imo Instant Messenger App For iPad Adds Support For VoIP Calls
WhatsApp and iMessage are great, but you can’t expect all your friends to use them just for you. That’s why cross-platform and multi-service messengers are always in demand. iOS has several excellent apps available for the purpose like Trillian and IM+, but imo is one awesome cross-platform instant messaging app that gives the competition a run for its money owing to its neat interface, great media sharing capabilities and wide support for several IM services. While imo has allowed users to share audio recordings for quite a while now, it’s not the same as having a thorough telephonic conversation with your friends. If you have been using imo on your iPhone or Android, you must be aware that the app recently got VoIP capabilities that allow free and unlimited imo-to-imo calls. The iPad client, however, was overlooked and didn’t get the update with the rest of imo variants. The iPad app has finally been updated, and not only does it support VoIP, the interface is much neater as well.
New users can sign up for imo using their phone number and email address. If you have a Wi-Fi version of the iPad, simply give any phone number that is in your use as it should work just fine. Existing users of the service don’t have to go through this procedure. The app offers to scan your iPad’s address book to find contacts who are already using imo. To connect other services with the primary imo account, go to the main menu and hit the ‘Add Account’ button. Available contacts from all associated accounts appear in the left-side bar. imo also offers a ‘Favorites’ menu for people with whom you frequently interact.
Unfortunately, the VoIP service is limited to imo contacts only, indicated by a phone handset icon next to their name in the contacts list. That said, the voice quality is excellent and there is barely any delay. Furthermore, chat records show up just fine after the call is over.
During a chat session, you can access the contact options to send an image or audio recording. Photos can also be shared by hitting the camera icon next to the text input area. Recordings are sent as MP3s, so even if your friend isn’t on imo, the file remains playable.
imo is good at preserving chat history, and the search bar in the left pane presents results including content for both contacts and past sessions. Due to its cloud syncing, the same history becomes available on your other connected devices as well. Like all good instant messengers, imo for iPad supports push notifications. Just enable them from the Notifications menu in the stock Settings app.
imo is a free app available for several platforms including Android, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Nokia Symbian, and the web.
