Use Your iPod touch or iPad as an iPhone
For many people, an iPhone might be expensive, but harder to swallow is the high monthly fee, especially given how few phone calls many of us make these days and how expensive text messaging is for what it costs the carriers. It’s also galling to pay every month if the cellular service in the areas you frequent is terrible.
Could an iPad or iPod touch stand in for an iPhone? Not directly, since they lack the necessary radio hardware. But functionally, could you use an iPod touch or iPad with an Internet connection to make phone calls and send text messages, while eliminating or at least reducing that monthly fee?
The answer is yes, though with some qualifications. Hacking together such a system won’t be as convenient as an iPhone, in terms of software (no Phone app) and hardware (dealing with audio, and you will likely need an extra device when away from Wi-Fi). But is some inconvenience worth $600 or more per year in saved cell phone bills, particularly if you have a landline at home and work?
Getting Ubiquitous Internet Access — If you’re going to route all your phone calls across the Internet, you need Internet access. When you’re at home or work, or in specific hotspot areas like Starbucks, it’s easy to stick with Wi-Fi and pay nothing more. But if you’re trying to simulate an iPhone that you can use while commuting or traveling, you’ll need cellular data, and you’ll need to pay for it. Luckily, it can be a lot cheaper than a full-blown cell phone plan.
If you have an iPad with cellular capabilities, you’re all set — you can get Internet access via 3G or LTE when you’re out and about. (And if you haven’t yet purchased an iPad for this purpose, be sure to read Peter Cohen’s excellent carrier comparison at iMore.) But what if you have a Wi-Fi-only iPad, or an iPod touch?
The answer is a cellular-capable Wi-Fi hotspot, which connects to the Internet via 3G or LTE, and then distributes that signal via Wi-Fi to your iOS device (or even devices; many of these units support more than one simultaneous connection). The best known of these devices may be Novatel Wireless’s MiFi series, but there are a number of competing models. Like mobile phones, you generally purchase them from the carrier that will be providing the cellular connectivity, limiting consumer choice at the hardware level. Similarly, purchase prices (ranging from $0 to $50) are generally subsidized by required two-year contracts, though you can sometimes forgo the contract in exchange for a higher purchase price.
A variety of these mobile hotspots are available from AT&T (data-only plans starting at $40 per month), Verizon Wireless ($45 per month), Sprint ($35 per month), and T-Mobile ($20 per month). In each case, you can pay more per month for larger amounts of data.
As always, choosing a carrier is a balancing act between plan cost and coverage; Verizon generally has the best coverage, but also the highest prices, whereas T-Mobile is at the opposite end of the cost and coverage spectrums. The choice of mobile hotspot hardware may also factor in, but we don’t have a sense of how the devices compare; they’re all conceptually similar.
If Sprint is an option, also consider Virgin Mobile, which offers the Sierra Wireless Overdrive Pro 3G/4G mobile hotspot and no-contract plans for $5 per day for 250 MB, $25 per month (1.5 GB), or $55 per month (6 GB) plans.
For those who want to avoid a monthly fee, there is another option. FreedomPop advertises “100% Free Mobile Phone & High Speed Internet Service,” and does deliver, selling you a mobile hotspot (using Sprint’s network) and including 500 MB of free data each month, probably enough for a few quick calls and text messages. The downside is that FreedomPop is mind-bogglingly annoying to work with, constantly trying to upsell you on additional services that come with monthly fees. Plus, the free 500 MB is available only via 4G, not 3G, which means it won’t work in many Sprint coverage areas unless you pay for the $3.99 per month Pro 500 MB plan, or the $19.99 per month Premium 2 GB plan.
Working around the Audio Problem — The iPod touch might look like an iPhone, but neither it nor the iPad were meant to be used as a phone. Yes, both feature a microphone and a speaker, but the speaker isn’t located at ear level, so you’re stuck using them as speakerphones, and they likely won’t work as well as an iPhone would, given the iPhone’s noise-cancellation capabilities that rely on dual microphones. But holding an iPad Air to your ear would just look silly, anyway.
A simple workaround is to place calls with Apple’s EarPods ($29). Unfortunately, they aren’t bundled with the iPad, and the ones included with the iPod touch lack the mic and remote.
If fumbling with a wire is a pain, a more convenient solution would be to use a Bluetooth headset, which pairs nicely with an iPad or iPod touch. Put it in pairing mode, and then, on your iOS device, open Settings > Bluetooth, enable Bluetooth if necessary, and select your device from the list.
Selecting Phone/Text Software — Once you’ve figured out how you’re going to solve the Internet access and audio problems, it’s time to turn our attention to software, where there are two main free choices: Apple’s FaceTime Audio (and iMessage) and Google Hangouts with Google Voice. Apple’s software is highly integrated, but works only within the Apple ecosystem, whereas Google’s solution provides a nearly complete replacement for voice calling and text messaging.
Happily, both Apple’s and Google’s software also works on the Mac, which can be more convenient for when you’re at your desk anyway.
(There are numerous other apps nibbling around the edges of this topic that we haven’t tested, but it’s worth mentioning that we’re intentionally not discussing Skype, since it costs $5 per month for a Skype Number plus another $3 to $10 per month for a calling plan. More damning for Skype is the fact that its iOS app chews through cellular data when the app is active, but not being used in the background. That’s unacceptable for a situation where it would be standing in for the Phone app. It’s also worth noting that the Facebook Messenger app for iPhone now features user-to-user voice calls, but
it is limited to Facebook users.)
FaceTime Audio — If you and the people you talk to use iOS 7, FaceTime Audio is the easiest option for phone-free calls. It’s our favorite for audio calls to iPhone-using friends, as the quality is so good it’s like being in the same room. The downside is that you can’t use it for standard phone calls — it works only between iOS 7 devices and Macs running OS X 10.9.2 Mavericks. And before you say, “But everyone I know uses an iPhone,” think about your doctor, your bank, or any institution. They don’t.
To place a FaceTime Audio call in iOS 7, open the Contacts or FaceTime app, tap on the person you want to call, and, under the FaceTime heading, tap the phone icon. That’s it! It works like a regular phone call, only over your wireless Internet connection.
If you have OS X 10.9.2 Mavericks, you can also make and receive FaceTime Audio calls from its built-in FaceTime app. To make a call, click on a contact and then click FaceTime Audio. You can also click the Audio button for a person in the Mac versions of Contacts.
If you need to send and receive text messages, Apple has a built-in solution for that as well: iMessage within the Messages app. As with FaceTime Audio, that works only with other Apple devices. Smooth, convenient, and free, but limited.
For calling any phone in the world, or texting via old-fashioned SMS, read on to learn how to break free of the Apple-centric world.
Google Hangouts — If you’re looking for a complete mobile phone replacement, Google has you covered in a package that’s only slightly less convenient than FaceTime Audio. Google Hangouts brings video conferencing and free Internet phone calls to your iOS device. It also works on the Mac, giving you the option of using it wherever is most convenient.
To use Google Hangouts as a true phone replacement, you must first sign up for a free Google Voice phone number. Even if you don’t think you need one, it can be handy to give out to companies so you can filter out junk calls and send the rest to any phone. It also, unlike FaceTime, offers voicemail and voicemail transcription, though the latter is often hilariously inaccurate.
Once you have a Google Voice number associated with your preferred Google account, install the Hangouts app for iOS. On the Mac, you’ll need the Hangouts extension for Google’s Chrome Web browser.
Now, when someone calls your Google Voice number, the Hangouts app on all your devices will “ring,” and you can answer much as you would a normal phone call. Conveniently, answering on one device shuts up the rest.
To place a call from your iOS device, open the Hangouts app, tap Calls in the lower right, and then tap the keypad button in the upper right. You can then switch between dialing manually with the keypad or selecting someone from your contact list.
On the Mac side, to place a call, click the Hangouts button in the extensions bar or on the Mac’s menu bar to reveal a window in the lower-right corner of your screen. Click New Hangout, and enter the phone number you wish to dial.
Calling normal phone numbers within the United States and Canada is free with Google Hangouts if you’re in those countries (1¢ per minute from everywhere else), and if you want to call internationally, per-minute rates apply.
On Android, Hangouts can completely replace the built-in text-messaging app. But on iOS, the Hangouts app can send text messages only to other Hangouts users, much like iMessage. To send and receive SMS text messages with your Google Voice number for free, you must install the free Google Voice app. It’s desperately in need of an update, and doesn’t support MMS messages, but the price (of the app and the SMS text messages) is right.
Cutting the Virtual Cord — We’re sure there are other options that may be better in certain situations, but you can likely get by in most cases with FaceTime Audio and Google Hangouts, and pay no more than is necessary to get cellular data while away from Wi-Fi. This combination isn’t a perfect replacement for an iPhone, but if it can cut your costs by hundreds of dollars a year, it might be worth the extra hassle. And if you’ve run across other solutions that work better for you, let us know in the comments!
Josh
The EarPods included with the iPod Touch are without the Remote and Mic.
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-ipod/ipod-touch
"Note 7 Remote and mic not included" (fine print near bottom of page)
Good eye - thanks! I've edited to fix.
My previous employer supplied me with a cell phone so I never had to pay a bill. When I left that job I purchased an inexpensive Android phone and bought 1,000 pay as you go T-Mobile minutes. For less than $100 for the year I signed up for Line2. I use my iPod Touch and now added the iPad to that mix.
I'm in wifi 90% of the time. For other times I can use the T-Mobile minutes. I'm also lucky in that my wife has an iPhone paid for by her office. When we are out or on trips we can use that for maps, apps, data, etc.
I've even turned her phone into a hotspot on a trip to NYC so I could turn my Touch into another device to help plan and navigate our stay.
I have no need or desire to pay a carrier $70-$100 a month. It's not perfect, but for my needs it works and it's cheap.
I use my iPod touch 5 gen as cell phone with talktone app can make calls as long as I'm connected to wifi
Check it out
Free app Talkatone used in conjunction with Google Voice works well to make calls out on wifi on iPod Touch.
Not for long. going to need google's "hangouts" app soon for that to keep working.
Just got back from a trip and got around to this. It appears the Google Voice app will do both calls and text. Do we need both the Hangouts app and the Voice app?
The Google Voice app doesn't do VOIP calls, instead making traditional voice calls with your Google Voice number.
I'm willing to bet that Hangouts will be able to do SMS soon.
Thanks.
This is quite an intriguing idea - great article!
If I were to use an iPad with cellular capabilities and someone calls me but I'm unable to get the call, would the caller be able to leave me voicemail, or is that a feature I'd lose?
Google Voice gives you voicemail (and attempts to transcribe it in email to you) so that would be the best approach for voicemail. We should say a little more about that above, Josh.
I’m looking into stopping cell service on my iPhone if I can get a functional phone using an iPad with cellular capabilities. In looking at Google’s forums in regards to getting a Google Voice phone number for an iPad, it appears (as of Oct. 2013) that you cannot get a Google Voice phone number if you don’t already have a cell phone or a land line phone number, and using Google Hangouts won’t work in place of these existing phone numbers either. My only phone is an iPhone and this requirement seems to defeat the purpose of replacing an iPhone with a cellular-capable iPad if I also need to communicate with folks who don’t have iPhones. Is this requirement still the case?
I would sign up for Google Voice, tie it to your existing iPhone number for now, but don't forward the calls to that number. When you get a call on that number, it should ring through on the Hangouts app.
I've been migrating from Talkatone to Google Hangouts on my iPad +Cellular for about 2 months. While Hangouts is a good solution it is still in need of some updating for the iPad.
At times when attempting to answer incoming calls, pressing "answer call" causes the call to go end up in voice mail, or be disconnected, especially when the iPad's cover had been previously closed.
how do I connect my iPad to my iPhone 4s to transfer files, like photos, from phone to pad?
I'm not exactly computer savy, but I have been able to connect via Bluetooth but could not transfer photo's to iPad?
What am I doing incorrectly?
I use the app Photosync to move photos between iOS devices and Mac OS X devices. The cost is low. Worked great via Bluetooth & wifi when vacationing.
thanks...so there is no way to sync photo's directly from iPhone to iPad sans apps
Not that I know of.
This isn't at all related to using an iPod touch or iPad as a phone, but you could drop AirDrop or Dropbox.
I forgot that. I also used Dropbox on vacation for photos when I had WiFi available and the VPN would work. Otherwise I used Photosync and bluetooth.
I'ved used my Google Voice number from my Mac and iOS devices for a number of years -- first with Talkatone, or via the Gmail website and lately, with the Google Hangouts App.
I have a regular iPhone, but am on a plan with 500 shared minutes. I'm on a lot of conference calls, so I primarily dial in to the conference bridges with this solution over WiFi.
Two things:
1) Inbound calls don't reliably get to my device. I'd say 15% of inbound calls don't ring in. Not sure why.
2) I worry that Google will pull the plug on this service. I can't see how they are making any money from it. With Gmail, for example, most people see ads, and I'm sure even if you use an IMAP client, they could sift through your stream. I don't hear any voice ads inserted to my calls, so I wonder how long this service will remain free.
John
I am not a special friend of Microsoft but there are some issues where Microsoft has some values.
To use an iPad or iPod Touch. I have used successfully for years Skype on either device. An annual charge for an own phone number from Skype to make free incoming and outgoing calls cost only $30 and it works fine, even since Skype has been token over by Microsoft. The drawback is, you need to be in a WiFi area to place or receive calls. For about $15 (and up to $50 or even more) you can buy a headphone with attached microphone. I use a Jabra Bluetooth and that works fine as well.
Last but not least, FaceTime is the best solution for communications via any iPad or iPod Touch. Also free, but works only with other Apple product users, other wise Skype also offers the video option to PC users.
As an after thought, Microsoft now makes big promotion about its Office Suite (Word, Excel & PowerPoint) to download for fee. BUT if you want to use it from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, you have to sign up at $9.99 per month. The better and still very great option for free is to sign up to “CloudOn” actually from Microsoft, and if you save any MS Word, Excel or PowerPoint document in Dropbox, you can change and edit any such MS Office document on a fly at no charges. Works very fine as well.
We used Skype heavily before Microsoft bought, but found that the reliability and quality dropped noticeably afterwards, so we switched to Google Hangouts, which has been far more consistent.
You say: "On the Mac side, to place a call, click the Hangouts button in the extensions bar or on the Mac’s menu bar to reveal a window in the lower-right corner of your screen. " —- can you add a screenshot or explain where to find the "extensions bar" (is this in the chrome browser? How do you make it visible) or where on the Mac menu bar you would find this. (I have many icons on my menu bar - but don't see this one... what's it look like?)
I have a feeling that Google Voice is US-only. Accessing it from Australia, I can get to the Google Voice page but I can't find any option to get a Google Voice number.
Hmm, interesting (it's often hard to determine this sort of thing from within the U.S.). I think you're right about Google Voice itself being U.S.-only, but it does appear there's a different Google service - Gmail's Call Phones - that is available in more countries. Try this and see what it does:
http://www.google.com/chat/voice/
Try Line2. Inexpensive and terrific For ipad
Looks like Line2 is about $10 per month (in addition to any cellular data plan you'd need).
https://www.line2.com/
I've been using the iPad TextMe app w/o complaints for a year now.
For $1 I added 40 mins of call time, but texting is free, which is what I mostly use it for.
The one time I can to contact them about something their response was immediate and rewarding.
And if you really need access anywhere in the world...
http://www.globalmarinenet.com/iridium_go.php