Which TLA wanted access, "or else" and this is the else?
What's for Christmas, Google? Oh, you're taking away free phone calls from our Nest speakers
A handy feature in Google's Nest speakers allows users to place calls to mobiles and landlines free of charge without a subscription or dedicated handset. Sadly, that particular benefit is coming to an end in the UK. On its official Nest support pages, Google wrote: "Starting in mid-December 2020, if you're in the UK, you won' …
COMMENTS
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Wednesday 4th November 2020 06:48 GMT Markinapub
Does anybody actually use this?
I used this feature once, just to test it out, and have never used it since so it won't be missed.
My "elderly" relatives don't find this kind of communication more comfortable so have never used it either; they prefer either video calling or just picking up the phone...
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Wednesday 4th November 2020 07:19 GMT deadlockvictim
Calling
Article: place calls to mobiles and landlines
Landlines are, like, a retro form of Whatsapp, but, like, you can only talk on them, and to, like, only one person and from only one place. They are, like, VHS, or like, desktop computers (remember those haha).
Calling mobiles? Who calls mobiles? That's, like, a live form of leaving a message. Eww.
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Wednesday 4th November 2020 08:46 GMT Sunrise Omen
Hang on, what about that robot calling for reservations feature?
Google showcased that feature a while back where the assistant could call a business, say a restaurant, and make a booking/reservation for you.
It hasn't launched in the UK yet, but if they are removing phone calls does that mean it will never launch?
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Wednesday 4th November 2020 10:35 GMT Anonymous Coward
>> It's not clear why Mountain View is withdrawing this feature in the UK alone.
The reason is simple - the US is RPP and the UK is CPP.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Receiving_party_pays
In the US, the receiving party pays for calls, in the UK and most other countries, the calling party pays. So it is free to make calls from the speaker for Google.
This is also why you eat your plan minutes when you answer a call in the US. And why spam call bots are very US friendly.
"Yet Another Blighty Tax"
lol.. Before you put on your tin foil hats, just give facts a chance eh?
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Wednesday 4th November 2020 11:00 GMT Hareti
The UK has termination fees, the US doesn't
Its pretty normal for what is advertised in the US as a free call to not make it across the pond. In the US the recieving person pays a part of the call cost. So its free for the person initiating the call, but the receiver picks up the tab for the call to travel over the network they're attached to.
In the UK all the costs are paid by the person making the call. Google presumeably has got fed up paying 02, 3 et al for calls they are carrying but its not getting paid for itself.
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Wednesday 4th November 2020 11:46 GMT Mmm interesting
Down down down
First google music now this. Speakers and features are supposed to get better not worse. Piss poor performance from Google again and charging for you tube premium and you tube music. Wouldn't mind but uploaded my mp3 collection 30k cd single tracks many of which are not available on line.