Virtual Office Resource

Uber now offers in-app VoIP. That’s in addition to its existing support for messaging, regular phone calls, and SMS.

Support for VoIP will help U.S. travelers who are abroad to keep down their cellular costs. Because VoIP calls don’t count as cellular communications. And using cellular networks when you’re in another country can be a pricey proposition.

Indeed. As Fast Company recently reported: “The addition of VoIP calling in the Uber app could be a godsend to foreign travelers who often don’t have a cellular connection when touching down in another country’s airport. Now those travelers will be able to place calls to their drivers as long as they are still within range of an airport’s free Wi-Fi, for example.”

The company decided to add support for VoIP after many customers derided Uber for its gap on this front.

Facebook (News - Alert) user David Zachman in a February 2017 post wrote: “Why can’t you order a UBER with a VOIP? This is very annoying that since I do not use a standard phone service that gouges you monthly that I cannot get a Uber ride. Please fix that issue.”

The year prior someone on Howard Forums Mobile Community shared this complaint: “I cannot get Uber to work on RingPlus (News - Alert), RingTo, FreedomPop, GoogleVoice or TruPhone. It thinks that the numbers are not real ‘mobile numbers’ and will not take an order until the number is ‘verified”. I have managed to get the SMS code it ends on FreedomPop and GV at least, but it still rejects the numbers. Opening a ticket got a vague unhelpful reply. Has anyone done any better?”

Now Uber has done better. That should be good news for the company’s customers, which reached 40 million a month last year.