Description: Many of you will have heard of FreedomPop and in fact some of you might already be subscribers to the free network that bucks the trend of expensive monthly bills from the likes of AT&T and Verizon and basically offers you service for free. Of course, this service is fairly limited but then again it’s free, so who are we to complain? FreedomPop offers subscribers (for free) 200 minutes and 500 texts a month on their Basic plan and gives users a free US number or allows them to port their existing number. Great for travelling and taking advantage of that WiFi connection you have in the office or at home, the FreedomPop Free Voice and Text app can let you send free texts to any US mobile number as well as phone calls, even when you’re travelling overseas.
How it Works: If you’re completely new to FreedomPop, then there’s no need to worry, it’s as easy as pie to get set up with FreedomPop. All you need to do is download the Free Voice and Text app from the Play Store and then create an account or log in if you’re already a subscriber.
There’s absolutely no need to sign a contract and all you need is an email address and to choose a password – that’s it! From there, you can go ahead and choose an area code for your US number, or just go ahead and generate a random one.
I chose a random number and within a few minutes I had an email from FreedomPop with my information and I was then able to send text messages for free and even make phone calls for nothing.
You’ll then be taken to the FreedomPop Free Voice and Text app which will allow you to simply compose a message from scratch.
Composing is nice and simple, and the app really just acts like any other SMS app.
You can of course use the app to make voice calls for nothing, too. It’s a pretty basic app overall, but it gets the job done and…it’s FREE!
Opinion: As someone that recently just swapped from a costly contract to something that offers me truly unlimited data (here in the UK such a thing exists) for less than half the price and I’m not tied into a fixed term, I can see the attraction of FreedomPop. For someone like myself who basically needs data on their phone plan, FreedomPop isn’t going to cut it however, if I were a US resident and I was looking for a way to get in touch with folks back home for nothing, this is the option that I’d go with. It’s free, works fairly well and it’s super-quick to get set up with. There’s more to FreedomPop than just this free app and the small amount of minutes on offer here though and if youw ant a way to get out from under your carrier, this is the first step.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – FreedomPop runs nice and quickly and my texts went through fairly quickly, too.
- Features (4/5) – Combining the app and the service together, there’s something fairly special on offer here and FreedomPop is the one way you can get out from underneath your carrier with as little effort needed as possible.
- Theme (3.5/5) – The app itself is let down somewhat by an aging UI and with Android 5.0 Lollipop around the corner, this app could do with a facelift.
- Overall (4/5) – Sure, the app isn’t all that pretty and the UI needs some work, but as a quick way of getting 200 minutes and 500 SMS messages for nothing, this is one app you have to download to give it a try and with no signal, but a WiFi network nearby this could really help you out.
Pros
- Completely free, with no need to sign on the dotted line or anything like that, all you need is an email address.
- Great for those travelling overseas who want to get in touch with those back home without spending extra on their monthly bill.
- Great for those times when you have WiFi but no signal on your carrier (we’re looking at you, Sprint) and can help you get in touch even when you’re in a deadspot.
- Works over your existing 3G or 4G connection allowing you to make the most of your data allowance while also saving on your minutes and text message allowance.
Cons
- The app’s interface feels quite dated now and could do with a touch-up as we approach a whole new design language for Android.
- Would be nice to have a more features SMS app separate from the dialer app for heavy texters.
Conclusion: As a first introduction to FreedomPop, this is an excellent app to play around with and even if you don’t have any intention of perhaps looking at another plan on FreedomPop, this app is a real gem. With 200 minutes and 500 text messages to any US number for free, what is there not to love? Very little is what, but there are things that need to be considered, like the poor UI that feels very dated and the fact that 200 minutes isn’t a lot for chatterboxes, again this is free though. Overall, an app like this is a must-have for a lot of people and there’s no need to sign on the dotted line or anything like that with FreedomPop’s Free Voice and Text app making this a no-brainer to try out.