Using I-Phones in the US?

[fairytale]

Hiya Guys, I need your advice?

I own an I-phone 4 and had been hoping to take it to Florida with us this coming October, however, I have read a number of comments on various threads advising of issues they have had whilst doing the same

Does anyone have any experiences?

I have heard costs can be high, connection problems etc ...

I understand I must turn off my date roaming when I get there, but will that then cause issues with its overall preformance?

I am on business tariff if thats make any difference

During my last visit I did purchase a pay as you go Mobile whilst in the state and could possibly purchase a top up card when I get there should I need too.

Many thanks

Annette x

 

[DISWolves]

Hi Annette

Firstly, your phone will need to be unlocked before you can use an alternate sim.
O2 will do this for free, but I know that Orange will charge for this
In another thread http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2744660&page=3
Have a look at posts #40 and #66 made by Jockey

 

[fairytale]

Hi Annette

Firstly, your phone will need to be unlocked before you can use an alternate sim.
O2 will do this for free, but I know that Orange will charge for this
In another thread http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2744660&page=3
Have a look at posts #40 and #66 made by Jockey

So my I-Phone point blank wont even work in the US without putting in a different sim Didnt realise that.

Will the apps still work even though I cant make calls? ie taking photographs, google etc..

 

[cliveywolves]

So my I-Phone point blank wont even work in the US without putting in a different sim Didnt realise that.

Will the apps still work even though I cant make calls? ie taking photographs, google etc..

Your apps that an Internet connection wont work at all
You can still take photos but not much else.....

 

[crabbie1]

I used mine but only for texting a few times.Cost me an extra £13 for very few texts. Gonna buy a cheap phone I think. So O2 will unlock a phone for free and I can buy a sim to use in the US Im on orange though? sorry if I sound dimbo

 

[Dave_uk]

The best thing to do is go in to your settings and put it in plane mode that will basically tern it in to just a Ipod touch.

You can still use all your apps that dont need a net connexion,
You can still use the ipod camera games etc
You can use it on the plane in this mode
You also wont run up a big internet bill a lot of apps use the internet in the background so turning this mode on will disable them from doing that

 

[Helen B]

I always have data roaming turned off anyway, as you don't need it in the UK. If it is on make sure you turn it off before you leave the UK, this should stop your phone accessing the internet*, but you can still use apps that don't need a connection, (if you can use them in airplane mode, you can use them while you're away.)

I didn't make any changes to my phone, just made sure data roaming was off. You can still make calls and text as normal, just be aware of the charges. I only sent a few texts last year and these came out of my allowance, don't know if it's any different on your business tariff or not. Most restaurants, (when we went last year, but were offsite) had free WiFi connections so we could checks things like our bank balances, mobile bill (through o2 app,) facebook, email etc while we were there. We both had no additional charges to our phone bills when we got home.

*The one thing I will mention, as it caught me out in Germany earlier this year, if you are on a WiFi connection and it suddenly drops and you're using the internet, your phone will still try to connect to something even though data roaming is turned off, so in theory it shouldn't because you have no 3G or whatever. However, when I queried the charge with o2, they refunded it to me (it was only 50p, but it was the principle of it.) So stick to places with a strong WiFi connection, not iffy ones.

Just double check with your phone provider before you leave the UK.

Remember, if you want to use the iPod, or use apps (games) on your phone while flying, don't forget to put it into airplane mode before take off.

 

[Celestine]

I'm with vodafone and they unlocked the phone for free. DH has purchased an AT&T sim on line to activate a couple of days before we go and I can then add on a data package for about $25 whilst I am there. I guess it depends on what you are using it for BIL also has an iphone so we have both downloaded viber so can call each other for free (I believe) as all in US at the same time

Celestine

 

[Elise79]

So my I-Phone point blank wont even work in the US without putting in a different sim Didnt realise that.

Will the apps still work even though I cant make calls? ie taking photographs, google etc..

You can use your phone in the US with your UK SIM however you will incur roaming charges.

Data roaming charges are really high so make sure that is turned off. This will also stop any app that require an internet connection from working as well unless you have a wifi connection.

The camera will still work.

 

[DISWolves]

So my I-Phone point blank wont even work in the US without putting in a different sim Didnt realise that.

Will the apps still work even though I cant make calls? ie taking photographs, google etc..

Your iPhone will work with your UK sim providing international roaming is enabled, but the phone needs to be unlocked if you insert another phone providers sim e.g. AT&T
As already mentioned....I always turn off data roaming.
I have installed SKYPE app, to make calls back to UK when I can find some free wifi

 

[kazdav]

Does the above apply to iphone 3GS ie talking about the payg sim card in the US. I am with 02. Also would it be cheaper to put your O2 sim card back in to text the UK. (at the cost of 4 messages per text)

 

[Funky_dino]

All you need to do is turn the data roaming off and just use free wifi when you can.

Txt's messages are usually part of your bundle, I know with o2 1 txt is the equivilent of 4.

Calls are obv network dependent, so Quite alot.

Data charges were £6 per 1mb.

This was all with o2 so other networks may be different. And also didn't need contact o2 about using the phone oversea's, as soon as I arrived it connected to at&t.

 

[Helen B]

Your iPhone will work with your UK sim providing international roaming is enabled, but the phone needs to be unlocked if you insert another phone providers sim e.g. AT&T
As already mentioned....I always turn off data roaming.
I have installed SKYPE app, to make calls back to UK when I can find some free wifi

Just to add to this, I've just found out, if you have an iPhone 4/ iPod Touch then you can do facetime when connected to WiFi.

 

[Snow8882]

I would intend taking my iPhone with me next August but specifically so I can use apps in the Parks.

If I turn off data roaming, how would I be able to access these (if they connect to the net when in use)?? My phone is unlocked so would be able to purchase a US sim card if necessary?

Thanks in advance!

Snow xxx

 

[JuliaVA]

Can anyone advise where to buy a US Sim from in order to use data. I'm addicted to FB and reading here and other places and it really irritated me that I couldn't on our recent trip. All My old places where I got connected to free wifi before are now payable eg lobby at beach club hotel. Tks

 

[Celestine]

DH bought an AT&T sim from a UK seller on ebay for about £8 which you activate a couple of days before you go as they cancel it if inactive for more than 30 days

Celestine

 

[Elise79]

I would intend taking my iPhone with me next August but specifically so I can use apps in the Parks.

If I turn off data roaming, how would I be able to access these (if they connect to the net when in use)?? My phone is unlocked so would be able to purchase a US sim card if necessary?

Thanks in advance!

Snow xxx

The cheapest way will be to buy an AT&T SIM off ebay and activate before you go. You can then buy a data package once you get there but as you need a PIN sent to the phone to access the online account you can't add it till you are there.

It was $15 for 100MB. This was fine for me I used Facebook, twitter & lines while I was there and had data to spare.

 

[Snow8882]

The cheapest way will be to buy an AT&T SIM off ebay and activate before you go. You can then buy a data package once you get there but as you need a PIN sent to the phone to access the online account you can't add it till you are there.

It was $15 for 100MB. This was fine for me I used Facebook, twitter & lines while I was there and had data to spare.

Thanks, that's a relief. I'll make a note to get a SIM before I go. How/where do I buy a data package?

(Sorry, this will be my first trip to the States so bit clueless!)

Snow xx

 

[Elise79]

When you register the sim you need to choose a smartphone plan. You will also need to add credit but as you don't have a US register card you need an alternative - I personally use PinZoo.

Once you have registered the SIM you can access your account online but you need to be in the US as they send a PIN by text that you need. Once you have that you log into your account online (on a laptop or iPad) and add the 'feature pack' for your data. They also do packs of texts. We opt for the 10c/min plan as it is cheaper for us than the $2/day unlimited mins/txts as some days we may only send one text.

 

[Snow8882]

Thanks so much for your help Elise, really appreciate it!

Snow x