It was no secret that Facebook had been planning on bringing free calling from within its App to iOS users, and today Facebook issued an update to their iOS App 5.5 to bring this new functionality.
The new free calling feature is currently only available to users in the US and Canada, and uses the users’ existing calling plan, making it effectively free, as it involves no additional cost. This latest update (5.5) comes only weeks after 5.4 was released which introduced in-app video recording that could be shared with friends directly using the dedicated messenger application.
In Facebook version 5.5, users no longer have to use the messenger application for VoIP calls, and can instead do so directly on a users profile by hitting the message button. From there the user then has to click the “i” button at the top right of the screen of which will display a free call button to initiate the call.
The change log for the new version of Facebook 5.5 is:
New button design makes it easy to like, comment and share posts in News Feed.
• Improved buttons to like, comment and share posts
• Call friends for free right from Facebook (US and Canada) ** Free calling uses your existing data plan.
Whilst the VoIP free call feature introduced in the latest 5.5 update is definitely a step in the right direction, and is a welcome feature, users must still be wary of their data caps. VoIP will use the data connection on your device’s plan so if using 3G or 4G you can find the data limit rapidly approaching, so just be wary of that if planning on using this feature.
Let us know in the comments section below if you’ve already used the free calling feature, what the quality was like, and how you found the overall experience.