Top 10 VoIP services for business

Important news about VoIP services for business

2024. Microsoft updated Skype and removed all ads



Microsoft still believes in Skype and says it's used by millions of people each month for chats, calls and video calls. The recent update improves reliability and performance across various platforms. It also resolves permission issue on iPad, fixes button alignment in the Calls tab on Mac, eliminates large spaces between contacts in compact mode on Mobile, removes call option visibility from the Copilot chat on iOS, corrects market selection for channel mute/unmute actions. Besides, Microsoft removed all ads from Skype. But it doesn't mean that Skype is now non-profit. It still earns on cheap international voip calls and local numbers.


2020. Facebook launches CatchUp, an audio-only calling app


Facebook launched an app CatchUp that's basically Houseparty for phone calls (not video calls). CatchUp, which is free to download, lets users see who's available to voice chat and then allows them to initiate both one-on-one and group calls within the app. CatchUp is a standalone app that is not connected with the Facebook app. You don't have to have a Facebook account, or an account with another Facebook-owned company, to use it. Since it's part of Facebook's "experimental" division, it's a bit soon to tell how it could play into the business, presuming the app sees any success.

2020. Truphone raises $38M at $516M valuation for its eSIM business



Truphone, a UK-based startup that offers voice and data services for phones, tablets and IoT devices through eSIM technology integrated directly into the hardware, has secured $38 million in funding. The company reported that it has now deployed around 4 million eSIM profiles worldwide and is experiencing an additional 20,000 eSIM activations daily. Although eSIM technology was initially designed to simplify the process of switching carriers without physically swapping small, cumbersome SIM cards (and the related carrier agreements), it’s particularly relevant today due to the increased emphasis on technology and transactions that can be conducted contactlessly (thus reducing the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus).


2019. Anti-spam service Truecaller adds free voice calling feature


Truecaller, the app best known for helping users screen calls from strangers and spammers, is adding yet another feature to its service - free VoIP-powered voice calls. The company has started to roll out the free voice calling feature to its Android users. The feature, which currently only supports calls between two users, will arrive on its iOS app soon. The addition of voice calling functionality comes as Truecaller aggressively looks to expand its business. The service, which offers both ad-support free tier and subscription bundle, has added messaging, mobile payments and call recording features in recent years. Earlier this year, it also added a crediting option, allowing users in India to borrow a few hundred dollars.


2019. Business communications service Movius raises $45M



In a curious corner of the tech universe, Movius has materialized with what might best be described as a particularly business-savvy bit of wizardry: the ability to slap a completely separate business number onto any mobile phone, allowing both voice calls and texting to be neatly compartmentalized. With an impressive $45 million Series D infusion—bringing its grand total to a positively eye-watering $100 million—Movius has drawn over 1,400 businesses into its orbit, including partnerships with carrier heavyweights like Sprint, Telstra, and Telefonica. But don’t mistake this for just another VoIP app hanging around your phone's back alley; Movius offers the full clout of a carrier-grade network that lets companies wield a second number on employee devices, deftly maintaining control as employees gleefully tote their own devices into the workplace.


2017. VoIP vet Truphone raised $339M



Mobile VoIP-provider (since 2006) Truphone has secured a substantial $339 million investment that it will use to eliminate its debt and focus on expanding data connectivity for connected devices beyond mobile phones. The surge of new, smart devices that operate partially by connecting to the internet is attracting a new wave of startups to provide that connectivity. Alongside Truphone, alternative providers in this sector include Skype and Cubic Telecom — which partners with Audi on connected vehicles and also recently obtained additional funding to support its growth. Notably, Truphone’s core technology underpins both its traditional business and the new opportunities it aims to explore in the future.


2017. Viber acquired shopping keyboard startup Chatter Commerce



Messaging app Viber earlier this year ventured into shopping services with Instant Shopping, a feature that enables you to search for items for sale via a keyboard while the messaging app is open. Today, the company has acquired Chatter Commerce, the startup responsible for developing that feature. This move is part of Viber’s strategy to compete with alternatives. Rumors suggest that Amazon is working on a consumer-focused messaging app. With Facebook also incorporating more transactional features into Messenger—part of a major expansion that has extended it beyond simple chat to include bots and other services—there is a noticeable trend among messaging apps to capitalize on their existing user engagement to drive business in new directions.


2017. Viber introduced secret chats with self-destructing messages



Viber for iOS and Android received an update today that introduces “Secret Chats” to the platform for the first time. Similar to Snapchat, Facebook, Telegram and others, Viber now allows users to set a timer for their messages, which will then self-destruct. The new feature also notifies a user if the person they are chatting with takes a screenshot—another feature originally pioneered by Snapchat. Viber seems to be emphasizing its security features in an effort to set itself apart. Last year, it added end-to-end encryption and hidden chats.


2017. Viber adds e-commerce feature



Messaging app Viber (owned by e-commerce company Rakuten) aims to capitalize on e-commerce without resorting to annoying ads. Viber will begin to showcase products for sale, influenced by your current conversation, when you click a small shopping bag icon at the bottom of the screen and search for items. The feature is set to debut in the U.S. first, on March 6, before Viber plans to expand it to other regions. Initially, the shopping feature will not allow users to make purchases directly on Viber — they will either be directed to the relevant page in a brand’s app via a deeplink.


2017. Google Voice gets group chat and other new features



Google has introduced a revamped version of its VoIP calling service, Google Voice, for both mobile and the web. Primarily, the update focuses on giving the service a more contemporary look and feel, following years without a significant upgrade. However, the relaunch also adds several new features, such as support for photo-sharing, group chats, Spanish-language voicemail transcription and more. In the new app, the Google Voice inbox now has distinct tabs for text messages, calls and voicemail, as Google explains in its blog post about the update. Conversations will remain in a single continuous thread, making it simpler to follow messages from your contacts in one place.