Like my title says Im going on vacation to London for the New Year's . My question is will my iphone work over there with their networks or do I have to do something special to get it to work? Any input is appreciated. Thanks.
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Taking a trip over the pond to the UK.
- Thread starter mulze22
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You'll be roaming, and the fees are very hefty.
If you are over there for a while i would call 611 and get an international plan set up for a month, if you plan on using your phone quite a bit.
Call AT&T and ask them to upgrade you to a global traveler's plan (or whatever they call it), or prepare to face a huge data roaming bill.
I don't mean to hijack the thread, but I'm getting ready to purchase an iPhone, and I travel international quite a bit. I have a company issued blackberry to use when I travel overseas (on the company's dime), so I don't want/need to use the iPhone for roaming calls or data. I would like to use it for wifi hotspots however.
If I forget to turn the phone off when I fly to a new country, or if I am using a wifi hotspot and walk out of range, will the iPhone automatically start using international data roaming and the foreign cellphone telephone network, or will it automatically stop, so I don't incur the very large data and telephone charges?
Thanks in advance!
If I forget to turn the phone off when I fly to a new country, or if I am using a wifi hotspot and walk out of range, will the iPhone automatically start using international data roaming and the foreign cellphone telephone network, or will it automatically stop, so I don't incur the very large data and telephone charges?
Thanks in advance!
Use airplane mode, then turn on wifi. This way you get NO cell reception, but you can use the hotspots with no danger of receiving calls or using data. Also, if "Use data roaming" is off in the settings menu, you won't use data while roaming anyway.
Unlock it before you leave, then when you get to the UK buy a pay-as-you-go SIM from one of several companies (T-Mobile, O2, Orange, Vodaphone, probably others).
You didn't explicitly say 'data' in your post, but you should check the websites for each of the above and compare plans (voice or voice & data) and choose before you go rather than have to choose in the store. You can top up your SIM virtually anywhere in the UK (major grocery chains, corner shops, petrol stations, etc.)
Mike
If you're paying the bill: Just get a disposable phone or calling card while away and turn off your iphone(or put it on airplane mode). It's the easist and cheapest solution.
If your company is paying the bill: Your iphone will work perfectly in the UK--but just make sure your accounting dept can handle a $2K phone bill.
If your company is paying the bill: Your iphone will work perfectly in the UK--but just make sure your accounting dept can handle a $2K phone bill.
I have heard this answer before, but will wifi work if airplane mode is turned on? I would think the mode turns off ALL transmissions. I would assume wifi would still work with the sim card removed. This seems to be the better way to fly.
Airplane mode switches wi-fi off, BUT you can turn wi-fi back on because some air carriers allow wi-fi now.
I do this in the opposite direction.
I'm from the UK and visit the US a couple of times a year.
My phone is personal not a business phone so I just warn all my friends before I leave not to call unless it's REALLY important and check I have Data roaming off.
You get to that by going
Settings -> General -> Network
This then still lets me surf and check mail when I'm around free wifi hotspots and still lets me make quick calls or texts to my other half when i lose him in walmart, I've never had it cost me more than a temporary phone would have, but as i say I can get away with that as I don't have lots of calls coming in.
I'm from the UK and visit the US a couple of times a year.
My phone is personal not a business phone so I just warn all my friends before I leave not to call unless it's REALLY important and check I have Data roaming off.
You get to that by going
Settings -> General -> Network
This then still lets me surf and check mail when I'm around free wifi hotspots and still lets me make quick calls or texts to my other half when i lose him in walmart, I've never had it cost me more than a temporary phone would have, but as i say I can get away with that as I don't have lots of calls coming in.
I'm visiting New York City next March. It's a great shame that extortionate data roaming charges render some of the most useful features of the iPhone redundant. I'd love to be able to use it for finding my way around but it's just too expensive.
I guess I'll have to download an app with offline maps
I guess I'll have to download an app with offline maps
There aren't really that many options.
Hope that helps.
- If you have a phone that can be unlocked (1st gen iPhone), then you can do that and throw a pay and talk SIM in there from any GSM carrier from the location in which you are headed. Depending on how long you're gone this may be too expensive.
- If you have an iPhone 3G, your options are are reduced. You can purchase a cheap GSM phone already unlocked, and get a cheap SIM, but again this may be too expensive for a short trip.
- You can put your iPhone into airplane mode, which will turn off Wi-Fi, but you can then re-enable Wi-Fi which will keep the cellular radios off, but enable internet access through Wi-Fi.
- If you don't mind getting calls (say your carrier offers a reasonable voice roaming package), then you can simply turn off "Data Roaming" in the Settings App on the phone. This will prevent you from using cellular data, allow you to use Wi-Fi data, and allow you to receive calls in a foreign region.
Hope that helps.
AT&T has a couple iPhone Data Plans for international roaming as I recall. Wasn't it like $50 for 50 MB? That would let you check/send emails and some very judicious web browsing.
I'm going to try this out when we head over to Italy later next year.
It'll be a matter of switching Data Roaming on, doing you thing, then turning it off again. Also, reset the data counters and watch them like a hawk.
I'm going to try this out when we head over to Italy later next year.
It'll be a matter of switching Data Roaming on, doing you thing, then turning it off again. Also, reset the data counters and watch them like a hawk.
No matter what phone you have, the fees will be hefty when traveling international. I travel quite a bit and pay a discounted rate of $.99 per minute when overseas.