What’s the Catch Behind Google’s Free International Calling?

Everyone loves the idea of being able to make free international calls on their phones and now Google is letting you do so… but only for a minute
What’s the Catch Behind Google’s Free International Calling?
A visitor passes the Google logo at the Google offices in Berlin, Germany. (Adam Berry/Getty Images)
10/31/2014
Updated:
10/31/2014

Everyone loves the idea of being able to make free international calls on their phones and now Google is letting you do so… but only for a minute. Google this week announced that “the first minute of calls to phone numbers in twenty-five different countries is now free” if you make those calls using Google’s Hangouts mobile app.

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While this free minute might not sound like very much, Google points out that you can actually say quite a bit over that time and that this new feature is somewhat like leaving a live voicemail to someone who’s overseas. And of course, if you want more time to talk with someone in another country on Hangouts, Google will let you do so for a price.

“Don’t worry, if you need a bit more than a minute, we’ve got you covered there too,” writes Google. “As always, phone calls with Hangouts are free for most numbers in the US and Canada, and our international rates are super low. You can make phone calls from every device where you use Hangouts, and with Hangouts Dialer on Android.”

Republished with permission from BGRRead the original.