Reviews for Sideline: 2nd Phone Line App

Going on my 3rd year with Sideline. I like being able to give out a number that's not my "real" number, and having seperate text and call sounds. I've never had a problem with call clarity, yes it takes an extra second or so to connect, but that's not a big issue for me. Blocking numbers is easy, but if I accidently block one, the process to unblock is too complicated. I have had issues in the past where my REAL phone number was showing up instead of my Sideline number. Overall I'm pleased.

Had this app for over 6 years. It was great for a while. The last year not so much. Sorry, but I will not be renewing again. This app has not worked for 2 days. I do not receive calls due to their system outage. There is no way to contact anyone. Their email system is automated for problems with your phone and the app. It would be nice to get an idea when the system will be up

Update: App still sucks eggs through a garden hose. It won't keep contact names and shows the incorrect contact name when someone calls, mixing up follow up with client This app is far too buggy. Everytime I open it, it calls my number and has to end that call to make another. If I save it as a contact, it doesn't show the name. It's all around a pain and I have had the same issues for years. If I wouldn't have to change my number everywhere, I would have stopped paying this a long time ago.

There have been issues for many months. Often images don't send because they take time to upload. But the app does not continue to attempt. So one ends up with messages with unsent images. The only way to figure this out is to see the red mark next to the unsent photo and manually click RETRY. And, even worse, images that were not sent appear to have been sent. It makes me look unprofessional. I reported the issue in October, but it hasn't been fixed. So I do not recommend Sideline.

No calls EVER seem to come through, regardless of being on wifi or off wifi, it just shows Missed Call. It would also be nice to have export function to be able to back up texts to a .txt file with a click. Video quality is not up to standards so don't bother, use your regular phone instead. It's really okay to use as a second text number. I only seem to be able to make outgoing calls, not receive them. I would love to see improvements made @the price you're charging.

No phone support everything done via email which is annoying and slow. No online interface if you have a "team" or business account going to multiple phones. No ability for extensions and transfers. If you close your account you cannot retrieve messages they wipe your data immediately even though they claim to hang on to if for several years. If you need a cheap 2nd number sure but no scalability and just an overall poorly built app. Would not buy again have grasshopper now and it's way better.

I have been using this app for a few years now. In the beginning, I was having a LOT of issues with it. But then it worked great the last couple years. Suddenly a week ago it started not sending texts. I will text a client. It looks like it went thru, but later I find out from client they never received any response from me. As of this last Monday I had 9 out of 12 clients not receive any of the *multiple* messages I sent in a 24 hour period. Unacceptable for an app I've been paying for.

I love having the second line for business, but have issues. First, I can't search messages for words or peoples names (did some searching and see you have it available for IOS but not Android). You need to get it available in Android too! Second, half the time I go to return a call and click the number and say call back. It tells me the number has been disconnected. (I know it's not.) If I try again a few hours later or manually type in the number instead of clicking on it, it works fine.

Update: 12.21.19: the app has improved. Able to send group text and pictures. Calls are better. Not able to send GIFs and emojis don't look right. Phone does not ring at times, just shows missed call. Can't do a group text, and doesn't work in certain rural areas. Besides that, I like the app, easy to use, and calls are clear.

Edit: 2/28/23 - This app has gone way downhill. Tons of issues making and receiving calls and lots of outages lately. Highly disruptive to my business. I'm strongly considering switching to something else and porting the number over. Update: Everything has been fixed and it now works great. Original: Incredibly slow and unreliable after latest update. Takes about a minute to load in call log and messages and sometimes won't make phone calls. Very frustrating when I'm trying to use for business.