O2 Ask mini review

[Anonymous]

O2 Ask

O2 Ask is a new service designed to replace the now defunct TU app which allowed customers with little or no signal to be able to call or text over their WiFi connection with their allowances. You can download it via your phones App Store. 

Overall Look

It looks very smart & looks the same as all the O2 apps. I like the new style of menus in this app compared to the myo2 one. Much clearer & easier to view especially data allowance. Although when you click on something it can take a while to load as it’s very slow. The menus look nice & simple. 

SMS function 

I primarily tested this app to see if the sms would work over WiFi considering I already have an excellent o2 signal in my area but some areas I frequent may occasionally need WiFi Calling so this was a welcome add. The function does take a little bit of working out but make sure your contacts that you want to text have the same app downloaded on their phone otherwise you can send but you won’t receive their replies. 

My Thoughts

Its a nice app but I think I’ll stick to good old myo2 for my account & WhatsApp for sending messages over WiFi

[jonsie]

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@Anonymouswrote:

@Marjo @Martin-O2 can we have an answer on this please 

It now appears as an official bolt on........ 

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I

[jonsie]

..... and at the moment it is showing as free. How long or forever? @Martin-O2 @Marjo.....?

[Cleoriff]

1) Is it working?

2) do we know what it does?

3) Is it all guesswork?

In case anyone thinks I am asking any of the regulars, I'm not.

We now have a damn bolt on which no-one from O2 has announced.

Big deal. They can stick it!!

[Glory1]

It just gets better and better. And the silence from O2 is deafening.

[a_hcir]

This seems a positive move, but I'm puzzled why some functionality has been neutered since Tu Go...

Namely why can't you receive calls over wifi using it, and why can't you make chargeable calls over wifi using it?

My guess is that they decided to restrict it to calling UK phone numbers so they don't have to deal with the EU roaming obligation to allow calls within the same EU country that uses your allowance, as this may be technically tricky to implement/potentially vulnerable to abuse.

My other guess is that they don't want to allow it to recieve network calls over wifi so they don't miss out on roaming revenue..

Really sad they didn't release this a couple of weeks ago when I was abroad 😞

[GJD]

Does anyone know if there's an update on this? I only just learned about the app today.

I've downloaded it from Google Play (vsions 9.12.10, updated on 23 Feb 2018).

I've tried making a call from it, but it says "We're creating your account. You can make VozDigital calls and send SMS from the app once your account is created". But no indication of how long that takes.

Ah well, if it does work, it could be handy in places where there's either no O2 signal, or countries where roaming charges are extortionate. To be able to receive and send SMS over wifi would be useful (free!) in this situation perhaps. If the app actually works, that is.

I agree with previous comments about O2 leaving customers in the dark. Additionally, I only learned about "O2 Travel Inclusive Zone" from a poster advert on a train last week!!

[MI5]

If you ever do get it to work, it's UK only. It won't work abroad unfortunately.

[GJD]

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@MI5 wrote:
If you ever do get it to work, it's UK only. It won't work abroad unfortunately.

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Cripes ... you mean if you're on a wifi network abroad, you can't use it for texts to/from UK numbers? (Not so fussed about sending text messages to local numbers while abroad).

[jonsie]

No it definitely won't work abroad. That was the intention when binning TU....

[MI5]

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@GJD wrote:

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@MI5 wrote:
If you ever do get it to work, it's UK only. It won't work abroad unfortunately.

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Cripes ... you mean if you're on a wifi network abroad, you can't use it for texts to/from UK numbers? (Not so fussed about sending text messages to local numbers while abroad).

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Same as with my EE contract.....

Tu was unique in that respect.