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Using IPhone abroad

Home ▸ Archive ▸ Serious Business ▸ Using IPhone abroad
swamisez's avatar

swamisez

Senior Member

1,990 posts
May 22, 2010 10:54 PM
Going to be spending a few weeks in Europe and I had a question, and wondered if any chatters had info.

I am hoping to use my Iphone while I am abroad, and have heard the horror stories about international roaming.

What I was planning on doing was jailbreaking my phone, and buying an international sim card.

Has anyone done this? Is it as simple as using the sim? What kind of data rates can I expect? Help.
May 22, 2010 10:54pm
I

I Wear Pants

Senior Member

16,223 posts
May 23, 2010 12:42 AM
Make sure you get everything straight and are positive it'll work or else you could be staring at a $1000+ cell phone bill.

Might be better off just buying some quad band GSM phone and tossing your sim in it.
May 23, 2010 12:42am
3reppom's avatar

3reppom

Senior Member

765 posts
May 23, 2010 12:44 AM
If you go ahead and jailbreak it you can download an app that will allow you to make calls while by passing the actual network itself. Basically just using the data plan to make free calls. I don't know which app it is, I just have a touch, but I am 99% sure it can be done.
May 23, 2010 12:44am
hoops23's avatar

hoops23

Senior Member

15,696 posts
May 23, 2010 1:05 AM
Yeah, make sure you know what you're doing. Don't want to end up with a $1000~ Cell phone bill as I Wear Pants mentioned.
May 23, 2010 1:05am
swamisez's avatar

swamisez

Senior Member

1,990 posts
May 23, 2010 1:28 AM
I went to the AT&T store and they were clueless as usual.

The sales rep told me that it would cost me 199.99 to have international data

I came home and researched and found that unlimited international data is that much, but they have plans that range from 5GB to 20GB. The latter being 60 dollars a month.

Most of my research has suggested to get international calling for 5.99 a month, then get one of the international data plans.

Being the adventurous type, and knowing my AT&T contract expires in August I researched alternatives, and found the info on jailbreaking and buying prepaid international sim cards.

Hence the question.
May 23, 2010 1:28am
I

I Wear Pants

Senior Member

16,223 posts
May 23, 2010 1:48 AM
Just buy the data from ATT. 5GB should be enough as I think that's what they limit their "unlimited" data to in the US anyways.

$60 +$6 is worth it to not have to mess around with European sims and jailbraking and for the security of being able to say "hey, ATT, it's your fault. You pay for it" if/when something goes wrong and you get a $1860 bill.
May 23, 2010 1:48am
3reppom's avatar

3reppom

Senior Member

765 posts
May 23, 2010 3:09 AM
swamisez wrote: I went to the AT&T store and they were clueless as usual.

The sales rep told me that it would cost me 199.99 to have international data

I came home and researched and found that unlimited international data is that much, but they have plans that range from 5GB to 20GB. The latter being 60 dollars a month.

Most of my research has suggested to get international calling for 5.99 a month, then get one of the international data plans.

Being the adventurous type, and knowing my AT&T contract expires in August I researched alternatives, and found the info on jailbreaking and buying prepaid international sim cards.

Hence the question.
You will have to set everything up on your own. Jailbreaking your iPhone is, to put it mildly, frowned upon by AT&T and apple. Check out the forums at tys iphone help they will have all the info you need.
May 23, 2010 3:09am
Automatik's avatar

Automatik

Senior Member

14,632 posts
May 23, 2010 7:51 AM
I really don't know anything about data and jailbreaking the iPhone for international use. But I used an unlocked blackberry abroad, threw in a Vodafone sim card in the UK and all was good.....I never had a data plan though....no need for the internet. I had a pay as you go plan so I just "topped up" my phone with credit as needed. Mine was based on a US plan so it was around 10 cents a min to the US, 15 cents for texts and calling/texting the UK was cheap also.

If I were in your position I wouldn't even attempt to use my iPhone. Just buy a dirt cheap phone when you get there and go the pay as you go route....unless you are going to be there for a while and its a must that you use your current number.
May 23, 2010 7:51am
B

brat601

Junior Member

3 posts
May 23, 2010 12:06 PM
I have the same issue, but I plan on using the Skype App to make all my calls while overseas this summer. The Skype calling rates are pretty good, especially if you aren't going to be talking for hours. I used it to call friends in Australia (to their land line), and it only cost me 85 cents for a 40 minute phone call.
May 23, 2010 12:06pm
swamisez's avatar

swamisez

Senior Member

1,990 posts
May 23, 2010 5:56 PM
Jailbroke the iphone
used Pwnage tool
installed Cydia
downloaded ultrasn0w
popped in a domestic tmobile sim card, worked well
I figure when I get to Paris I will buy an O2 prepaid sim card and will use it in France, UK, and Spain. Unsure about Spain though.
May 23, 2010 5:56pm
3reppom's avatar

3reppom

Senior Member

765 posts
May 23, 2010 7:00 PM
swamisez wrote: Jailbroke the iphone
used Pwnage tool
installed Cydia
downloaded ultrasn0w
popped in a domestic tmobile sim card, worked well
I figure when I get to Paris I will buy an O2 prepaid sim card and will use it in France, UK, and Spain. Unsure about Spain though.
one tip, if your iPhone starts to have issues at some point down the line and you want apple or AT&T to take a look at it you have to restore it to the original settings before you take it in. If you don't they will consider you in violation of your agreement with apple/AT&T and you will have to pay out the ass while they reset everything for you.

I would try to get a vodafone pre paid sim card if you can swing it. Their network is in all three countries, O2 is only in the UK from what I understand
May 23, 2010 7:00pm
swamisez's avatar

swamisez

Senior Member

1,990 posts
May 23, 2010 9:15 PM
thanks for the tip 3reppom,
I have jailbroken before, and restored it.

haven't researched vodafone, I will now.
May 23, 2010 9:15pm
3reppom's avatar

3reppom

Senior Member

765 posts
May 24, 2010 8:40 AM
Wasn't sure if you had done it before. I had a friend who's iPhone took a shit a couple of weeks after he jailbroke it and he took it to the apple store to have them take a look at it they charged him 150 to reset the thing plus another 75 to fix the actual mechanical problem, which had nothing at all to do with him jailbreaking it.
May 24, 2010 8:40am
swamisez's avatar

swamisez

Senior Member

1,990 posts
May 24, 2010 11:32 AM
Even if the phone is bricked, there is a method to reset it. Plug it into the USB hold down the power and home button for 15 seconds, then hold the home button for 10. It should do a manual reset from there. It has to be plugged in to usb with Itunes running though.

I saw this on CNET

as for apple store "fixes" yeah, I wouldn't let them fix anything it is so expensive for them to even touch a device.
May 24, 2010 11:32am
M

MontyBrunswick

May 24, 2010 6:58 PM
He mentioned his contract was up soon anyways, so his warranty is void. (meaning if his phone died, he would be lost at sea anyways)

Lecturing him about jailbreaking is fairly worthless, it seems. Stop making yourselves look stupid.

swamisez: I know someone who jailbroke their iPhone and use international SIM cards with it with no issue. I don't forsee you having issues (unless you jailbroke it incorrectly)
May 24, 2010 6:58pm