

 

San Jose, California — October 16, 2012 — Pinger, the company disrupting the global communications space by making texting and calling free, today announced its new Android application, called “Pinger.” Pinger users can text and call for free to any phone in the U.S. and Canada, including smartphones, landlines and basic mobile phones. Pinger is free and available in the Google Play Store.

 

Pinger users receive a free, local phone number they can then use to text or place calls to any phone number, giving them a second, fully-functional phone line. Pinger supports inbound and outbound calls, as well as free texting to 35 countries. All incoming calls are free, and users can earn free outbound minutes by watching videos and downloading apps. Users can also purchase minutes at an inexpensive rate from the Google Play Store.

 

“What makes Pinger truly unique is its ability to make texting and calling free to any phone number, not just other smartphones,” said Greg Woock, co-founder and CEO of Pinger.  “We started out by making texting free, and now, by making calling free for Android users in the U.S. and Canada, we’re another step closer to achieving our goal of making global communications free.”

 

The company has an established community of over eight million active users on the Android and iOS platforms. The company’s existing Android phone app, Textfree, is one of the top free apps in the Google Play store. It is consistently ranked in the top 130 free applications out of the more than 400,000 apps that are currently available in the store. Textfree allows users to communicate for free via SMS and picture messaging. The new Pinger app combines free calling and an ingenious new interface with the free texting capabilities of Textfree. Both Textfree and Pinger are ad-supported.

 

Pinger simplifies the communications process, incorporating useful and intuitive features including:

·         Text and call anyone on any phone or carrier—including smartphones, landlines and basic mobile phones in the U.S. and Canada

·         Adds a free second line to their existing Android phone

·         The unique photo-based interface means that there’s no need to swap between screens or apps to check missed calls, listen to a voicemail or send a message. The Pinger phone app organizes communication with each contact—text, voice and picture messages—into a single screen

·         Group addressing—communicate with groups faster and easier

·         Anyone using Pinger Android is on the global Pinger network.  Communicate with friends and family anywhere in the world on Android, iOS or even the web.  Users communicating with others on the Pinger network get longer texts, hi-res picture messages, higher-quality calls and instant open notifications

 

In the U.S. alone, Pinger’s eight million active users send more than two billion text messages and use 75 million voice minutes a month. Pinger is the seventh largest U.S. carrier by SMS volume. According to comScore, the company’s apps are installed in 21% of U.S. iOS devices, putting Pinger among the Top 5 most installed U.S. apps of all time on iOS.

 

Textfree users on Android can seamlessly transition to the new voice features by simply downloading the “Pinger” app from the Google Play Store, allowing them to maintain their current Textfree phone number with these added services.

 

Pinger can be downloaded here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pinger.ppa

 

About Pinger

Pinger, together with millions of users, is building the planet’s first free, global communications network. Our mission is to ensure everyone can freely text and talk with the people they care about most. Pinger simplifies network complexity with an intuitive, picture-based interface that brings together different types of communication in one place, from any device. At Pinger, we strive to make the costly completely free—and the complex surprisingly simple. Connect with us atwww.pinger.com.