TextNow

I use TextNow primarily on my desktop since transitioning to 100% work-from-home. I've had my account for about two years. I can send and receive texts reliably. But that's where the fun stops. While I get an ocean of incoming calls (spam) and can make calls out, the calls will last only UP TO 45-seconds. Then the calls inexplicably disconnect. I was just waiting on my bank to return my request for help. As the customer support agent was verifying my identity (44-seconds into the call), the call disconnected. Now I'll have to sit on hold for hours to get through to another agent--and that call will likely disconnect quickly, too.

It seems to me like TextNow is purposely disconnecting some calls to save bandwidth for the company's high-paying customers. This has been happening to me consistently since I opened a TextNow account. It doesn't matter what kind of internet protocol I use (high-speed wifi, ethernet-connected...), my calls are invariably ended in under a minute. But if I'm waiting on hold to speak with a customer support agent (like with my bank), the call persists as long as I'm willing to wait (hours...). So something is happening with the active voice calls.

Another issue I have with TextNow is that I can't find a way to bulk-delete spam calls/texts. You have to sit there clicking on each message/call, selecting delete, then CONFIRMING delete before being dumped back in your call/message queue. This is a massive waste of time.

If TextNow had proven reliable, I'd have happily bought a plan with them even just to use on my computer. But if they can't put forward a good showing with their free plan, then I have no confidence in the company.

By the way, I did contact TextNow. Their customer support asked me to create a new account to "test." But the account sign-up page recognized that I already had an account so wouldn't let me create a new one via email. The TextNow agent then asked me to link a "test" TextNow new account to my family's Facebook or Apple account pages. Are you kidding? To troubleshoot I have to disclose our other accounts? That's one way customers' private data is stolen--via these linked accounts. So, no, TextNow doesn't offer a reliable alternative to traditional exorbitant mobile phone services.