Google voice provides free US numbers only so far, which means that as far as I know, we won't be able to receive incoming Google Hangouts calls over Canadian phone numbers just yet.
However, Google Dialer is now in Canada and so it is now possible to make unlimited free outbound calls to US and Canadian numbers.
I've downloaded Google Dialer and have tested it recently. It works well for an outgoing-call-only app allowing me to make free calls to Canadian and US phone numbers and the option of paying for credits to make international calls. I'm presently subscribed to a Skype plan at 4.00/month (with a 15% discount for paying for the year) that gives me unlimited outgoing minutes to any Canadian local-area-code phone number and most Canadian toll-free numbers. With Hangouts Dialer, I'm now rethinking whether to renew my Skype plan once it expires. That said, I've found that when I called my Telus voicemail through my Skype plan, it worked just as if I was calling it from my mobile dialer and took me straight to my voicemail, but when I called it through Hangouts, it took me somewhere else requiring me to select a few options leaving me perplexed as to which to select. I gave up and switched to my Skype plan to call it then. That though is a minor matter since I won't be renewing my Telus phone plan once it expires but renewing only my Telus data plan. That still raises questions though as to why the difference between the two, with Skype seeming more integrated into my Telus account in some way.
That still leaves us with the problem of incoming calls. I have a virtual Canadian local phone-number subscription with VirtuFon at 4.95 USD/month that gives me unlimited incoming minutes that are automatically forwarded to my Skype plan which allows me unlimited free incoming calls anyway.
I'm not aware of how I can do anything similar with Hangouts, so I'll definitely keep the VirtuFon plan for incoming calls. That Skype seems to outperform Hangouts on the outgoing call front by at least a bit makes me wonder if I should abandon it. But free outgoing calls across North America is tempting to say the least.
I wonder if these advances in technology will soon result in data-only plans gaining in popularity.
However, Google Dialer is now in Canada and so it is now possible to make unlimited free outbound calls to US and Canadian numbers.
I've downloaded Google Dialer and have tested it recently. It works well for an outgoing-call-only app allowing me to make free calls to Canadian and US phone numbers and the option of paying for credits to make international calls. I'm presently subscribed to a Skype plan at 4.00/month (with a 15% discount for paying for the year) that gives me unlimited outgoing minutes to any Canadian local-area-code phone number and most Canadian toll-free numbers. With Hangouts Dialer, I'm now rethinking whether to renew my Skype plan once it expires. That said, I've found that when I called my Telus voicemail through my Skype plan, it worked just as if I was calling it from my mobile dialer and took me straight to my voicemail, but when I called it through Hangouts, it took me somewhere else requiring me to select a few options leaving me perplexed as to which to select. I gave up and switched to my Skype plan to call it then. That though is a minor matter since I won't be renewing my Telus phone plan once it expires but renewing only my Telus data plan. That still raises questions though as to why the difference between the two, with Skype seeming more integrated into my Telus account in some way.
That still leaves us with the problem of incoming calls. I have a virtual Canadian local phone-number subscription with VirtuFon at 4.95 USD/month that gives me unlimited incoming minutes that are automatically forwarded to my Skype plan which allows me unlimited free incoming calls anyway.
I'm not aware of how I can do anything similar with Hangouts, so I'll definitely keep the VirtuFon plan for incoming calls. That Skype seems to outperform Hangouts on the outgoing call front by at least a bit makes me wonder if I should abandon it. But free outgoing calls across North America is tempting to say the least.
I wonder if these advances in technology will soon result in data-only plans gaining in popularity.
