Globe’s ‘8-Digit Landline Converter’ app just might be the solution to our migration concerns
Today, Oct. 6, 2019, all landline numbers in the Metro Manila area (area code 02) migrate to 8 digit numbers.
Yesterday, several of us on social media got into discussions as to what was the least painful method of migrating to the 8 digits. One complication was that instead of just adding one number to the beginning of the current 7-digit landline numbers, each telco had a different prefix for the new 8 digits! Globe’s prefix was 7, PLDT’s was 8, Bayantel’s was 3, and Eastern Telecommunications’ was 5.
Our big question was: Just by looking at a landline number, we could not tell offhand if it was a Globe, PLDT, Bayantel, or Eastern Telecom number. So how would we know which prefix to add?
It was a long discussion on Facebook and Twitter for me and my friends…..until the Globe Twitter account private-messaged me that they had an app to help convert the numbers – the 8-Digit Landline Converter app.
I searched for it yesterday as it was supposed to be on Google Play and the App Store. I could not find it. I tried searching for it again today and found it on Google Play (looks like it was just uploaded on the store today!). Sorry folks on iOS, I still don’t see it on the App Store. (Update: It is also now on the App Store)
Before anything else, let’s discuss CAVEATS.
1. I still have to use the app so I do not know if it will work smoothly or have some bumps. No guarantees given!
2. It looks as though the app was just uploaded today, Oct. 6, and it’s a version 1.0. That could mean this app was developed hurriedly and maybe with minimal testing. I say this because if Globe had this app ready for some time, we should have already heard about it through social media or through their press releases but I saw none of those. Still, kudos to Globe for thinking of a way to make life easier for us!
3. BACKUP your contacts file first before using the app to convert to 8 digits.
Here’s what the app says it can do:
- The app conversion will work if you had inputted the landline numbers using the local and international formats. By this, I mean that the numbers should start as follows: +632xxxxxxx, 00632xxxxxxx or 02xxxxxxx. If you had entered landline numbers just as xxx-xxxx, it won’t work.
- In the app description, it says “8-Digit Landline Edit will automatically add the new assigned prefix to ’02’ landline numbers saved in your contacts. It will check the numbers in your contacts that starts with 02, +632, 00632 and adds the corresponding number prefix depending on the telecom provider”. (NOTE: It appears that the app will even convert NON-GLOBE landline numbers! Hooray!)
- If you decide you want to revert back to the 7-digit format, the app also allows you to undo the conversion. You would then have to manually add the new prefixes yourself.
If all goes well, the app should successfully migrate you to 8 digits in just one go.
Some of you may be concerned about the privacy of your contacts since the Globe app will have access to your contact list. The Globe app says this: “Your privacy is important to us. The app will work without internet connection and no information will be sent out of your device.”
There we go! Thanks, Globe, for addressing one concern we had about the migration. I am crossing my fingers all goes well as I try this app later today.
Update, 10/7/19: Sometimes, things don’t always go well with any kind of migration. If you have to input the new identifiers manually, here is a table that will help. It is a table of 7-digit prefixes that a friend says she got from Globe at Home. This shows the first 3 digits of the old 7-digit landline numbers. By checking against this table, you can easily tell what the 8th digit identifier should be.
