Video calling is not new, and there are many apps in the market place. Whether you are using your smart mobile device or PC, you can use video to communicate with just a click.
T-Mobile is aware of that, but what it has done with its Video Calling is make it work right out of the box. This means you don’t have to download, install, configure and register any apps to start video calling.
It should be as seamless as making a regular call.
According to T-Mobile, when you place and receive calls, all you have to do is press the video or voice call button. If it is that simple, it couldn’t be any simpler.
When you make a video call an icon of a small camera appears next to contacts indicating the device is able to receive the call. If their device doesn’t have the technology, the video call icon is greyed out.
The calls can be made on any available LTE connection using data from your high-speed data bucket as well as over Wi-Fi. The company said just like HD Voice calls, the T-Mobile Video Calling moves between LTE and Wi-Fi. If the connection is slow, the video call switches to a voice call so you don’t lose the conversation you are having, just the image. And when the connection is strong again, you can opt to switch back to video with a single tap.
Neville Ray, T-Mobile’s chief technology officer says on the company’s Issues and Insights Blog:
“We’re working with others so you can eventually enjoy built-in video calling across wireless networks.”
Currently it is only available for the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ and Samsung Galaxy Note 5 through simple software updates. Updates for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge will be available next week.
The company didn’t mention additional phones by brand, but Ray said, by the end of the year three more devices will have the same capability, with a total of seven phones.
As mentioned earlier, this is not a new innovation. You can use video with Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, Facebook, Snapchat and many others. T-Mobile just integrated a technology that is increasingly becoming essential and made it available out of the box.
No word yet on whether it will be available on iPhones.
Image: T-Mobile
