WP App Review : MetroTalk

MetroTalk (Version 3.1.1)
apoelin
$1.49 / Free  

After I initially received my Nokia Lumia 920, AT&T screwed up when transferring both my unlimited data and unlimited messaging plan. Since customer support was worthless in helping me, I had to go into an AT&T store to get it sorted out. During the few days of downtime, I was able to use the phone over wifi and decided to try out some text messaging apps. One of the criteria was being able to text others without the recipient having the same app. The choices were limited and I eventually settled on using Google Voice as the main client.

There are currently two popular apps that take advantage of Google Voice on WP8; MetroTalk and GoVoice. The first app that I was able to find in the marketplace was MetroTalk, and after using the trial I was happy with the experience and decided to make the purchase.

MetroTalk is a fully featured Google Voice app enabling you to make and receive calls as well as text. With the current update, you can also have the text read out to you, as well as including other features. Push notifications are also supported with a bit of setup. The initial setup is fairly straight-forward but I did have some trouble setting it up in the beginning. However, after I was able to successfully set it up properly the app works excellently. Push notifications are near instant when receiving texts and calls are relatively clear over wifi as well.

Using MetroTalk will obviously mean that you need to have a Google Voice account, but signing up is free in the United States (it is currently not available overseas.) Once you sign up for Google Voice, you'll get an actual number which you can use to text and make calls and even have it route all your calls to your main phone number. Acquiring a new number will of course mean that you'll need to update all your contacts, but it's a small price to pay for the features of Google Voice.

After using MetroTalk as my main texting application for a few weeks, it worked so well that I canceled my unlimited texting plan from AT&T, saving me $20 in monthly fees. It's a really solid app that works great once you set it up. The interface is nice and simple and using it is a pleasure. Instant push notifications and live tiles make this a must-get app for Google Voice users. One thing to take note is that Google Voice does not support MMS, meaning photos and videos can't be sent via this app. Supposedly on the Sprint network, you'll get an email with a link to the photo but if you're on AT&T, you won't know if someone has sent you a multimedia message. So if you're a heavy MMS user, this app won't work well for you. But for your basic texting, it's pretty much flawless.

Lastly, the developer for this app is pretty active on the WPCentral Forums which is always a big plus for the users. Many requests for features have been implemented and having the developer available for continued support is always a good indication for the success of this app. 

Pros : Clean interface, instant push notifications, active developer
Cons : Setup can be finicky for some

   

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