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I finally got to try the official release of Fring for the iPhone. Well, actually I only tried the Skype feature which allows you to make free Skype-to-Skype calls or free Skype-to-Phone calls over WiFi only from the iPhone.
To get started, you need to have a Skype account. Registration on Skype is free. You will have to purchase talk time if you want to use the Skype-to-Phone feature though. Before I subscribed to Vonage, I used to use Skype a lot to call my family back in Europe, and I still have some credit left on my account. Sweet, I don’t even have to spend some more for the time being…
So you create your Skype account and put $10 in there to buy yourself some talk time. I couldn’t find out how long you can talk for with $10 in the US but I’m pretty sure it’s somewhere around 100 hours. If anyone has more information about that, please let us know in the comments.
Now download Fring from the App Store, launch it and register, then add the Skype service. Once you’re done doing this, you’re technically able to make calls and chat with your friends, directly from your iPhone. While the Skype-to-Skype feature works very well, I had a few problems making calls to landline phones. The problem was that even though the “Fring test call” was working fine and that it showed I was connected, every time I tried to make a call to a phone in the US (or overseas), the call would get “terminated” right away.
So I went over to the Fring forum and snooped around in search of an answer to my problem. I finally read about someone who reported that even though you are connected to Fring, you may not be connected to Skype yet. Interesting. I launched Fring again, waited a minute, dialed my home phone number, and BINGO! It rang. The key is indeed to wait a minute before making a call.
Still in Fring’s forum, I read about a patch that would allow you to make a Fring call over Edge or 3G on the iPhone, via Skype. I downloaded the Fring.ipa file, opened iTunes, dragged it in iTunes, synced my phone, and……. BINGO! I am now able to use Fring to make phone calls over 3G or Edge, via Skype. How cool is that?
UPDATE: It seems that some links to Fring’s forum have been removed by Fring’s admin. Please do not ask me to give you the link to the patched Fring.ipa crack as I will not due to past problems with Apple’s lawyers. Please do not post links to cracked applications in the comments as they will be removed right away. Thank you.
Hi Sebastian, thanks for this great write up. I just read it at the other forum as well but because I am new to this jailbreak stuff (yes my phone is already jailbroken), could you do a step by step guide to install the patched version? I have no clue what the are talking about as some users could not get it to work just by dragging it into itunes. it mentions something about mobileinstallation? what is that? my phone is only jailbroken and nothing else. i have not installed any apps from cydia yet so i think it would help a few readers here as well. thanks.
Hello James,
I am not going to write a tutorial on how to do this as I already did for other apps (read this). The process is exactly the same.
However, if you’re not computer literate, I would not recommend it. There is not much risk though. Worst case scenario, you have to restore your iPhone.
If you feel a little adventurous, look around and learn about jailbreak and ssh. Google it and go to youtube. There are tons of tutorials on how to use WinSCP (for ssh).
I hope this will put you in the right direction.
Seb
Could you repost the link to the IPA? It got deleted by the Fring Staff.
Please email it on the adress i used to post this with.
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Could you please post the IPA? Or email it if you cant post it here?
could some one please upload this to megauplpad or some other share file. Rapidshate just doesn’t allow me to download this.
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Can I pls get 3G patched ipa file instead of .app file
hey alex if you do get the .ipa file pls care to email it to me on b2cool@rediffmail.com
This is the easy way:
1. Make sure you are on a jailbroken iPhone. If you don’t know how to do this, check out one of these posts.
2. Go to Cydia and uninstall the Safari Download Plugin if you had previously installed it
3. Still in Cydia, add this source: http://cydia.hackulo.us
4. Still in Cydia, install “Installous” and “AppShare”
5. Quit Cydia
6. Reboot your iPhone
(This procedure is in a previous post os Sebastien http://www.iphonedownloadblog.com/install-cracked-ipa-files-directly-from-the-iphone/ )
7. Open AppShare search for Fring and you’ll find the patched version, download it and then install it with Installous…
Good Fringing
To everyone,
No link to cracked applications will be published on my blog. I had problems in the past with apple lawyers and I don’t want to go through this anymore.
By digging a little bit, you will find it somewhere online
Thank you for your understanding.
Sebastien
Sorry for that, my bad.
No more links from me.
Regards
Hi Rekans,
No worries about the link. You were not supposed to know I don’t want links to illegal apps in here. I think you were just trying to help out the community.
Thanks
Sebastien
i dont quite get it this patched version?
does it mean u can make free calls to landline and international?
no, it means you can use Skype out on the 3G network instead of being limited to only using the wifi connection.
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Just hacked fring last night and talked with my fiancée all morning without using a single airtime minute. I’ll be putting my data packae to good use. Finally the iPhone is getting really cool!
Sebastian,
I read your blog with careful attention.
I understand you can not post the link publicly.
Would you be kind enough to send me the link to DL the patched ipa file at : fpub1@mac.com ?
Hello Fanoo,
As I said, I will not post or email the link to anyone as it is illegal.
Thank you for your understanding.
Sebastien
May you at least give us some clues to find it ?
@fanoo – google is the best clue I can give you…
Hi all,
Many of you know this, but others not.
The VOIP via 3G restriction on the iPhone is absolutely a bad move for Apple. Even if this is an agreement Apple-AT&T in US, what about users in other countries with different operators?
What difference makes on the 3G network if I’m downloading a 70MB app from AppStore or sending several emails with pictures to a 5 or 10 minutes call VOIP via 3G with skypeout? Is because they want to charge us every single word we speak!
Come on, it’s a shame for a manufacturer let an operator decide the features of their own device. Does Nokia or HTC let do this? In my case I paid for the iphone 569 Eur and 20 Eur/month for 100 hours internet plan. For example, I think I have the right to spend some of those internet minutes to call my parents overseas. What is illegal here? This thread should not exist at all. Believe me some people don’t want to jailbreak their iPhone and this VOIP-3G restriction has changed their mind.
Regards,
-) R*E*K*A*N*S -(
Hi Rekans,
I almost agree with you, however, I think Apple is restricting Fring because of AT&T and other carriers. If Apple allowed Fring to make calls over wifi, AT&T (in the US, Orange in France, etc…) would lose A LOT of money.
I do believe that in the next couple years or so, mobile carriers will include a VoIP plan because they won’t have the choice as it is the way it’s going to. I believe T-Mobile in the US is already doing something like that where for $10/month, you can use your cell phone over wifi. I think it’s really cool.
sebastien
So, with fring, the only way to make calls (iPhone to regular Phone) is by Skype Out or SIP? And none of them are free, right?
Whats the cheapest? Considering im not from USA…
The number of hours u can talk with Skype for 10$ in US is approx 7.9 hrs…..100 hours is exaggerating it a wee lil extra….you will make every1 jump to skpe..lol
just wanted to give u a head up to that figure…….also would you by any chance know of any SIP service offering free calls within US….
Thanks
Hi Rash,
Thank for for bringing back to reality about how many hours you can talk for $10 on Skype… Do you have a link to Skype where we can see this?
Unfortunately, I don’t knpow of any SIP service that offers free calls in the US but maybe someone else in here will.
Sebastien
Rekans. Your a champion. Works a treat
I’m just wondering, does SIP work over 3G on the patched version? Because I can’t make it work
Just wondering if the install is bad or it’s just only skypeOUT that works on the cracked version of fring
Hello Pipe,
I can’t answer your question as I don’t have a SIP account. If you try, please let us know how it goes.
Thanks
Sebastien
The download sites Rapidshare and uploaded.to for this hack are both scams. Both claim you are already downloading and the only way you can get the file is to pay money to a supposedly free download service. Smells like a scam to me.
Very irritating. Waiting for people to come onto bit torrent with it.
Hello Ross,
You’re not completely right. Rapidshare allow you to download for free but you have to wait 1 minute for the download to start and it’s much slower than when you are a paid customer. But it’s free!
Sebastien
http://www.skype.com/intl/en/legal/terms/fair_usage/
AWWESOME, wokrs great on edge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have a question.
If I use ‘cracked’ version of Fring, is it means that I can call to anybody in anywhere through the Skype?
Hello Tabris!
Yes, you will be able to call anyone over wifi, Edge or 3G, using Skype.
Sebastien
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Possible, program hackfring working on the iphone 2G firmware
1.4
I updates Mobile Substrated and I have VOIPover3G, but Skype still craches after one minute and also when I am making a call. My iphone is jailbroken. Any suggestions?
Please help!