TextNow Review 2024: Uncovering the Pros and Cons of Free Nationwide Calling and Texting Services

TLDR Summary

Intro

In my quest to find the most affordable wireless plan, I have rarely signed up with the likes of AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon directly. I’ve gone the Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) route. I’ve spent time with Republic Wireless, Red Pocket, and most recently Visible.

While streaming MST3K on Tubi, a commercial pops up for TextNow wireless. The service touts a completely free mobile experience. The advertisement made it clear that free means national text and phone services. However, what does free really mean, and who would benefit from it? This article will discuss the Pros and Cons of the service.

About TextNow

TextNow, an innovative communication service, was established in 2009 by two University of Waterloo students, Jon Lerner and Derek Ting. Initially, it began as a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) app that provided a U.S. phone number and allowed users to call and text over WiFi. This was particularly groundbreaking, as it offered an affordable communication solution in an era dominated by costly carrier plans and limited international calling options.

The success of TextNow can be attributed to its innovative use of cloud-based technology, commitment to affordable communication, and adaptability in a rapidly changing technological landscape. This has not only helped it carve out a unique niche in the telecommunications sector but also democratized access to communication services for a broader audience.

As TextNow evolved, it distinguished itself by becoming the first all-IP, cloud-based mobile phone carrier in the world. This meant it could offer extremely low-cost plans, sometimes even free, by leveraging the availability of WiFi networks and data connections. The service has been particularly beneficial for those looking to save on their mobile bills, including students, low-income individuals, and people maintaining international connections.

TextNow’s business model hinges on providing free services supported by advertisements, with the option for users to pay for ad-free experiences and additional features. The platform has expanded to include app-based texting and calling on a variety of devices, not just smartphones, emphasizing its commitment to accessibility and user convenience.

The success of TextNow can be attributed to its innovative use of cloud-based technology, commitment to affordable communication, and adaptability in a rapidly changing technological landscape. This has not only helped it carve out a unique niche in the telecommunications sector but also democratized access to communication services for a broader audience.

What Data is collected and Why?

For a company that leverages advertisements to generate revenue, their privacy policy is fairly straight-forward. The privacy policy lists the purpose for the data collection.

1. Types of Information Collected:
   • Personal details like Name, User ID, email address, Phone Number.
   • Telephony log information such as call records and message details.
   • Messages in various formats and contact lists.
   • Credit card information for payment processing.
   • Purchase records of services.
   • Interaction details with the application and advertisements.
   • Geographic location data from IP address and Wi-Fi access.
2. Purposes for Data Use:
   • Providing services, including communication and marketing (Purpose #1).
   • Security purposes like detecting breaches and protecting against illegal activities (Purpose #2).
   • Improving service functionality (Purpose #3).
   • Legal and regulatory compliance (Purpose #4).
   • Providing relevant commercial advertisements (Purpose #5).
3. Data Sharing and Third Parties:
   • Certain information (advertiser ID, IP address, hashed email) is shared with third-party advertisers for commercial advertisements.
   • Third-party sources may also contribute to the data collected.
   • Third-party applications available through the services have their own privacy policies.
   • Partnerships exist with third parties for more relevant advertising, involving tracking technologies and information sharing across platforms.
4. Tracking and Opt-out Options:
   • The policy states a “do not track” position across third-party websites but tracks as per the policy’s provisions.
   • Options are available to opt-out of interest-based advertising and targeted advertising through specific websites and settings.
5. Data Transfer:
   • Data may be transferred outside the country of origin.
6. Interest-Based Advertising:
   • Partners may use collected data for advertising purposes across different channels and platforms.

The Table below aligns the data collected with the purpose.

Information Type	Purposes
Name, User ID, email, Phone Number, IP, device ID, etc.	#1, #3, #5
Telephony log information	#1, #3, #4
Messages and contacts	#1, #3
Credit card number	#1 (payment)
Purchase records	#1 (Marketing)
Interaction with application/ads	#1, #3, #5
Location data	#1, #5

The one thing I find interesting is that they don’t explain a scenario that fits into Security. As with every privacy policy, it’s subject to change. That being said they are obligated to inform you of the update when it occurs (well assuming you’re a customer of there’s).

However, if you just exploring you may want to read the privacy policy yourself before committing. As I said there doesn’t appear to be anything unusual to the policy from my perspective.

Signing Up

I dove in immediately after the commercial. I reviewed the information on the site and decided to order a SIM card. The investment risk is relatively low and easily justified to try a service such as this.

Signing up takes about 5 minutes, especially if you use your Google account to sign in. This was a pleasant surprise. Most MVNOs I’ve used in the past, required the phone make, manufacturer, and IMEI number. Then they would assess if your phone is compatible with the service. Visible, for example, wouldn’t activate on my surface duo. The SIM cost $5.00 and took only 3 days to arrive at my residence. Admittedly, for me, it only had to travel from the northern Dallas metro to central Texas. The envelope contained the SIM and the tool to remove the SIM.

The backside contained activation instructions for IOS and Android. It should be noted that there are a few more steps for IOS users when activating this service.

On the lower left, a URL is provided for support if you run into trouble activating or using the service.

Before the Review

As a quick disclaimer, I’m on the younger side of Gen X, but even the youngest Xer is hovering close to the mid-40s. To that end, and at that age, my decisions are based on certain things you experience at this age.

Translation, I’m a family man with a child in their early double digits and an aging mother who claims to despise technology, who ironically uses it on a daily basis. I currently pay for 4 mobile phones. I’m honestly not concerned with my son for the time being, but any opportunity to save on services is something I’m always interested in.

With that out of the way, let’s move into the meat of the review.

Things to be aware of

Although the core service is truly free, there are definitely things to consider before diving in. Understandably, TextNow presents opportunities for them to increase their revenue as much as possible, which begins at the activation phase. The very first opportunity to unfree this service is to select a Premium phone number for only $5.00 per year.

Free Phone Number is not permanent

TextNow encourages that you to make an outbound phone call or a text once every two days to keep your phone number. Outbound is bold for a reason. It doesn’t matter if you receive hundreds of incoming texts and phone calls and will not protect your phone number. It doesn’t necessarily say that you will lose your number in exactly two days, but they do warn that you can lose at any point afterward.

Now I’ve been running the service for little over a week, and my account remains active even though I’ve purposefully left the phone idle to see what would happen. So far the phone still functions as expected. I plan to append this blog if or when I reach the idle limit. They also note that idle time can vary based on your region. It’s possible that Central Texas is not a hotspot for their service at the moment. If that’s true then it would be polite to inform you if you relocate to a busier area as that may decrease your idle time allotment.

Locking in phone number can be costly

At the time of writing, TextNow offers two paid options to lock in your phone number: Lock in Number and Ad-Free+. Lock in Number is the most affordable plan and only offers you the ability to lock the phone number at a cost of $2.00 per week. For $7.00 per week, Ad-Free+ removes the ads as well as adds features such as phone number lookup, voicemail transcription, call forwarding, and unlimited photo and video history.

Personally, at $28 – 35$ per month, the ad-free+ is a non-starter. At that price point, you’re within range of their MVNO’s monthly plans that include most of those services, lock in your number, and include some allotment of data to burn through a month. As an example, Red Pockets offers 5GB of data, unlimited text, and talking for $20 bucks a month without the risk of losing your phone number.

Software may not be intuitive for older generations

TextNow is mostly managed within the software you download onto your phone. The interface is fairly straightforward form my perspective, but I can see the older generations struggling to adjust to this new experience. This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that you can assign the phone function to launch the app when calling someone, but the texting feature is locked in the TextNow application.

This was one of the first thoughts that crossed my mind. It provides basic phone and text services to the grans while potentially saving some money. However, using this service for the grans may add more pain in your world if they do not adjust well to the new experience. That complication grows if the phone becomes inactive and the phone number is deactivated.

Finally, your text messages are locked in the app which prevents integrate into Android Auto, and I assume Apple Carplay. So the only safe, and arguably legal, way to read or respond to text messages while traveling is to pull over.

Advertisements can be a bit distracting

Admitting that I’m no longer a spring chicken, it took me a second to figure out that the composed text message was in the lower right-hand corner of the advertisement. The ads box can be very active at times and for a time, I thought the circle was part of the ad. Again, a little adjusting, and now I’m good, but not sure if everyone will adapt as well.

MMS Multimedia received is deleted in 30 days

If you’re truly trying to remain bill-free from TextNow and receive a lot of MMS texts, then you will have to remind yourself to download any file you would like to keep beyond 30 days. Personally, I go back and forth if that’s truly a bad thing. Most multimedia I receive is typically irrelevant on arrival or only valuable for a short duration. So losing it isn’t life-altering for me per se, but I would imagine that other folks may find this a deal breaker.

Advertise offerings and actual offerings conflict

Some of the prices that are advertised in the application don’t seem to match what’s actually being offered. For example, you can quickly and easily add data to your plan. The advertisement touts data plans as low as $3.00 per week or $11.00 per month; however, when I click on the link, I’m presented with only two options, both of week are significantly higher than the advertised price.

For the record, I did attempt to scroll up to see if there were hidden options, Alas no. Also for giggles, I explored the TextNow site thinking maybe some plans were not being advertised in the mobile app, but Alas no. In fact, it appears that all plan changes and additions are managed through the mobile app.

Additional offerings can be pricey

Beyond the free service, the additional services seem to be a bit pricey if you require continual services. The day pass may work for most folks looking for those who need a quick fix of data or a temporary mobile hotspot, but if you purchase the monthly plan 5 to 6 times a year other MVNOs may offer more value.

Limited Customer Support Hours

This may be just me, but for the average human, the support hours that TextNow advertises don’t seem to align with the average working person. A support window from 10 am – 5:30 pm EST, prevents a lot of folks from calling in for help during the week. To me, a more accommodating schedule without extending support hours would be 12:00 pm – 7:30 or 2 pm – 9:30 pm EST. That would allow the majority of Americans in the 48 contiguous to contact support the same day they experience an issue.

The Good Things

Alright, I’ve focused enough on the cons and if you made it this far, you might as well review the pros. I’ve been using the service for about a week, and I can confidently say they are keeping their promise when it comes to the free stuff.

Free Nationwide Calling

I’ve made calls to friends near and far across the 48 contiguous and had no issues with sound quality on or off wifi. I can say the same for the web app. I hit a few trouble areas while traveling by car, but no mobile service is perfect. The integration into the native phone app helps to keep my eyes on the road while I dial-up folks.

Free SMS and MMS Texting

Texting works as advertised as well. I can send and receive SMS and MMS messages with ease. Other than having to leverage the mobile or web app, it works as well as any texting app. You can even add a signature to your messages.

Voicemail is included

Honestly, for a free service, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that voicemail is included, and you can set a custom greeting.

Web Phone and Text Interface

As I mentioned in the previous section, the service provides a web app that you can leverage to send and receive text messages and phone calls. The site is prominently highlighted in the upper right-hand corner of the website. It’s a nice backup in the event you lose your device or in a cement-lined basement and you’re waiting on a message or phone call.

Additional Services are available for a cost

Services with TextNow can be purchased as needed. They offer unlimited data at a daily rate of $5.00 and monthly for $40.00. In addition, they offer the following extras:

• Premium Numbers – For $5.00 a year you can purchase what TextNow considers a premium number. These are numbers that are easy to remember and therefore may be more valuable to certain individuals.
• Lock-In Number – Paying for this will prevent your phone number from being disables and added back into the availability pool.
• Ad-Free+ – If the Ads are a little too noisy for you and you are enjoying the service, you can purchase this plan at $6.99/wk. This plan also grants the following features:
  • Phone number lookup
  • Locks in your number
  • Call forwarding
  • Voicemail transcription
  • Unlimited Photo and Video History

Conclusion

TextNow is true to what it’s offering: Nationwide phone calls and SMS and MMS text messaging. In terms of sound quality and experience, it’s on par with any other MVNO I’ve used in the past. Personally, I think that

However, this isn’t a phone that you can safely rely on as a backup as the phone number expires if left inactive for a duration. Also, the additional services are a bit pricey in my opinion. This also isn’t the phone you’re looking for if you need a small amount of data to get you through the month.

TextNow offers a great affordable option for those who are truly trying to save $300+ per year in mobile phone costs.

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