👥 Group calls
Group calls that reach home — up to 4 people, the price of one call
Dehay is the calling app that puts the whole family on one call: everyone with the app joins free over the internet, and one regular phone number in Eritrea or Ethiopia rings into the same conversation. No smartphone, no internet and nothing to install on their side.
Only the person who starts the call pays — the normal $0.20/min for the number back home plus a fraction of a cent per minute for each friend on the app. Everyone else pays nothing.
Group calls at a glance
| People per call | Up to 4, including you and the phone number back home |
|---|---|
| Who can join | Anyone with the Dehay app, anywhere in the world — plus one regular mobile or landline in Eritrea, Ethiopia or any destination Dehay calls |
| What it costs | The normal per-minute rate for the phone number ($0.20/min for Eritrea) plus a fraction of a cent per minute for each friend on the app — about the price of one call |
| Who pays | Only the person who starts the call. Friends on the app pay nothing |
| What they need back home | Nothing — their phone rings like any normal call, no app, no internet |
| If you drop | Reopen Dehay and rejoin the same call; the host can re-add anyone who dropped |
| Voice quality | HD audio over premium direct carrier routes |
| Platforms | iPhone (App Store) and Android (Google Play) |
How to start a group call
- Open Dehay and tap Group call It's at the top of the dialpad.
- Pick the people on the app Choose contacts who use Dehay — up to 4 people in total, including you.
- Add one number back home Add one regular phone number in Eritrea or Ethiopia. Their phone will ring like a normal call.
- Start the call Everyone on the app gets a ring and the phone number is dialed into the room. You pay from the moment the call is answered.
What a group call costs
Say 4 of you talk for 10 minutes and one of the 4 is Mom's phone in Asmara. The Eritrean number costs 10 × $0.20 = $2.00, and the 2 friends on the app add just a few cents combined. The host pays about $2.00; everyone else pays nothing. Billing starts when the call is answered and stops when it ends — ringing is never charged.
Compare that with each person calling home separately: every call costs the same per minute, and Grandma tells the same story four times.
Why this matters for Eritrea and Ethiopia
WhatsApp, Viber and FaceTime group calls need every participant to own a smartphone with a working data connection. In Eritrea that rules out most families, and in rural Ethiopia many. Dehay group calls terminate to a regular phone line, so the people who matter most join from the phone they already have — while brothers, sisters and cousins scattered across the diaspora join free from the app.
Calls travel over premium direct carrier routes with HD voice, and if your own connection drops you can rejoin the same call from the ongoing-call banner in the app.
Frequently asked questions
How many people can join a Dehay group call?
Up to 4 people, including you. Everyone with the Dehay app joins over the internet, and one of the places can be a regular phone number in Eritrea or Ethiopia.
Can someone in Eritrea or Ethiopia join without the app?
Yes. One regular mobile or landline number can be dialed into every group call. Their phone rings like a normal call — no app, no smartphone and no internet needed on their side. This is how grandparents and relatives in the countryside join family conversations.
What does a group call cost?
About the price of one call. The person who starts it pays the normal per-minute rate for the phone number in the room — $0.20 per minute for Eritrea — plus a fraction of a cent per minute for each friend on the app. Billing starts when the call is answered and stops when it ends.
Do the other people on the call need credit?
No. Only the host pays. Friends and family who join from the Dehay app pay nothing, and the phone number back home is charged nothing either.
Can I rejoin if my connection drops?
Yes. If you drop out, open Dehay and tap the ongoing-call banner to rejoin the same call. The host can also re-add anyone who dropped.
Does it work on iPhone and Android?
Yes. Group calls work on both, and people on the call can mix iPhone and Android freely. Download Dehay from the App Store or Google Play.
How is this different from a WhatsApp group call?
WhatsApp needs every participant to have a smartphone and a working internet connection — which rules out most families in Eritrea and many in rural Ethiopia. Dehay group calls reach a regular phone line back home, so the people who matter most can join from the phone they already have.
Start your first group call
Download Dehay free, top up, tap Group call on the dialpad and bring home into the conversation.