6 Reasons Why VoIP Applications on Smartphones Crash
More and more companies in Singapore are migrating to VoIP phone systems to support both office workers as well as remote workers. With the migration to VoIP phone systems, often the vendor will also provide applications for Desktop computers as well as applications for smartphones. This allows the users to make and receive business calls from their computer or mobile phone using their office phone number.
However, often users find that the application on their mobile phone is less reliable as the physical VoIP phone or the desktop application on their computer - why is that so?
1. Mobile Phones Were Not Meant to Be VoIP phones.
Mobile phones were primarily designed to be cell phones and not VoIP phones. As such, the former always prioritises cellular voice calls over any application - including a VoIP application. You may have noticed that if you are in the process of using your mobile phone for a voice call, or perhaps even listening to music, and a cell call comes into your phone, your mobile phone will automatically override the VoIP application or music application and prioritise the cellular call - and your VoIP call will likely drop out.
2. Mobile Phones Require Data Connection
Mobile phones rely on data connectivity to make and receive VoIP calls. If the data connection is weak, the quality of your call will be affected, and of course, if there is no data signal, you will not be able to make or receive VoIP calls on your mobile phone.
3. Your Router is Not Optimised for VoIP
If your mobile phone is connected to your home or office WiFi router, and the router is either congested, not optimised for VoIP communications - this will affect the quality and stability of your VoIP call.
If you are using a WiFi hotspot for data connectivity, mobile phones connected to WiFi hotspots need to be in close proximity to the WiFI hotspot to ensure call quality and stability.
4. Disconnection Between VoIP Providers and Mobile Phone
VoIP calls initiated on mobile phones traverse many single points of failure on the route to their destination, such as the originating or terminating. Telecommunications service providers' systems rely on the stability and quality of all the components in that chain of communications. VoIP vendors are unable to control all these elements that are controlled by the third-party telecommunications service provider.
5. Unstable Connection Between Cell Towers
When travelling and using your mobile phone for a VoIP call, the call may drop or suffer instability issues when moving between cellular towers. This is often due to the way the data signal is handed over from one cell tower to the next as the technology for handing over the cellular signal may not be optimised for bidirectional uninterruptable voice communications
6. The Need for the Latest Update
Cellular operating systems in Singapore are evolving and changing continuously, with updates pushed to your mobile phone both transparently as well as changes made by the developers of the operating systems on the back end. This means that your VoIP provider needs to continuously monitor the effect these changes have on your VoIP application that may require upgrades to your application. Often these upgrades are automatically included in the batch “auto-update” facility as scheduled on your mobile phone. However, due to the fact that your mobile phone operating system updates can take a few days to propagate and be included in your 'auto-update” facility, it is often recommended to manually update your mobile phone if indeed the upgrade is critically required. In the absence of the latest version of the application installed on your mobile phone, the service may not meet your expectations.
Want to learn more about VoIP services and softphones? Approach Velox today.
