Android People app, 'call'/'text' actions and VOIP softphones

Nexus 7, running Android 4.1. It's the wifi only version, so has no GSM
radio. To make voice calls I have two apps installed: Skype and MobileVOIP
(a SIP client from Betamax for their myriad of different brands).

In the 'People' display of the tablet, I get a list of contacts. It has
entries like:

John Smith
Voice: +44 1234567890

If I press on 'Voice' I get to choose either Skype or MobileVOIP. If I
press Skype, Skype starts, flashes up an error and closes. If I press
MobileVOIP it opens to send a text to +44 1234567890. It doesn't offer to
make a call. I can make calls just fine from using either app
directly.

How do I distinguish between the action of making a voice call and sending a
text? Both of which I want to do at different times, and both to the same
number. I can't seem to find in Android how to set the associations either,
to say 'use app X by default for calls'.

Thanks
Theo

 

I use Sipdroid which suits my needs. If I start it then close it
it stays running in the background. Thereafter if I want to send
a text or make a call, at the point of action it comes up and
asks if I want to send it by phone or 'network.' I admit however
that my VOIP connection would be over wi-fi, not over the
Internet via a phone-based service.

 

I am using a Nexus 7 and MobileVoIP, but I get the opposite, I can make
calls OK, but when I try and send a text, it looks like it has been sent but
never arrives. I don't use texting very often so I have not bothered trying
to sort it out, but I suspected it might be something to do with SMS
settings somewhere, but could not find any to alter so I gave up. At least
we both now know that it can work with both texting and calls

 

Hmm... I haven't used it much, so I just sent a test text... which hasn't
arrived. So I think we're agreed that texting doesn't work. I've used the
WebSMS app with Betamax Connector which does work, but Betamax recently
broke the balance check function.

Which leads to another question... when Android offers a menu for an action
(call, text, open web page, etc) is there a way to remove some apps from
this menu? If neither Skype or MobileVOIP work for sending texts, I don't
want them to be offered. I can set one app to always be used, but can I
edit the available options?

Theo