Ooma Mobile FAQ

Q: What is Ooma Mobile?
A: Ooma Mobile is an application that allow you to make phone calls on compatible devices using your Internet data connection (such as Wi-Fi or 3G) instead of your cellular voice plan.

Q: How do I use Ooma Mobile?
A: Simply download the Ooma Mobile application from the Apple App Store. The first time you start the Ooma Mobile application, you will be asked to enter your Ooma Mobile username and password which you can retrieve from https://my.ooma.com/mobile. Type it in and wait for the Ooma logo to turn blue. Once the app has connected, you can make phone calls using the contact list stored on your device or telephone keypad.

Q: What devices are compatible with Ooma Mobile?
A: Ooma Mobile is available for Apple iOS devices such as the Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Q: Why would I want to use Ooma Mobile?
A: Ooma Mobile allows you to bypass your cellular carrier when you make phone calls. This means you can reduce cellular minute usage, avoid overages and make low-cost international phone calls using Ooma. Since Ooma Mobile uses Wi-Fi to connect calls, you can use it in locations where you have poor or no cellular reception (such as when you are traveling overseas). It also means that you can use devices which are not a phone (e.g. iPad and iPod touch) to make phone calls.

Q: What if I don't have access to Wi-Fi, can I still use Ooma Mobile?
A: If you have a 3G-enabled device (e.g. iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 or iPad 3G), you can use Ooma Mobile to make phone calls over the 3G data connection. Since these calls travel over your 3G data connection, they do not consume voice minutes on your cell phone plan. You must, however, have an active 3G service plan.

Q: How does Ooma Mobile save me money?
A: By switching your phone calls to Ooma Mobile when you have a Wi-Fi or 3G data connection, you can dramatically reduce the number of cellular minutes you need on your plan, allowing you to switch to a cheaper cell phone plan. You can save even more if you make international phone calls since Ooma's rates can be up to 90% lower than your cell phone carrier.

Q: How much do international phone calls cost using Ooma Mobile?
A: International phone calls made using Ooma Mobile cost the same as international calls made from home using your Ooma device. Click here to see our international rates.

Q: What is the voice quality of Ooma Mobile calls?
A: The Ooma Mobile application has PureVoice technology built-in to deliver the best quality using the lowest amount of bandwidth. When calling over Wi-Fi on a good Internet connection, the quality will sound the same as calls made from your Ooma device. When calling over 3G, quality will vary with the quality of your 3G connection. As long as you have about 40k of upload and download bandwidth, calls should sound very good. You can check the quality of you 3G connection using a bandwidth testing application such as Speedtest.net.

Q: What caller-ID shows up when I make phone calls using Ooma Mobile?
A: The other party will see the main phone number of your Ooma account.

Q: Does Ooma Mobile support Bluetooth headsets?
A: Yes, Ooma Mobile supports Bluetooth headsets on the iPhone. Although the iPod touch and iPad support Bluetooth, Apple does not support the headset profile on these devices, which means that Bluetooth headsets will NOT work.

Q: How do I make phones calls from an iPod touch?
A: Yes, but with some things to note on the microphone. The 2nd-generation and 3rd-generation iPod touch do not have a built-in microphone, so you must use a headset with a microphone, like this one that Apple sells. If you have a 1st-generation iPod touch, you need to use a microphone accessory that plugs-in through the dock connector, since it does not support headsets with microphones. The 4th-generation iPod touch includes a built-in microphone, so you can place calls without a separate headset.

Q: How do I make phones calls from an iPad?
A: The iPad does have a built-in microphone, so it can be used as a speakerphone. You can also plug in a headset with a built-in microphone for private conversations.

Q: How much bandwidth does Ooma Mobile use?
A: Ooma PureVoice reduces bandwidth usage on phone calls by more than 60% compared to other applications. If you have a limited 3G data plan, the lower bandwidth usage means you can talk for a longer period of time without exceeding your monthly usage cap. On average, Ooma Mobile uses around 200KB of bandwidth per minute in each direction (1MB every 5 minutes).

Q: How much does Ooma Mobile cost?
A: The Ooma Mobile application costs $9.99 and is available in the Apple App Store. You can call any Ooma number for FREE using Ooma Mobile. Calling other U.S. phone numbers costs 1.9 cents per minute and charges are deducted out of you Ooma prepaid account. Ooma Premier subscribers get 250 free minutes of domestic calling every month with Ooma Mobile.

Q: I subscribe to the International Bundle - how does that work with Ooma Mobile?
A: With our International Bundle, you get 500 minutes of calling to 70 countries every month. With Ooma Mobile, you can now access that same bucket of international calling minutes away from home. As a limited time promotion, you can use the 250 minutes of free domestic calling that you get with Ooma Premier and use them to call those same 70 countries. So you get 750 total minutes every month to call overseas or call domestically using Ooma Mobile - split your usage however you want.

Q: Do I need money in my Ooma prepaid account to use the app?
A: When you enable Ooma Mobile in My Ooma, your prepaid account with automatically be created with a small starting balance.

Q: Can I make emergency 911 calls using Ooma Mobile?
A: Ooma Mobile does not support calling 911 numbers. To call 911, you'll need to use your home phone or your cell phone (using your standard mobile carrier).

Q: I don't own an Ooma device. Can I stil use Ooma Mobile?
A: We are working on expanding access to the application but currently you must be an owner of an Ooma Hub or Ooma Telo device to use the Ooma Mobile application.

Q: I would like the application to show one of my virtual numbers or Google Voice number as the caller-ID. Is that possible?
A: This is not currently supported but we are looking into this for future releases.

Q: Can I receive phone calls on Ooma Mobile?
A: Not yet. Incoming phone calls will be supported later this year.

Q: Will you offer the Ooma Mobile application on other smart phones?
A: We are working on an Ooma Mobile application for Android phones. A Blackberry version is also on our roadmap.