By now, you have had the opportunity to read about how I switched from my traditional cellular provider to a Skype-only solution. This guide will take you through the conversion process in three easy steps, so you can also benefit from affordable, quality, VOIP service. Note that I took all of the actions listed in this tutorial. However, I listed some items as "recommended." These are not required, but will render your Skype experience much more effective.
Step 1: Get Skype for Your iPhone
Download and install the Skype application on your iPhone. You need to have a free Skype account in order to use the software. You can create a new account either through the iPhone or desktop version of Skype.
Step 2: Sign Up for a Skype Subscription Plan and Online Number
A Skype subscription plan will allow you to make calls from the iPhone (or desktop) application to contacts who are not Skype users, such as those on traditional cellular networks or landline services. You have multiple subscription options. One is to "pay as you go" by purchasing Skype Credit, which can then be used to make outgoing calls. Another is to pay for unlimited calling on a monthly basis which, in the U.S. and Canada, is $2.95 per month. These first two choices are prudent if you are not completely confident in abandoning your cellular service and want to test things out first. Lastly, if you are planning to rely on Skype for all of your mobile service, I suggest purchasing a 12 month unlimited calling plan at the price of $29.50. This yearly plan will qualify you for 50% off of an online number ($30 per year after discount), which is necessary for your non-Skype contacts to call you through the Skype application. An online number is essentially a new phone number that anyone can call, just like a normal phone number. The difference is that behind the scenes work is done to route all of your incoming calls through Skype, so you can answer them inside the application.
Recommended: Jailbreak Your iPhone
To get the most out of the Skype application, and to make it a viable replacement for traditional cell phone service, you will need to jailbreak your iPhone. This process is made simple with one of multiple free programs available online (see the iPhone Dev-Team Blog for the latest updates and official downloads). Likewise, there are excellent tutorials that explain the jailbreaking process. Just be sure to find a guide that covers the OS and iPhone version that you are using.
Recommended: Backgrounder
Once your iPhone is jailbroken, you will have the ability to download the free Backgrounder application via Cydia. Backgrounder allows your iPhone to run applications in the "background." This is similar to what happens on a computer when you open one program, minimize it, and then run a new program at the same time. This common computing behavior is restricted on the iPhone, which only permits one application to run at a time (I cannot tell you why). Backgrounder enables you to have Skype running, even while using other features and applications. This means that you can always be ready to receive a call, in spite of what else you may be doing on your phone. To automatically enable Skype to run in the background, open Backgrounder. Under the "Preferences" heading, choose Auto-enabled Applications. Find Skype in the list, and slide the dial to the "ON" position.
Recommended: Turn Off Auto-Lock and Engage Insomnia
In my early experimentation with Skype on the iPhone, I noticed that even if the application is running and in full Wi-Fi access, it tends to time out a few minutes after the phone goes into lock (sleep) mode. To correct this, first you will need to turn off auto-locking. On your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Auto-Lock and select the option for "Never." This will stop the iPhone from automatically locking itself after a specified period of inactivity. However, you can still lock the phone at any time by pressing the button on the top of the device.
Another useful free application that can be downloaded from Cydia is Insomnia. To further ensure that your iPhone does not go into sleep mode nor lock itself, you need to install and engage the Insomnia application by touching its icon. After disabling auto-lock and starting Insomnia, you can retain your connection to Skype, even if you do not constantly use your iPhone.
Step 3: Dump Your Old Service Provider
Now that you have a reasonable, affordable, and quality cellular service solution, you can call your traditional phone company and have your service canceled. Granting yourself the power to choose an alternative, low-cost, low-commitment, but high-quality service is indeed the motivation behind switching to Skype in the first place.
Recall that your decision to choose Skype should be based on your needs as a cell phone user. In my case, the tradeoffs related to Wi-Fi only service are negligible compared to the annual savings that I stand to achieve (estimated $750 per year). I still have much to experiment with in terms of keeping Skype as my only service provider. As I make new discoveries and determine the best ways to utilize mobile Skype, I will be sure to share them with you.
34 comments:
thanks great guide!
Wicked. Cheers for the backgrounder tips. Had read it wasnt possible but it works perfectly. Doesnt load the app up when a call comes in, but I hear it ring, then I open the app and answer the call. Awesome. Thanks again
No problem. Thanks for the comments. It isn't perfect, but this setup has been working well for me so far. If you discover any ways to improve it or experience any problems, be sure to share them.
I actually do something similiar to you. I use a free incoming number with one of the free incoming sip services out there. You can't really pick you own zip code but I mainly use it when I'm overseas so I can has people call me while overseas with a US number. But with Skype its probably 10X easier with everything in one app. You had a concern with the previous post about no No Emergency Calls. I think the iphone regardless if it has a sim or not can make 911 calls. I haven't tested it out. I'm using skype on my iphone as well now only for overseas calls. Your guide is great for replacing your cellphone with Skype.
I'm about to make the leap into the Skype world - just to get it straight - the iPhone will work after I cancel my service with AT&T? Just checkin'. So far everything you suggested has been super!
Yes, the iPhone will work without AT&T. I canceled my service and now only use Wi-Fi to make calls through Skype.
Thanks John for your response! I've done the switch to Skype and all is G R E A T! Any idea of how to get Voicemail on the iPhone? Or any clue when Skype will be releasing a way to check Voicemail on the iPhone anytime soon? That's the only hitch for me lately. I figured you'd have the answer/s...Thanks again for all your help and writing such a brilliantly detailed blog of how to make Skype a sole service provider.
No problem. I'm glad that it is working for you.
The voicemail is definitely one issue with Skype for iPhone. The application is worthless in that regard at the moment, since it does not even tell you when you have a voicemail, let alone allow you to listen to one. I imagine that this must be a feature that will be added at some point, though I have no idea when it might happen.
For now, I have my Skype preferences set to email me every time someone leaves me a voicemail (option is located in the voicemail section of your account on the Skype website). That way, I at least know when I have one and can use the desktop application to listen to it.
Hey John (and others),
You may consider looking into this service as a means of solving "voicemail" issues while using Skype on your iPhone.
http://phonetag.com
I've been using it now for a week and it has made things much easier on me (i.e. not having to rely on my laptop to check voicemail).
I'm also looking into the "Intelligent Mobile Broadband" service that Verizon wireless is offering. It seems a little expensive to charge $40 for a mobile wifi router, so I may wait...I'm still hopeful that things will shift towards better affordability in terms of wifi everywhere or mobile routers like what Verizon is pushing.
Hope this information finds you well.
Cheers.
Thanks for the information.
I had not heard of PhoneTag, but another company that does the same thing is SpinVox. Considering the low number of voicemails that I receive, these may be affordable and convenient to try at some point. It also adds value to receive the messages as text in addition to being a workaround for the current lack of audio voicemail in Skype for iPhone.
I checked out the Verizon service. The infuriating problem with the business model that the phone companies are using for netbooks and other internet services like this one is that they cap the amount of data transfer that users are allowed. Verizon charges $40 per month for only 250 MB of transfer and $60 for 5 GB. Then they charge some lucrative price for each MB that a user goes over per month. This is ridiculous for a number of reasons.
First, my cable company lets me use however much data I want for a single monthly price (or if it is capped, it is so high that no reasonable user would ever reach it).
Second, making users buy a device to funnel their phone service into their computers is a convoluted way of charging tons of money to accomplish "tethering," which can already be done for free. It essentially is the process of using one's cell phone as a bridge between a cellular data network and a computer. There is lots of information (from users) and controversy (from providers) over the subject available on the web. In a sense, it would be another, opposite way of consolidating one's data expenses. For example, I decided to drop my cellular provider and use my cable internet to make all of my phone calls. Alternatively, I could have kept my cellular provider and tethered my data plan to my computer, while dropping my cable service.
Third, the real point in all of this is that phone companies are perpetually messing up by trying to charge monopolistic prices, while completely locking down control over their services, in a world where they no longer have the power nor opportunity to do either. The internet has changed/is changing how consumers find and distribute information. Traditional service providers need to wake up and realize this if they desire to compete into the future.
P.S. I definitely like seeing things like the Verizon device, but they are going about it the wrong way. Make the plan unlimited or absurdly high (i.e. 500 GB for the 5 user device) and then you have me thinking, "well I pay $60 per month for ~6 MB/S cable and this is $40 per month. Its portability is nice. How fast, reliable, and widespread is it?"
I was wondering if you checked out the pay as you go sim card route yet and if so what was the result, and how do you work through the battery life of the iphone. Do you leave it charging as much as possible? how long does the battery run the phone , such as in standby and actual talk time.
Hi. I have not tested the iPhone with a pay as you go sim card. Some countries outside the U.S. offer iPhones with pay as you go plans, but AT&T in the U.S. does not. I do not know if the pay as you go system works for iPhones in the U.S.
As for the battery life, it holds up pretty well. I have a 2G, December 2007, iPhone and use the exact settings specified in this tutorial. So, the screen is on all day long and Skype is running. From time to time, I use other features, such as web browsing, Tweetie, or email. Overall, the battery tends to last about 14 hours, which gets me through work and nearly to a complete day without charging. Of course, the more the phone is used for talking and other features, the faster I would expect the battery to drain.
Just wanted to post a quick note and say I did the same thing to my iPhone and am very happy to be out of my contract. One slight modification I did with regards to the iPhone was to purchase a prepaid SIM card from T-Mobile ($6.99 shipped). I then set my Skype number to forward to the prepaid SIM card. Now, if someone calls my Skype number it rings through Skype first and finally pushes to the prepaid SIM in the event I am outside of WiFi area but still want to receive a call. Great guide!
Thanks for the tip, Carrick. That sounds like a good way to get all of your calls, even when outside of a Wi-Fi zone (but still without a huge contract).
Is it difficult to install a prepaid SIM card into an existing iPhone?
Also, based on what Carrick shared, does this mean that the SIM card in the iPhone already (At&T) has no way of being set up on the At&t PAYG plans? I read somewhere online where someone went to RadioShack and modified their iPhone 3G to be a PAYG phone.
I'm seriously considering this as an option to receive phone calls (and text messages?). I'm rather excited to see how this goes.
Thanks!
Hi Robert,
I have never installed a different SIM card into a phone, but the directions that I have heard always make it sound like an easy pop-in pop-out process. Perhaps someone with first-hand experience can confirm this for us. I do know that the iPhone's card is located directly on top of the device.
I have searched for information on an AT&T PAYG option, but have not found any conclusive evidence that it is possible. I believe that it existed for the first few months after summer 2007, but was quickly discontinued. Also, some carriers outside the U.S. do offer PAYG plans for the iPhone. I have not heard of modifying the phone to make it into an AT&T PAYG. It would be a nice option to have.
A lack of SMS capabilities is the one thing that is really holding Skype back from being a 100% replacement for the traditional service providers. I wrote a follow-up article to this one that exposes the major features that are missing from Skype. You can read the post here. Basically, if you can do without the SMS and are frequently in Wi-Fi, I do recommend going with this option. It has worked well for me thus far.
Good stuff. Going to do almost exactly this after I move to a different state in 4 months. Hope it works well. I am not a big phone talker anyway, much prefer text based communication like email, IM, twitter of course.
In general, your usage patterns sound similar to mine. I prefer email. It is even more efficient/effective I think to send me an email saying that you want me to call you than miss me and leave a voicemail.
The new iPhone OS 3.0 came out this week. I have not installed it yet, but I wonder what the implications will be on this setup. There may be some new apps and capabilities coming that make it work better.
I have been experimenting with this. Problem is skype keeps crashing or disconnecting, not sure which. I am using the backgrounder method. Is insomnia necessary to prevent this?
Hi Greg,
I had similar trouble with this in the first week or two that I tried out this system. Here is what I know:
1) The iPhone, as powerful as it is, especially for a handheld, has its limits. It is programmed to sacrifice apps as soon as it gets overrun and the first ones to be shut down are 3rd party (as opposed to Apple apps - i.e. mail, safari, ipod). So, moral of the story is, if you run a resource-hogging app like Facebook or Tweetie, or run a number of apps at the same time, the odds are that Skype will get shut down. Moral: Always run Skype; if you run something else, check Skype after you are done to make sure it is still active.
2) In terms of disconnecting, it basically works like this: the iPhone screen has to be on and lit up or else the Skype will inevitably disconnect. According to the guide, this is what Insomnia accomplishes. Note that a new version of Insomnia is out now that basically claims that it does both what Backgrounder and Insomnia do, as described in this guide. Also, it says that it keeps Wi-Fi connected even if the screen is off. In my early experience, this does not work as described. I am still sticking to the plan described in this guide, because it works.
3) Take note that the new iPhone 3.0 OS is out. This implies that some changes are going to come to basically all iPhone apps, even if they are just being ported to be compatible with the new OS. I will evaluate this system again under the new OS and update the guide as necessary to reflect our new options. I hope that everything will at least remain as useful as it currently is, if not improve.
Do you know if this will work on an iPod Touch? (Other than that I would need a mic). Anyone with actual experience doing this? Also, how is your battery life?
Thanks,
Jonathan
Hi. I do not have first-hand experience trying this on an iPod Touch. However, I have read that Skype (and other audio input apps) work as long as you have a mic plugged into the device. I may indeed move to an iPod Touch at some point, especially if they get the expected upgrade this fall. I would only do so, of course, if I could keep Skype functioning properly.
The battery life is pretty good. I can usually go an entire day at work plus a few hours at night running Skype and whatever else I do that day. However, I have noticed that it drops off significantly if I have a long conversation or a number of substantial calls in one day (much like any phone). I am using a 2G iPhone from 12/2007 as well, so I would hope the battery is better on newer models.
@John: I would not run 3.0 now, since backgrounder has not been ported. See http://code.google.com/p/iphone-backgrounder/ for more details. I am looking forward to a 3GS jailbreak, double the RAM will help hugely in backgrounded tasks assuming Apple is not doing anything more aggressive in killing processes.
Hi Greg,
Thanks for the warning. I am interested to get into the 3.0 OS and see the new features.
On a side note, I found out more about inserting a "foreign" SIM card into the iPhone today. I tried to use a friend's T-Mobile card and found that my iPhone is still locked to AT&T, because I only "jailbroke" it and did not "unlock" it. Next time I update the OS, I am going to make sure to do both options, so I am open to experiment with the pay as you go services from other providers. I have a friend who successfully did this before going on vacation to Europe. He jailbroke/unlocked an iPhone 3G and used a T-Mobile pay as you go card.
@John: Thanks for the quick response. Another thing worth looking into is Google Voice, which should be launching this week. It does not provide voip service itself, but makes it easy to partner with gizmo5. GV also offers Inbound number (with porting) for free. GV can be set to forward to a mobile number or your gizmo SIP client. So you can answer on you computer if you are there or on iphone via an app called nimbuzz. The same would apply to backgrounding the nimbuzz app so you can get calls. I look forward to testing this all out this weekend. I will compare to your solution and post a comparison. Hoping to get monthly telecom costs to: $30 (cable internet) + ~ $2 (gizmo rates are a penny a minute to landline or mobile)
Hi Greg,
I am very much looking forward to your testing of Google Voice. The same friend who helped me check out the T-Mobile SIM card today has been telling me about that for some time now. I did not know early enough to get into the beta though. If it turns out to be as useful as Skype or better, I will consider testing it and writing another guide.
At&T has a data plan for 35 a month for 3g service. Could you buy that and run spype on a backberry or iphone all the time anywhere. It looks to be like its unlimited transfer so I dont think they could get you for any additional fees. Another thing I was thinking about is texting. Would you be able to text someones phone without any phone service to someone w/o skype.
The problem, at least at my last check, was that AT&T does not allow data-only plans with the iPhone. You are forced to get a regular calling plan (minimum $40/month) on top of it, which makes the device ridiculously priced and/or unaffordable for many. My old 2G iPhone had a $20 unlimited data plan. If I could just have had that and no calling plan, I would have probably never pursued an alternative option to AT&T, such as Skype.
Skype can text message to anyone who can receive SMS, regardless of the device. So as long as they can receive texts normally, Skype can reach them. It does cost a few cents per message, so you will need to buy Skype credit. This basically puts you on a prepaid "text as you go" system. Note that the texts are only outgoing, so you cannot receive messages back from your contacts through Skype.
This Only works if you are connected to wifi correct? if you are outside of a wifi area you will not receive calls.. you will need to keep a data plan with a service provider ( and crack skype to work with 3g) to receive calls in any coverage area (not just wifi). correct me if im wrong.
Yes, the solution that I described is Wi-Fi only.
Presumably, if you could get a data plan to use Skype over a non-Wi-Fi network, that would work. However, I do not have experience running this system over 3G or any other non-Wi-Fi networks.
Other readers have also mentioned using a pay as you go SIM card to receive calls when outside of Wi-Fi zones. This is another potential solution, although I have also not tried it myself.
Hope That would help you john.
Unfortunately I didn't see your blog before it would have saved me alot of time of thinking but Thank God I reached the same results adding to this one thing is that you can use it not only on wifi but also on 3g. you can use voip3g app from cydia to solve this issue.It is a free app that works around this problem.
Hope this helps and good luck.
If anybody has a way to work this with Google voice or a way to receive texts on skype number that would be appreciated.
Hi Adly,
Thanks for the tip on the voip3g application.
Skype does not have, and most likely never will have, SMS reception. Check out the comment section of this blog post for a technical explanation.
I am also interested in hearing about similar iPhone use over Google Voice. I have not had the opportunity to try the service myself.
What about using TextPlus App for free SMS, atleast in* the US?
Thanks for the tip. I read an article about TextPlus and it looks like a pretty good solution, since it runs over Wi-Fi and can retrieve incoming messages, even if the application is not open at the time an SMS was originally sent.
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