How much WhatsApp calling really costs in SA

[imaskidaddle]

how much is worth it if the person is in a tunnel though

 

[princeradebe]

Quality or data usage? Find latency becomes an issue there, depends on how lucky you are with where the servers are.

Personally always use Google duo / meet for international, best latency and video calling (latency barely noticeable vs telegram and whatsapp always an issue, talking 180-200 ping). If younger crowd, discord is good for just voice.

Actually have discord or Google Meet for planned calls. Otherwise WhatsApp, never considered Google Meet.

 

[Swa]

Not all digital is equal, you get different codecs:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_Variable_Rate_Codec > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDMA2000
And if you have an older or unsupported phones, you are not able to do VoLTE you'll drop back to 3G calling.

Which brings the point again while not all digital is equal the same digital should always be. I'm aware of variable rates as used in video but it's still not a case where connection quality will result in different quality levels. It either works or it doesn't with digital unlike the old analogue where amplitude can drop so it's a mystery how they get where audio levels can vary but you hang up and call again and suddenly it's fixed.

 

[Longboi]

Which brings the point again while not all digital is equal the same digital should always be. I'm aware of variable rates as used in video but it's still not a case where connection quality will result in different quality levels. It either works or it doesn't with digital unlike the old analogue where amplitude can drop so it's a mystery how they get where audio levels can vary but you hang up and call again and suddenly it's fixed.

If you/they are using mobile data, it still has to transmit/receive from the cell tower to your phone.

Lots of things can interfere with that while you are on a Whatsapp call.

 

[Johnatan56]

Which brings the point again while not all digital is equal the same digital should always be. I'm aware of variable rates as used in video but it's still not a case where connection quality will result in different quality levels. It either works or it doesn't with digital unlike the old analogue where amplitude can drop so it's a mystery how they get where audio levels can vary but you hang up and call again and suddenly it's fixed.

Your call is still digital either way, just that if done via carrier's voice solution they can prioritize your call on the network.
Saying some of the audio coming through would be the same for both, just that most modern codecs are often better at handling errors/packet loss, so it's a get all of it or nothing thing (e.g. Discord's codec is basically fine up to 20% packet loss, after you sound like a robot, and over like 60% is unusable), while older one you'll more often notice interference but will still hear through it.

This is your older AMR. MOS Scale:
Good: >4.0
Ok: 3.6-4.0
Bad: 3.1-3.6
Very Bad: 2.6-3.1
Not recommended: <2.6

As you can see, you're more likely to notice degradation at very low packet loss, and usually you'll always fall in the Okay band at best.

Opus (Discord):

(2013: Performance Analysis of the Opus Codec in VoIP Environment Using QoE Evaluation)
You can fall into 10% packet loss and still score in the upper okay range. Note as well that's an older paper, newer versions of Opus have gotten even better as they reduced low-bitrate speech to 6kb/s wideband among other things (though guessing Discord is still using 1.2, pre 9kb/s), the paper has it at 64kbps.

 

[Cius]

For me I prefer whatsapp calls for that low price reason but my hesitancy is more about infringing on the other person. With a normal phone call all the cost is on you. The person answering its a free service in essence. While if you make a whatsapp call the other person carries an equal cost potentially in using data (unless they are on wifi). So I feel a little bad assuming that some people are not running low on data for instance. These days its less of an issue and I see most people just whatsapp call but if I for instance want to call someone I know may not have data all the time, like say my gardener. I call him via the normal network call. Family and friends seem mostly comfortable doing a whatsapp call and as often as not are on wifi when I call anyways so zero additional cost to them.

 

[Swa]

If you/they are using mobile data, it still has to transmit/receive from the cell tower to your phone.

Lots of things can interfere with that while you are on a Whatsapp call.

I realise that but it's usually perfect or unusable. An amplitude loss sounds more like poor implementation and I think the fact you can hang up and call again and it works reflects that.