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Microsoft and Skype atrocity

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4wd:
I use Signal on my phones, (also via a Chrome app from the computer), and/or Viber, (again phone/computer).

Depends who I'm conversing with, some use Signal, some use Viber.

Viber also has the option to make calls to non-Viber contacts at low rates, (like Skype).

Also use Telegram but that's just to follow some Android development groups.

So if it were that important, I could have just bought a prepaid "burner phone" for 1 month and used it to activate my account and then never top off that phone account again.-Deozaan (July 13, 2017, 02:14 AM)
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I have a few pre-paid UK SIMs, (99p in the supermarkets or free if you order via their website), that I've used for incoming SMS verification, (don't need to register to receive SMS), just switched them on to activate the SIM.

IainB:
@Deozaan: Thanks for mentioning Telegram - I hoped someone on he DC Forum might know about it, as I think it is interesting but have not got around to trying it out just yet.
By the way, LINE (which I mentioned) also requires a phone number at set-up time, though it is not used subsequently.

Attronarch:
I actually use Skype for calling landlines. There is a very cheap subscription (cca 10 EUR per month) with which you can call most of the landlines in the world for free.

Now, you might wonder, who the f**k uses landlines these days?! Governments, governments use them. Banks as well. As an expat and a frequent business traveler I often have to call various departments to sort this or that paperwork.

Believe me, that is quite costly with regular mobile phone subscriptions. For me, Skype was a good solution - being present on almost all devices and having good subscriptions.

I know there are plenty of alternatives for various Skype aspects like audio and video calls, but there aren't any direct alternatives with same set of features. At least I don't know of any.

4wd:
I know there are plenty of alternatives for various Skype aspects like audio and video calls, but there aren't any direct alternatives with same set of features. At least I don't know of any.-Attronarch (July 13, 2017, 07:15 AM)
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Try Viber, used to be you could only call people who also had Viber, (ie. VoIP only), but now you can do VoIP->PSTN, (what they call Viber Out), like Skype.

Nice thing I found when I installed it, any contact on my phone that also had Viber was marked with an icon you could hit to start a Viber chat/call/video call, eg. called the rep for Europcar while I was in Ukraine, next thing I see is there's a Viber icon against the number (I had a SIM with free minutes anyway).

Microsoft and Skype atrocity

dr_andus:
I actually use Skype for calling landlines. There is a very cheap subscription (cca 10 EUR per month) with which you can call most of the landlines in the world for free.
-Attronarch (July 13, 2017, 07:15 AM)
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In the UK some telco companies occasionally offer similarly priced (or even cheaper) add-ons, same functionality. You could check if your mobile/landline provider offers something similar in your country.

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