Facebook Adds Voice Messages, to Its Messenger App, Tests VoIP Calls

After building out its Messenger app to focus on communications, Facebook is now focusing on voice calls and voice messages.

It’s the latest in Mark Zuckerberg’s “mobile first” push for Facebook, and one of a number of recent moves in mobile communications. While the Facebook status update is nice, the social network is looking to build a much broader set of tools for people to communicate.

Users of Facebook’s Messenger app for iOS and Android can now send voice messages, after an update Thursday. Users can tap the “+” button then hold the “record” button to record a message. Releasing the button immediately sends the message. Sliding your finger off the button cancels the message.
Facebook is also testing a new feature that enables free voice calls using the Messenger app–right now this only works in Canada and only on the iOS app. Using this new test, people can tap the “i” in the top right corner of the app and then tapp “Free Call.” This only works with the version of the app released today.

The free calling is just the latest news that shows Facebook’s much larger ambitions in mobile communications. The Facebook Messenger app is not just about sending a traditional Facebook message. You can now send a voice message. And in the future, if Facebook expands beyond the test phase, you could make a free call from the app.

Facebook also recently opened up its Messenger app to people who don’t even have a Facebook account–all the better to add new users quickly in emerging markets where Facebook is seeking to grow quickly and add SMS functionality. SMS is a major sector that many are going after, seeking to be the next generation of mobile communications. Facebook also recently launched Poke, a SnapChat competitor that lets users send photos, videos or text messages that disappear after several seconds.

Others such as Skype, now part of Microsoft, and Google Voice, offer voice calling functionality, as do a number of startups. And Apple’s iMessage includes the ability to convert voice to text messages. But Facebook wants its users to communicate on Facebook, rather than other services. For Facebook, the communications piece is crucial, as Facebook has always been a place for people to keep in touch via photos or status updates. Naturally then, Facebook would want people to be able to click to send a text message or phone call without leaving to a rival service.

VoIP - What is VoIP or Voice over IP ?

 Making Cheap and Free Phone Calls

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It is also referred to as IP Telephony or Internet Telephony. It is another way of making phone calls, with the difference of making the calls cheaper or completely free. The ‘phone’ part is not always present anymore, as you can communicate without a telephone set. Voice over IP (VoIP)is abbreviation of voice over Internet Protocol, commonly refers to the communication protocols, technologies, methodologies, and transmission techniques involved in the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. Other terms commonly associated with VoIP are IP telephony, Internet telephony, voice over broadband (VoBB), broadband telephony, IP communications, and broadband phone.VoIP has a lot of advantages over the traditional phone system. The main reason for which people are so massively turning to VoIP technology is the cost. VoIP is said to be cheap, but most people use it for free. Yes, if you have a computer with a microphone and speakers, and a good Internet connection, you can communicate using VoIP for free. This can also be possible with your mobile and home phone. There are many ways of using VoIP technology. It all depends on where and how you will be making the calls. It could be at home, at work, in your corporate network, during a travel and even on the beach. The way you make calls varies with the VoIP service you use. VoIP is a relatively new technology and it has already achieved wide acceptance and use. There is still a lot to improve and it is expected to have major technological advances in VoIP in the future. It has so far proved to be a good candidate for replacing the POTS (Plain Old Telephone System). It, of course, has drawbacks along with the numerous advantages it brings; and its increasing use worldwide is creating new considerations surrounding its regulations and security.