The new Facebook calling feature, available at the moment only for US-based iPhone owners, relies on the classic VoIP concept of delivering the message. The system works pretty neat and it takes users only a couple of steps to set up a live conversation.
Facebook Free-Call System: A small piece of the puzzle
In order to make a phone-call using the well-known social service and to avoid direct carrier charges, iPhone owners can simply launch the dedicated Facebook Messaging application, open a conversation with a partner, tap the “i” icon in the upper-right corner and go for a “”Free Call”. From point on, a pop-up message will arrive on the secondary terminal and if the user accepts, a stable link will be created between the two. The concept is pretty simple and it’s something what we expected of Facebook, especially after launching their home-made search engine, and it relies on pure Internet connection. The advantage of this method is that users can avoid carrier taxes for voice, but if their plans lack a sufficient amount of data left free for consuming, bigger taxes might apply. At this moment, there are no testing results revealing how much traffic a call will generate. To avoid this downside as well, a Wi-Fi connection is highly recommended. Another impediment lies within the compatibility section, where those wishing to take advantage of the new feature may only do so between smartphones with the Messaging application installed. Facebook has declared that users logged on the site cannot be queried and that soon, an Android and BlackBerry versions will spree. The company remained silent about Windows Phone. This is somewhat similar to BBM7’s free voice calling option. The new feature is already available on US-based iPhones, and should extend oversees in the months to come.
