Going to Italy with our Moto smartphone and our Ipad Pro. Planning to install a simm card in Italy (at Tim or Vodaphone store) for cell service while in Italy. What smartphone or Ipad app is best to use for free telephone calls to the US from Itlay?
Posted by
64 posts
By "free calls" I assume you mean over wi-fi. I find WhatsApp works well. However, if you get the TIM Tourist SIM card, it includes international calling. You get 200 minutes of calling and 15Gb of data. You didn't say how long you'll need it, but it's 30 euro, good for 30 days and non-renewable. They offer a voucher online that you pay for in advance, but folks are reporting that the offer is good if you walk into the store and pay there (preferred since you may find other choices on arrival).
Posted by
Idaho, USA
7955 posts
Hi, I attended the free RS class last night, “Traveling with a Mobile Device”. Kevin presented a lot of information that might be helpful for you. He told us the class is also available on the RS site, and I’ve pasted the pdf below. You can also watch a video of the class from the RS site at: Home / Watch, Read, Listen / Travel Talks / Traveling with a Mobile Device
The screen shots were helpful to the class. You’re not alone in your questions; I was surprised that the room was completely full on a Seattle sunny evening.
We have T-Mobile which was mentioned as one of the best in the class for low rates and unlimited data, texts, etc. We just use FaceTime, and I also have Skype as a backup.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
Google Hangouts is the best app I have found for making free calls to US numbers, even landlines. I use it all the time even in the US (I have a spare WiFi-only phone as a spare.) but always use it overseas. On your Android phone, install Google Hangouts + the Hangouts Dialer app - you must install both to make calls. (You need just Hangouts for the iPad.) Be sure to dial +1 in front of the US number when calling from Italy.
Posted by
316 posts
Tango is another free phone application. you can video call with it or just regular phone call. It uses wifi
Posted by
Milan, Italy
299 posts
I second Andrew, Google Hangouts is the best option, let's you call for free to the US and other people who have the app, or make other calls with your credit.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
I second Andrew, Google Hangouts is the best option, let's you call for free to the US and other people who have the app, or make other calls with your credit.
To be clear, other people do not need to have Google Hangouts to receive calls. Like Skype, Hangouts lets you make calls to actual phones, even landlines, by dialing the number but also lets you connect with any other Hangouts user anywhere in the world. But unlike Skype, Hangouts lets you call US phone numbers for free. Calling non-US numbers costs a few cents per minute.