Checking I have cellular off

[Duckiedee]

I have an iPhone. I ha e cellular switched off, but it still says AT&T beside my Wifi symbol. It does not have 3G or LTE stated.

It is really off right?

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

My advice is to put your iPhone on airplane mode for the duration of your trip. That way you will have no doubt that it's not roaming. And wifi can still be accessed.

We switch on airplane mode as soon as our butts hit the seats on the plane at Pearson.

 

[Fennella Brewer]

Yes, airplane mode is the only way to guarantee that you won't be charged roaming charges. I get a US roaming package from my provider when I go for vacation. It is very reasonable with Koodoo and Vision.

 

[Polydweller]

Turning cellular off only turns off cellular data, ie Internet and iMessage. So you won't have data usage charges. It does not turn off the ability to make or receive phone calls. That's why you are seeing the ATT. However, if you don't make or receive a call there are no charges with data turned off.

Airplane mode will work but it also turns off wifi and you would have to manually turn on wifi. I'd just leave things as they are with cellular data off and don't answer the phone. That's what both my wife and I have done for the last number of years and never a charge.

 

[Duckiedee]

I'm getting messages with Cellular off. Is that coming through on wifi?

 

[xlxo]

Yes, airplane mode is the only way to guarantee that you won't be charged roaming charges

On some phones.... airplane mode can be bypassed. "SIM card removal" is the only way to guarantee there won't be roaming charges.

 

[Polydweller]

I'm getting messages with Cellular off. Is that coming through on wifi?

What messages? In iMessage if they are coded blue then that's wifi, if green then it's text messages. Facebook messenger would be wifi.

 

[Duckiedee]

I have an iPhone. They are green. It's annoying because I want to use Wifi but can't control people from messaging me.

 

[Starwind]

I have an iPhone. They are green. It's annoying because I want to use Wifi but can't control people from messaging me.

If they are green they are text messages.

As others have noted, turning "cellular" off only turns of cellular data. You see AT&T because you are still connected to the cellular network, which means you can still send and receive cell phone calls, text messages and voicemail, jusst not cellular data. So, text messaging will work, but facebook won't unless you are also connected to a wifi network.

To turn all of that off, you need to set the phone to airplane mode and then, because you want to use wifi, turn wifi back on manually. That way you are NOT connected to the cellular network, just the wifi network. The only way you could receive messages then is if they are sent via an app that is using data, not text messaging, like imessage or facebook messenger. (note that when you get home and turn the airplane mode off you will receive the backlog of messages people' tried to send as long as you are inside the buffer zone where the cell company holds them -- it keeps trying to deliver them for a certain amount of time).

Note that depending on your cell plan, those text messages you have been receiving may have a per text cost to them. Likewise if you replied to any of them.

SW