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Review: GigSky's Data-Only eSIM Service Offers Convenient LTE Connectivity for Travel
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Yes, I turned off my primary phone number with iMessage and WiFi calling enabled and it broke things spectacularly. It didn't work as a WiFi connection to make and receive phone calls in my testing. It would, however, work for VoIP applications like Skype.
You definitely can’t use your other cellular data for WiFi calling. In my experience, WiFi calling doesn’t even work if using someone else’s mobile hotspot. You also can’t use WiFi calling even with a real WiFi network if the SIM is turned off. Turning off your SIM is just like removing the SIM card without actually removing it. As I stated earlier in the thread, when I travel outside of the country, I leave the SIM enabled, but I tell my carrier to block all roaming, so I just get “No Signal” everywhere. Then I don’t have to worry about any charges, but both WiFi calling and iMessage still work.
Thanks for the reply!
Sounds like the Visual Voicemail problem is not based on our primary carriers (Verizon and AT&T), and more likely due to data-roaming being enabled for GigSky. See the Apple Support Document https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209044 about this, partway down the page it states "If data roaming is on for the number that uses cellular data, then Visual Voicemail and MMS will be disabled on your voice-only number."
It would seem the only way to travel internationally and retain Visual Voicemail for the "home" # is to have that # on eSIM and buy local SIMs in the countries you visit, or if you can get prepaid eSIMs easily from cellular companies at your destination country (since they'd be local there would be no need for data-roaming to be enabled).
Really don't know why this is a problem, but I hope Apple comes up with a solution in an iOS update that allows Visual Voicemail and MMS with data-roaming turned on. I would really like to use GigSky again and know this isn't really their fault but its a problem for me since I run my business on the go and need voicemail +notifications.
Re: Pocket dialing - I had a pocket dial with the iPhone XS; for the first time ever on any iPhone model for me. After also having a phantom flashlight activation, I finally found and turned off the irritating "Raise to Wake" and Accessibility / "Tap to Wake" which seems to have solved the problem.
This is a good write up so that people know what to expect. For infrequent travelers, the ease of it may be worth it but yikes that is expensive data.
I also have Verizon now and have that on eSIM. I have had my Three payg SIM for a few years now but now, I don't need 2 phones anymore! They have a similar type of free roaming like TMobile so when I'm back in the US, I can still use the number for work contacts. I put it back in the old spare so that it can use iMessage when in the US (Apple really needs to fix this).
Anyway, my setup is as follows and works great if you want to be able to use a phone number for texting as well.
US Carrier: Verizon on eSIM - Travel Pass has been Turned OFF so any accidental texts of calls are at the payg roaming rate. Much less than $10 for an accidental text!! Receiving texts are free but almost everyone I know uses iMessage so it's not a problem replying back.
UK Carrier: Three on physical SIM - Feel At Home Roaming (similar to TMO Simply Global) works on PAYG SIMs as long as you aren't using up loads of data back in the US.
iMessage: This stays on the US line the whole time.
Settings:
Data Roaming turned OFF - I switch the Data line to Three right before I take off in the US and put my phone into Airplane Mode.
Primary Line should be set to whatever country you're in. I switch it to the Three line when I land.
You can order a Three SIM from eBAY prior to your travel. You can order one already topped off and activated with an add-on. Or unactivated if you know what you're doing and how to top off UK SIMs online. The Three site DOES NOT allow US cards. The SIM stays active as long as you have a balance on your account.
I use the Three number as my local UK contact number since I travel over often enough. Data Roaming works all over the EU as well, slower in some countries than others, but mostly 4G. Check the Three sites for the countries where they have Feel At Home.
I also have Verizon now and have that on eSIM. I have had my Three payg SIM for a few years now but now, I don't need 2 phones anymore! They have a similar type of free roaming like TMobile so when I'm back in the US, I can still use the number for work contacts. I put it back in the old spare so that it can use iMessage when in the US (Apple really needs to fix this).
Anyway, my setup is as follows and works great if you want to be able to use a phone number for texting as well.
US Carrier: Verizon on eSIM - Travel Pass has been Turned OFF so any accidental texts of calls are at the payg roaming rate. Much less than $10 for an accidental text!! Receiving texts are free but almost everyone I know uses iMessage so it's not a problem replying back.
UK Carrier: Three on physical SIM - Feel At Home Roaming (similar to TMO Simply Global) works on PAYG SIMs as long as you aren't using up loads of data back in the US.
iMessage: This stays on the US line the whole time.
Settings:
Data Roaming turned OFF - I switch the Data line to Three right before I take off in the US and put my phone into Airplane Mode.
Primary Line should be set to whatever country you're in. I switch it to the Three line when I land.
You can order a Three SIM from eBAY prior to your travel. You can order one already topped off and activated with an add-on. Or unactivated if you know what you're doing and how to top off UK SIMs online. The Three site DOES NOT allow US cards. The SIM stays active as long as you have a balance on your account.
I use the Three number as my local UK contact number since I travel over often enough. Data Roaming works all over the EU as well, slower in some countries than others, but mostly 4G. Check the Three sites for the countries where they have Feel At Home.
@jclo @riverfreak Pardon my ignorance, but is data roaming per (e)SIM, or global for the phone? Regarding using Gigsky internationally, I read somewhere on the Gigsky support site that the Data Roaming should be set to off/disabled, so that your primary carrier SIM does not use data when traveling abroad. The Gigsky SIM will continue to work correctly with data roaming disabled (since for it, it is not roaming). Wanted to get some confirmation about that. Thanks!
You can enable or disable data roaming for the SIM that is configured to be the data SIM. You can only have one SIM/eSIM in the iPhone as data source, and both as voice and text. So you leave data roaming on and select the eSIM/SIM you want to be used for data. The other one will be voice/text only.
Thanks for this.
What I need is a local voice number in certain countries, for example Vietnam. I wouldn’t be making many calls, but a local number is required for services like Grab, the Uber-like ride-sharing app in Vietnam and elsewhere. GigSky, being data-only, is no help. Truphone looks promising but the app is broken.
Suggestions?
What I need is a local voice number in certain countries, for example Vietnam. I wouldn’t be making many calls, but a local number is required for services like Grab, the Uber-like ride-sharing app in Vietnam and elsewhere. GigSky, being data-only, is no help. Truphone looks promising but the app is broken.
Suggestions?
In their FAQs for their app, they state, "We are launching data-only plans with our first update, so you won't need a new number. Stay tuned for our voice plans launching soon, together with additional local numbers."
That's the part that seems promising. In my last trip to Vietnam, I found the (essential!) Grab app, the local Uber-alike ride-hailing service, now requires a local number. It didn't six months ago. This seems to regard drivers wanting to be able to call their riders if necessary. However, the language barrier would seem to render that nonsensical, and countries such as China do just fine with their apps (such as China's DiDi) providing serviceable translation of text messages in both directions.
Anyway, that's one use-case that requires a local number.
The TruPhone app has been updated and now loads on my phone without crashing. Won't be using it until those voice-number options are available, though.
UPDATE: Grab in Vietnam now works again for me. (It's fine in Singapore, too). Given the usability mess that is GigSky, which caused no end of iMessage problems for me last time I tried it, I'll just stick with AT&T's International Day Pass at $10 a day (and in Vietnam's rare case, AT&T's Passport product, which involves pre-purchasing blocks of data and SMS texts).
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Resurrecting this old thread due to my upcoming trip to India and Australia. I’m considering GigSky because of the convenience factor and also because I get to keep my existing number while traveling in multiple countries. Also, buying a new SIM card in India is really painful. You won’t need so much paperwork even when you buy a property. They need your whole life history, this is from my past experience about 7-8 years back, not sure if that has changed.
Juli mentioned that she needed to set the GigSky eSim only once in Europe. This is understandable due to the EU network sharing policies that we all have become accustomed to. However, does anyone know what it’s like to travel through multiple countries outside the EU? I’ll be in India for a week and then in Australia for 2 weeks.
Ref my own thread -
Use of local SIM card on a long trip
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...SIM-card-on-a-long-trip.2196607/&share_type=t
Juli mentioned that she needed to set the GigSky eSim only once in Europe. This is understandable due to the EU network sharing policies that we all have become accustomed to. However, does anyone know what it’s like to travel through multiple countries outside the EU? I’ll be in India for a week and then in Australia for 2 weeks.
Ref my own thread -
Use of local SIM card on a long trip
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...SIM-card-on-a-long-trip.2196607/&share_type=t
Gigsky now offers 'Global' plans which may work for you and simplify this. If you still need the individual regional plans, I'd highly recommend emailing their support. I found them to be very responsive - replies usually within a few hours, and quite helpful.