Using iPhone when overseas.

[N860CR]

About to (well hopefully) head off overseas for the first time since getting my new iPhone.

Given i'm sure plenty of you use them, does anyone know a 100% effective way of ensuring that it doesn't attempt to source any data while roaming. The last thing I want is to come home to a $5000 data bill...

I know in settings you can turn off "data roaming", but does this work for every application, email etc etc? I'm guessing that the phone detects its "roaming" overseas and just doesn't use the data stuff? I've just checked mine and it's had "data roaming" off since I started using it and obviously has been online.

The plan is that I'd like to update my converter software etc before leaving so I can just reference it while I'm away (but not have it update) or just WIFI in the hotels.

 

[Will]

I had the same question as you before going away with my iPhone. I was particularly worried because my phone roams within Australia onto Telstra (I am with 3) and setting the iPhone to 'disable roaming' does NOT stop this from happening. I also called 3 to ask them to disable international data roaming, but they told me they couldn't disable it without completely removing all roaming capability (ie including voice).

I risked it anyway, and received a bill as expected - no data roaming from overseas. The iPhone seems to recognise overseas roaming as 'roaming', even if it doesn't within Australia.

 

[tuppaware]

After a $900 phone bill from optus I learnt my lesson:

Turn off 3g and data roaming.
Dont use Calendar as that starts mail downloads.
Make sure that you set your mail is not set to push.

Depending on your country buy a local sim. O2 in england 30 pounds got me 450mb data and 100 mins of calls.

 

[N860CR]

That was one of my concerns, I had hoped that the "data roaming" off would have stopped the little things like emails, callender, application updates. I guess not.

 

[MelUser]

I have a relative who had a $3000 Telstra bill waiting after her return from O/S.

She swears black and blue that she didn't use the thing overseas except for SMSing.

It appears that the I-phone is really an obsessive compulsive computer that constantly checks by sending data in and out without being asked to!

 

[N860CR]

I'm starting to think that I should downgrade to the old Motorola while out of the country!

 

[Mal]

Not an iPhone user (as I've previously noted!), but surely there is a way in the phone to neuter the Data profiles. It's what I've done on other phones when faced with a similar issue.

And while doing some background searches, there are lots of reports of people having applications self-update while away etc etc even with disable roaming 'supposedly' set (like everything, you can't validate all information).

 

[N860CR]

I think the iPhone problem is that there is no master "data off" switch, from what I've found.

Given there are so many applications from so many different sources, its probably difficult to predict exactly what they will all do in regards to auto-updates etc.

 

[Mal]

I think the iPhone problem is that there is no master "data off" switch, from what I've found.

But if you change the "Cellular data Network profile" so that it can't physically connect to the network, then that should be the equivalent of a "data off" switch.

I'll leave my advice at that - because I'm out of my depth discussing iphone settings.

 

[serfty]

I can easily delete web access profiles on my Ericsson - quite simple to reload when back in Oz.

However, with my wife's Motorola, the delete option is disabled.

It does depend upon the phone.

BTW Mal, I still use my K800i ... nothing like being in control ...

 

[holdenvxman]

The tuen roaming data off dose work, I turned it off in the US and just used wifi, worked a treat.
Going to Bali in March will do the same thing

 

[DrJ]

No dramas at all with the iPhone in NZ recently. As well as disabling data roaming (always leave this off anyway as it is not needed in Oz), turned off data push (located in the "fetch new data" tab of the "mail" section of Settings). Not sure if this extra step was necessary or not, just wanted to be sure after hearing he horror stories of $5k bills.
The phone still worked fine on wifi when it was available.

 

[uzza]

I'm planning to unlock my iPhone from Vodafone and buy a sim when I head over to the US in April. AT&T have $19.95 for 100mb data as an add on to their gophone PAYG product. Maybe not the best value, but it's only going to check email, check facebook, and post some "Tweets", the usual stuff I do here and I've barely gone over 100mb in a month on my usage so far (I have 1gb to play with!).

 

[N860CR]

Well after a bit of searching... I found an application that changes your profile to have a fake "APN" so the phone can't download any data (excl wifi). Go to unlockit.co.nz in Safari and it seems to work. Looks like it'll do the job for me!

 

[mannej]

I have had no dramas in the past using the iPhone overseas.

I turn 3G off, disable Data roaming, and make sure email fetch new data setting is turned to off.

Also there are some apps that push for data (Trapsta being one), there is a notification (for Trapsta) button in settings, and you turn that off.

If you can find free Wifi (Thank you Starbucks), the iPhone can work a treat. I have used apps such as Skype overseas using wifi, and have not had any data charged to my account.

Provided you know what to keep on and what to turn off, you should not have a problem with data roaming and the iPhone overseas.

 

[holdenvxman]

I'm planning to unlock my iPhone from Vodafone and buy a sim when I head over to the US in April. AT&T have $19.95 for 100mb data as an add on to their gophone PAYG product. Maybe not the best value, but it's only going to check email, check facebook, and post some "Tweets", the usual stuff I do here and I've barely gone over 100mb in a month on my usage so far (I have 1gb to play with!).

I tried 2 AT&T sims in my (unlocked) iPhone and both did not work.. I ended up buying a cell phone over there for about US$30 but with no data

 

[one9]

In Thailand, it is better to use an overseas SIM card than a local one with an iphone.

With my Australian sim card, I could turn of roaming and it would not use data.

With a local prepaid sim card, I would recharge 300 baht and the credit would be gone within 3 hours or so. This kept happening. I went into the phone shop and they explained that with an iphone, the way it automatically uses location information or something from the mobile towers when it is on makes the thai carrier count it as if you are using data and they charge 1 baht per minute. They gave me two options: (1) Turn off data on my sim card which would take 10 days to take effect or (2) subscribe to an unlimited data plan which i think was around $50 or $80 per month.

Why this only happened with the local sim card and not my Australian sim card I don't know. If you google this you will find many people complaining about it.

 

[digga]

FWIW, turning off data roaming only (on a French SIM, leaving push email and all other default settings alone) has never left me with data usage charges in:

- Australia
- Finland
- Singapore
- Germany
- UK

 

[uzza]

I tried 2 AT&T sims in my (unlocked) iPhone and both did not work.. I ended up buying a cell phone over there for about US$30 but with no data

That's a bummer, I'll grab a gophone with a handset incase I run into this problem. I have seen it done with a 2g iPhone, but alas not with a 3gs. I wonder why it doesn't work? I mean theoreticaly if the phones unlocked there shouldn't be a reason why it wouldn't work, did you ask AT&T? It's not to do with the difference in mz band? (I didn't think apple made handsets that only work on certain mz bands...)

 

[Maca44]

Interesting thread as I am back in the USA in a couple of months with an iPhone and have made a note of the various setting changes. However, I not intend to use roaming (Optus) and will buy a prepaid phone/sim at one of the department stores..great value and US$50 all up for phone/sim usually lasts me the three weeks I am there. I will need my iPhone for contact addresses etc