Using iPhone when overseas.

[notzac]

Edit: never mind me. I was posting about the same thing djfuzz did - that's the same method that I've been told works to get prepaid + data + iPhone in the US.

I plan on testing it in a month or two - will post back here after I've either gotten it working or spent money trying

 

[straitman]

.... and for those that do not believe drewbles I have tried it this morning and can assure you that what he says is correct.

With data roaming off my phone is still connected to wifi at home but disconnects (ie no data roaming) when I go out of range. If I turn data roaming back on it all works again where ever I am.

OK. I now have moved to another area and I can still surf the web with everything we have talked about turned off.

I'm now totally confused:!:

drewbles,
any more ideas or thoughts on this:?:

 

[drewbles]

There is one reason - battery life. Even with data roaming disabled, if the 3G radios are left enabled then they'll still drain battery life more than if the iPhone is left to connect purely over GSM. If you're not getting the data speed benefits of the 3G network, you might as well turn off the 3G radios and get some extra battery life whilst you're travelling.

Well yes, other than battery life there is no reason Sorry should have pointed that out.

 

[drewbles]

Slight OT, but FWIW in the US I've not had a problem using an AT&T GoPhone SIM with the $20 / 100MB MEdia Net data pack. I know they recently changed their 'policy' so you couldn't use these packs with a non-AT&T iPhone (bit silly really), but I believe there is a workaround (drewbles can correct me if I'm wrong / miss anything):

• Buy a GoPhone SIM at a convenience store, or at worst an AT&T store (and do not mention that you have an iPhone)
• Buy some recharge credit (if you want data, get more than $20 - I believe you get bonuses / better rates at $30/$50 recharges)
• Activate your SIM on the phone or online, then register your SIM on AT&T's website (without giving them your phone's IMEI code if they ask) and add the data pack
• Use this program (Unlockit - APN Changer for your iPhone) to change the iPhone's APN to the one AT&T uses for GoPhone, so you can actually use the data

It seems like a lot, but it's actually pretty straightforward, and the payoff of being able to use your iPhone unhindered is definitely worth it.

The problem you'll then have is if they recognise your IMEI as an iPhone IMEI. I have no idea if AT&T do actually know the IMEI ranges for *any* iPhone globally, but I wouldn't put it past them having a filter in place (if Apple have a fixed range of numbers for their IMEI's). Changing the APN is simple, but it's more likely they'll recognise the iPhone and block it.

If anyone has had success with this, i'd be interested to know, as I'd be doing this when in the USA (I seldom go through more than 100mb a month anyway using it regularly - no youtube).

 

[drewbles]

OK. I now have moved to another area and I can still surf the web with everything we have talked about turned off.

I'm now totally confused:!:

drewbles,
any more ideas or thoughts on this:?:

*everything* turned off? It's possibly you haven't turned your wifi off. Sometimes you think you have and you haven't.

If you have got it all off and have no '3G' 'º' or wifi logo, then i'm stumped. I've never seen a connection work without one of these three.

 

[straitman]

*everything* turned off? It's possibly you haven't turned your wifi off. Sometimes you think you have and you haven't.

If you have got it all off and have no '3G' 'º' or wifi logo, then i'm stumped. I've never seen a connection work without one of these three.

I was at a public pool and wifi was definitely off.

 

[drewbles]

I was at a public pool and wifi was definitely off.

Maybe its earned its nickname of "the Jesus Phone". Works in mysterious ways?

 

[simongr]

Dont forget 3 has "3 from home" and charges internationally are not as bad in some countries.

Personally I wasnt hit with a big data or call bill in the UK and I had data on most of the time...

 

[JohnK]

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!

Ouch! Another reason to stay away from an iPhone....

 

[djfuzz]

Ouch! Another reason to stay away from an iPhone....

Not really - another reason to stay away from Telstra. No other carrier seems to suffer this mysterious iPhone data roaming 'leakage'.

As a customer of both though, I can't really talk, lest I be accused of Stockholm Syndrome on the one hand, and masochism on the other.

 

[Sarge1]

I am going overseas in a couple of weeks, so I will take the sim out and put it in my wifes phone. She can take all my business calls at home, and my iphone becomes an Ipod touch. I will be staying with my brother in Whistler, and he has a wireless connection, so no chance of any crazy roaming bills.:mrgreen:

 

[simongr]

You can download the iQuota app that can track your usage against your plan. It works well with 3 and tells me exactly how much leakage I have if any...

 

[drewbles]

Dont forget 3 has "3 from home" and charges internationally are not as bad in some countries.

Personally I wasnt hit with a big data or call bill in the UK and I had data on most of the time...

Gotta be careful with that one. Whilst the "3 from home" service is good, it does not come out of your monthly cap. Any calls will be charged at the normal rate of your plan for local calls, and will be payable on top of your plan. This makes it around $1.50/minute for many calls. A lot cheaper than most roaming, but still more expensive than some other specialised services

 

[Batesy]

I got myself an I-Phone this week.
There is a place in the settings under General-Network-Data roaming that turns off email, mms web browsing and other data services...
Try that.

 

[Commuter]

Gotta be careful with that one. Whilst the "3 from home" service is good, it does not come out of your monthly cap. Any calls will be charged at the normal rate of your plan for local calls, and will be payable on top of your plan. This makes it around $1.50/minute for many calls. A lot cheaper than most roaming, but still more expensive than some other specialised services

Also, the phone can wonder off the 3 network unless you set it to 3 UK manually. If it does wonder off and latch onto Vodafone UK for instance, data roaming will be expensive.

 

[drewbles]

Also, the phone can wonder off the 3 network unless you set it to 3 UK manually. If it does wonder off and latch onto Vodafone UK for instance, data roaming will be expensive.

Yup. If you forget to change your carrier from 'Automatic' on the phone, it's bound to get costly.

Just buy one of our SIM cards and save yourself cash

 

[drewbles]

I got myself an I-Phone thsi week.
There is a place in the settings under General-Network-Data roaming that turns off email, mms web browsing and other data services...
Try that.

As previously mentioned here, the default is off for Data Roaming. You have to specifically turn it on to enable it.

 

[JohnK]

Not really - another reason to stay away from Telstra. No other carrier seems to suffer this mysterious iPhone data roaming 'leakage'.

Not just Telstra.

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

Optus gets in the act as well.

By the way we had a bad experience with Optus and "dialers" many years ago. After being with them for many years and spending on average $20-$30 a month they did not see a problem that the bill had grown to close to $1,000 after a couple of weeks before calling us. Tried every avenue possible and could not get out of it so an expensive way to learn a lesson....

 

[djfuzz]

Not just Telstra.


Optus gets in the act as well.

By the way we had a bad experience with Optus and "dialers" many years ago. After being with them for many years and spending on average $20-$30 a month they did not see a problem that the bill had grown to close to $1,000 after a couple of weeks before calling us. Tried every avenue possible and could not get out of it so an expensive way to learn a lesson....

tuppaware seems to have been using iCal and had push notifications for Mail, with 3G and data roaming on, so was definitely downloading something - that could have been prevented by switching each of them off. IME Telstra appears to find data to download somehow with data roaming switched off and without using any online apps, which is the worry - hence the extreme precautions. Love their service, just not prepared to fork out hundreds or thousands for stuff I don't use.

By the way, what do you mean by 'diallers'?

 

[JohnK]

By the way, what do you mean by 'diallers'?

Where someone downloads a program on to your computer and you then use this program to access their websites. The "dialer" is connected to your fixed phone line and the bill is automatically. This was a "tricky" way of scamming money from you when you wanted to use websites that charged a premium for membership and one did not have a credit card. Still come some of the "dialers" around today.