Free messaging apps for smartphones are nothing new, but Android and iPhone app Voxer brings something new to the table. It’s a free ‘walkie-talkie‘ service, that uses 3G or WiFi. You can text, send photos and best of all send voice messages.
Voxer is free on both iOS and Android; you just download it and sign up. You can also connect to Facebook, which I did without getting any resulting spamming of my friends. Contacts already using Voxer will automatically appear in your Voxer friends lists, and you can send messages to any Facebook friends and phone contacts inviting them to get the app.
Getting people involved is always the tricky part with these things, but once you do, using Voxer is simple, and the Walkie-talkie element is great fun. Open a chat, touch the ‘Hold and Talk‘ button then speak. Once you let go, your voice message is sent. Whoever you’re chatting to can also listen to you live whenever you have the walkie-talkie button pressed.
Sending short voice messages is quicker than writing a text, although less discrete, and I find Voxer is much easier to use than my phone’s voicemail. According to Techcrunch, Voxer has been getting really popular in Brazil, and it starting to gain traction in other markets too. I think it’s got great potential to steal lots of users away from WhatsApp too. Why not download it and see what all the fuss is about?
