I prefer Skype Calls – Do not call me on WhatsApp please

If we are friends and you have my number, you probably can already reach me via WhatsApp. The only two reasons you may not be able to reach me on WhatsApp when you already have my number is either you don’t have WhatsApp, or one of us has blocked the other. The same is not true for Skype Calls, as with Skype you need to have my username, or I should have yours first. This means you are most likely to call me via WhatsApp, but that’s exactly what I don’t want you to do. I want you to call me via Skype and not WhatsApp for these two reasons:

  1. WhatsApp does not support PC calls
  2. WhatsApp still has the typical long distance call delay technically called Latency.

WhatsApp VoIP is yet to arrive on PC

Even though WhatsApp voice calls have been here for a while, it is still not popular as the calls keep dropping. WhatsApp, just like any other VoIP services, exclusively relies on the Internet, and since it is a mobile only App for calls, the calls are bound to experience drops as either the one calling or the recipient of the call keeps moving during the call from locations of strong Internet connectivity into areas that may have no Internet at all. VoIP on mobile devices cannot therefore be of excellent seamless experience. What you would want is to be at a single point when receiving or making a VoIP call, then stay there until the call is done. The best way to ensure this is to make or receive the call on a PC.

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Then in my house from where I work I have this single point where my phone must be to always receive the strongest network from Faiba 4G network that I use for Internet services. When the phone is at that location, I cannot use it other than to tether its Internet to the PC (laptop). On the PC I can still access almost all the services the mobile phone can provide including WhatsApp, except for normal voice calls that I may want to make or receive, or text messages. Microsoft by the way has provided a way I can read the text messages via the PC, access phone’s gallery, and a few other Apps, but I haven’t found that option interesting.

In the days of Nokia N Series I had Nokia N73. I could install the Nokia N73 App on my desktop computer and perform all phone functions, including sending and receiving texts, making calls, etc, right from the computer. I really do not understand why current mobile phone manufacturers haven’t enabled such beautiful PC-mobile interoperability forĀ  current smartphones.

That’s why, after I have put my phone at the location where it has strong Internet connection, like I have done right now in order to write this article, I’d prefer not to be called at all, more so not on WhatsApp. If you rather call therefore, I would love you to call me on Skype. The Skype calls I can receive on PC, which makes my life a lot easier. With the Skype calls, I can be able to talk as I work on some other document, browse through the PC for whatever else I would want to countercheck based on your call, and generally multitask easily. Yeah I know with WhatsApp call I still can try to navigate through the phone even as the call is on, but you and me both know that multitasking in those circumstances would rather not be done.

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Latency and quality Issues

When I started using Skype back in 2007 I experienced a lot of Latency issues. Everyone did. Latency in phone calls is the time between the moment a voice packet is transmitted and the moment it reaches its destination, and that time used to be a lot of time, sometimes more thanĀ  a second, back in the day – especially for long distance calls (landline, cellular) or even VoIP calls at call centres or Skype.

Years later, you are likely never going to experience Latency issues, but only if you use Skype and a few other advanced VoIP service providers, and this is the biggest reason I no longer want to receive WhatsApp calls. WhatsApp has a lot of latency problems. This will force you to speak, then keep quiet for a moment, before you can hear a response from the other party. Then they’ll talk, and you’ll have to give a pause before you can start talking back after they are done with their speaking. Even if WhatsApp was to come on PC today, and they didn’t sort out the latency problem, I’d still not want you to call me via WhatsApp.

Then there is call quality issues. Drop calls even when not moving from place to place is still a problem with WhatsApp. The bit rate for WhatsApp calls is way too low, and this they do because they don’t want people spending too much data on calls. Skype calls are however clear, HD actually. Of course Skype is meant for business users and as you know business users do not care about small things like data bundles. You’ll hardly ever experience drop calls from Skype, more so when you have stable Internet. That is, if you ever experience bad Skype Calls, your Internet will be the first thing you need to blame.

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In conclusion, Skype Calls are just great

Skype Calls work on PC

They are excellent in quality of calls

No drop calls

And Skype has been here for many many years.

That’s why next time you want to give me a VoIP call, you better do it on Skype. You don’t have Skype installed? Go to Windows Store on your PC or Play Store on Android Device, or Apple Store on your iPhone or any other Apple device, and download it. You will never regret calling someone in Sweden or India or anywhere else ever again.

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Odipo Riaga
Managing Editor at KachTech Media
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