Resolved Using iPhone abroad in Airplane Mode?

disabling 'data roaming' will suffice

If you leave it on Airplane Mode, it stays that way. Just to be sure, uncheck the Roaming Data option.

Alternatively, you could try just removing the SIM? No idea if normal iPhone functions would continue to work though, give it a shot

You can also disable data roaming in Settings > General > Network (you want the slider to read "off"). Airplane mode should be sufficient, but you'll want to do this just in case.

And yes, it will stay in Airplane mode until you disable it. You can even turn the phone off and it will turn back on with airplane mode still enabled.

Fliesen said:

disabling 'data roaming' will suffice

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I literally only found that out the other day

i'm not a big fan of the whole 'just to be sure' attitude

disabling data roaming does exactly what it says. it disables cellular data when not connected to your domestic wireless provider.

'take the sim out, just to be sure. turn on airplane mode, just to be sure. chop off your hands, just to be sure..."

Fliesen said:

i'm not a big fan of the whole 'just to be sure' attitude

disabling data roaming does exactly what it says. it disables cellular data when not connected to your domestic wireless provider.

'take the sim out, just to be sure. turn on airplane mode, just to be sure. chop off your hands, just to be sure..."

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Better safe than sorry.. There's no harm done in putting it in airplane mode as well.

but it's not needed.

do you put your phone into airplane mode so you don't call paid hotlines? :/

i'm okay with 'better safe than sorry' if the initial measure doesn't possess 100% security. there's no such thing as 'unintentional roaming, woopsie, sorry about that!' for the phone.

Data roaming will suffice. You can even flip the switch for cellular data if you want.

Or if you don't want to receive texts or calls at all while you're away you can put it in airplane mode and turn on wifi so you're not completely disconnected from the world.

Fliesen said:

i'm okay with 'better safe than sorry' if the initial measure doesn't possess 100% security. there's no such thing as 'unintentional roaming, woopsie, sorry about that!' for the phone.

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But you'd still get text messages.

I haven't checked but I'm just gonna assume I'd get charged $20 apiece for those.

That's where 'better safe than sorry attitudes' come from...experience with the carriers in the past. I'd honestly be afraid to leave a SIM card in my iPhone overseas at all. They can't bill me if they can't find me! And yes, that is how I look at overseas travel: As a game where my carrier will actively try to screw me in any way they can.

Benjy91 said:

So, with Data Roaming disabled, once it fails to connect to my network, it will just display "No Service"? And I wont incur any data charges?

I was thinking about taking the Microsim out, but I dont want to have to worry about it, my iPhone is my map and train timetable back.

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Your iPhone won't be your map in the US if it's not getting any data.

Well what do you want to do with your iphone overseas? Use it as an ipod touch and listen to music, play games and take pics? Maybe check email, facebook and twitter or apps like Skype, Viber and What's app at wifi hotspots to get in touch with people? Then put it in airplane mode. If you still want to make regular phone calls and sms texts on roaming (and do check beforehand how much they cost) then just disable data roaming. You still will have to use wifi to go on the net, or use some of the apps I mentioned but you won't get charged for data.

If your location is Kirkland, Qc and you're on Rogers/Fido, look at the us travel packs. They're pretty good and will save you money

Benjy91 said:

So, with Data Roaming disabled, once it fails to connect to my network, it will just display "No Service"? And I wont incur any data charges?

I was thinking about taking the Microsim out, but I dont want to have to worry about it, my iPhone is my map and train timetable back.

Click to expand...

it won't display 'no service', it'll just not do cellular data.
it'll show 'safari cannot open this page because it couldn't connect to the internet', pretty much.

you can still make phonecalls.

Small White Car said:

But you'd still get text messages.

I haven't checked but I'm just gonna assume I'd get charged $20 apiece for those.

That's where 'better safe than sorry attitudes' come from...experience with the carriers in the past. I'd honestly be afraid to leave a SIM card in my iPhone overseas at all. They can't bill me if they can't find me! And yes, that is how I look at overseas travel: As a game where my carrier will actively try to screw me in any way they can.

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A. It's just $0.25 to send an international message. Sent messages are not pulled from your bucket of messages. International text messages received will either pull from your message bucket or be charged a normal per-message charge.

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i'm really sorry, i didn't know that ... good grief, US providers are dicks! ...
as a European, i travel pretty much every summer. I would have never guessed that there's actually providers that charge for something you can't even prevent from happening.
So if i bombard you with texts while you're abroad, you'll be paying and i won't ... that's just lovely.

i'm pretty much used to having data roaming turned off by default and that way i'm entirely in control of my communication costs while abroad.

Benjy91 said:

So, with Data Roaming disabled, once it fails to connect to my network, it will just display "No Service"? And I wont incur any data charges?

I was thinking about taking the Microsim out, but I dont want to have to worry about it, my iPhone is my map and train timetable back.

Click to expand...

Who are you with?

I'm with o2 and as soon as i landed in the US and turned on my phone it told me to deactivate Data Roaming.

There is no o2 in the US so your phone will lock on to t-mobile or something. Receiving text messages won't cost you anything but receiving a call will.

When I travel with my AT&T iPhone to Canada, it switches to the Rogers network and almost immediately texts me a warning about data roaming, rates and the like. I assume the same thing would happen for folks coming to America...just that they would hook up to AT&T.

Benjy91 said:

Yea Im on O2, just wanting to avoid being shafted by data rates really, had a friend who forgot to turn Data Roaming off, and was detached to the Falkland Islands for 3 months, and got a bill for £2000, I wanted to check there wasnt anything else that could potentially invoke hidden charges.




My Map to get home when I land in the UK I meant.




I just want is as an iPod to listen to music on the flight over, since apparently, Virgin Atlantic allow you to use a Cell Phone thats in "Airplane Mode". And as a handy camera.

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You'll have your phone in "Airplane" mode anyway on the flight so unless you want to receive text messages etc when you're away i'd just leave it on Airplane mode.

This will disable your wifi though so if you're hotel etc has free wireless and you want to use that you'll need to turn off Airplane mode and remember to turn off Data Roaming. haha.

MonkeySee.... said:

You'll have your phone in "Airplane" mode anyway on the flight so unless you want to receive text messages etc when you're away i'd just leave it on Airplane mode.

This will disable your wifi though so if you're hotel etc has free wireless and you want to use that you'll need to turn off Airplane mode and remember to turn off Data Roaming. haha.

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Actually that's incorrect, I'm at work o) and just checked my iphone 4-put it in airplane mode, wifi mode was still available. Can pick up my work wifi network as well. So the OP can put it in airplane mode and still do internet stuff at any hotel/restaurant/bar with wifi.

The iPhone 4 has an additional safety feature and still allow connectivity.

Turn Off All Cellular Data

In iOS 4, Apple introduced an even-more-ironclad way to avoid iPhone data roaming: you can now turn off all cellular data. With that setting on, the only way to connect to the Internet is via Wi-Fi. To turn off cellular data:
•Tap the Settings apps
•Tap General
•Tap Network
•Slide Cellular Data to "Off".

This can work in conjunction with, or separately from, turning off iPhone data roaming. Whether you want to turn off one or both will depend on your situation.

http://ipod.about.com/od/internationaliphone/qt/iph_data_roam.htm

A quick Google shows many horror stories with gems like this:

"...there is a carrier in Bermuda that uses the "310" MCC (Mobile Country Code) in GSM, which is actually the code for the United States. So your iPhone thought it was at home, and the Data Roaming switch was therefore useless." Data roaming was set to off and the phone showed AT&T as the carrier and the user was billed US$3000. It could be a tall tale but enough to make me better safe than sorry.

Edit: I suppose I should include the Apple KB: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4203

decafjava said:

Actually that's incorrect, I'm at work o) and just checked my iphone 4-put it in airplane mode, wifi mode was still available. Can pick up my work wifi network as well. So the OP can put it in airplane mode and still do internet stuff at any hotel/restaurant/bar with wifi.

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Ahh sweet! good to know. I was assuming it would be disabled by Airplane mode.

Well there you go. leave it in Airplane mode :up:

I just tried this (Airplane mode) and it does turn your Wifi off but you have to activate it.

Benjy91 said:

Im going over to America for a 2 week Holiday. And I'd love to take my iPhone 4 across, to be my iPod and camera.

If I stick it in Airplane mode, will that be enough to stop it using any data?

Also, does anyone have experience using it in airplane mode for extended time? Does it stay in Airplane mode untill I switch it back? Or does it switch out by itself?

Thanks in advance.

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yes i live in Canada but close to the US boarder i always put in Airplane mode when i go to the States and its never been a problem

Whenever I travel internationally, I put it in airplane mode then go in and specifically enable WiFi. This allows me to use any hotspot I find without incurring extra charges. This has worked well for me over the years.