The long awaited vox.io mobile app for iPhone is finally here. We’ve been working on it for a very long time because we wanted to make sure it would both work and feel great. Calling, messaging and starting conversations has never been so easy.
If you want to grab it right away, feel free to leave this blog post and jump over to our dedicated iPhone page… this post can wait.
The app has undergone several iterations and we’ve worked hard to capture the same magic that makes vox.io great in your browser.
Product design
We thought a lot about how the mobile interaction context is different from the desktop context and we’ve figured out that the main difference is being able to type fast. In such a setting, search does not work as well as on the web, but (relatively short) lists work very well.
The second big thing we had in mind is that users expect to perform a task on the mobile platform in under 15 seconds to feel good about the whole experience. We’ve tested every action in vox.io and cleaned up the interface until we got there.
Finally, we built a product we believe can set the basis for a series of updates that we will be releasing at a fast pace.
Hybrid approach
Since vox.io is built on web concepts and uses links extensively for profiles, Quick Calls, and Group Calls, we had to take an almost unique hybrid approach in building the vox.io mobile experience. The application is complemented by a mobile web interface that is optimized in terms of size, content and speed.
Don’t worry, you can still make calls from the same links that you have been using on the desktop web version of vox.io.
Favorites, Recents, Contacts
A core component of vox.io are the people. When you access vox.io on your iPhone for the first time, you can easily import your address book. We do our best to filter duplicate entries and clean it up a bit for you, and you can always manage duplicate contacts manually via the desktop web interface.
We made sure you can access any contact easily from three different views:
- Favorites are the people that you ♥ most (or at least contact the most). You can easily add them by tapping the heart shaped icon on each contact.
- The Recents tab displays a list of contacts you’ve recently been in touch with.
- In the Contacts tab, you’ll be able to scroll along all of your thousands of contacts that you’ve collected so far.
Both favorite and recent contacts let you call with a single tap, while clicking on a contact in the Contacts tab will take you to a detailed contact view, where you can call, message, email, or send a Quick Call invite.
Swipe
To let you perform all possible actions on a contact quickly (remember the 15-second rule), we implemented a neat swipe gesture. Just swipe the contact in your contact list that you’d like to get ahold of to call, message, email, or invite to a Quick Call. Communication is now just a quick swipe away! 
Change your number on the fly
One of the big changes vox.io brings to real-time communication is vox.io profiles that replace phone numbers. While traveling and using different SIM cards for data access, the vox.io iPhone app let’s you change your number on the fly, while keeping your vox.io profile link the same. There’s no longer any need for long email signatures or chain messages when you switch your phone number.
Quick Calls, Group Calls
vox.io for iPhone supports both Quick Calls and Group Calls. You can easily invite each of your contacts for a Quick Call straight from the application and they can call you back from their browser or from their iPhone using the same link.
When the Quick Call or Group Call links are opened on an iPhone, the content is adapted and optimized. Calls can be started easily by tapping the only big button on screen.
As you know, Quick Calls & Group Calls do not require a vox.io account, making it easy for those who don’t want to create an account before trying a vox.io call with a current vox.io user.
In the first iteration, vox.io for iPhone let’s you join an existing Group Call, but the ability to create a Group Call is currently in our mobile roadmap.
Pricing
The vox.io app is absolutely free, and as you know, all vox.io to vox.io calls are always free. vox.io to phone calls are charged according to our convenient rates. The same applies for text messages (SMSes) sent via vox.io.
Take the app for a spin and let us know what you think, how we can improve it, and what we should remove. We are listening to you on Twitter and on our Get Satisfaction page.
If you don’t have an iPhone but would still like to try vox.io, just sign up!
