Using the phone outside of the country?

For an AT&T phone, either buy an international roaming data package on your AT&T web account interface (and keep an eye on usage) or turn off data roaming in settings:cellular.

You can probably turn data roaming off on a VZ phone in a similar manner, but I don't have direct experience.

Remember to get an adapter plug if needed for your destination. Japan and a few other countries don't need one but most others do.

raptorstv said:

Hey guys,

I need to know how should I change my iphone settings if I'm gonna be going abroad for a week on vacation. I will only be using my phone to take advantage of any free wifi hotspots I can find... I dont wanna be charged data roaming fees or whatever...Thanks!

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Leave it on airplane mode then turn on wifi. You are good to go.

raptorstv said:

I dont wanna be charged data roaming fees or whatever...Thanks!

Click to expand...

If your phone is unlocked then you can buy a local prepaid data and phone plan. Depending on which country you are going to, this option is actually very affordable.

As a combination of the above points:

By default, your iPhone should have data roaming set to "OFF".

Check in:

Settings > General > Cellular

With that set to "OFF", your iPhone will not send and receive data over the cellular network when roaming internationally. You can still make/receive calls and text messages, but you'll obviously be charged for that.

If you only want to use Wi-Fi, then you can turn Airplane Mode ON and then turn the Wi-Fi back on in the Settings App. That will mean that you can use Wi-Fi for internet access, but you won't be able to make or receive calls and text messages. If you have iMessage enabled, that should work over Wi-Fi.

If you are primarily concerned about cost, and your phone is unlocked or can be unlocked easily, you might like to buy a SIM in whatever country you're going to (might be helpful if you actually said where you're going!). That would allow you to use a local carrier at the local rates. Depending on where you go, that might be difficult to sort out. It'll also depend on which carrier you are on (again, you didn't say!) and which country you're from (presumably the US).