# iPhone in Europe?



## davies39 (Feb 6, 2008)

I have Rogers iPhone and will spend a month in Europe this spring.

To avoid ridiculous roaming charges, I wondered if I should invest in a European SIM card. Does anybody have any advice? In particular, can I actually switch SIM cards on the iPhone and has anybody any suggestions of which SIM card to get - I want to pick up email and make/receive calls in France, Spain, Italy and Austria.

Thanks

Wallis


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Unless you have successfully unlocked your 3G iPhone, this is a non-issue, as it won't work. Canadian iPhones are tied to Rogers and don't work elsewhere.

2G iPhones - easy peasy. 3G - more difficult to unlock, but I'm told it can be done. I usually check iclarified.org for news of this nature.

Another option: leave the iPhone at home, buy a cheap PAYGO phone for Europe.


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## davies39 (Feb 6, 2008)

Thanks - we already have a cheap paygo phone that we normally use - problem is it doesn't pick up email so I wondered if there was a cheap way of using the 3G iPhone. Look not likely - still, we tried. Guess I'll have to lug the laptop.

Wallis


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## wilecoyote (May 25, 2008)

davies39 said:


> Thanks - we already have a cheap paygo phone that we normally use - problem is it doesn't pick up email so I wondered if there was a cheap way of using the 3G iPhone. Look not likely - still, we tried. Guess I'll have to lug the laptop.
> 
> Wallis


I leave for Europe tomorrow. My plan is to turn on Airplane mode, and then turn on wireless (so the phone is off - I've confirmed that if the phone is on and someone calls you, you'll pay roaming charges for their voicemail - not so if the phone is off).

I'll use wireless to pick up email - I've got a Boingo Mobile account and so far it's been pretty good (in the US). I see a lot of Boingo hotspots in Europe. Also, I'll use Truphone to make calls (VOIP). 

I'll report back on how well this worked. I've got an unlocked Nokia as well, but I don't make many calls and I don't want to bring another phone and charger and deal with buying SIM cards.


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## PierreB (Mar 5, 2007)

*Why*



chas_m said:


> Unless you have successfully unlocked your 3G iPhone, this is a non-issue, as it won't work. Canadian iPhones are tied to Rogers and don't work elsewhere.
> 
> 2G iPhones - easy peasy. 3G - more difficult to unlock, but I'm told it can be done. I usually check iclarified.org for news of this nature.
> 
> Another option: leave the iPhone at home, buy a cheap PAYGO phone for Europe.



Why would an iPhone not work in Europe? My Rogers Blackberry does? 

If the iPhone works, get use to putting it in Airplane mode and only use it as required otherwise you will have a bill that will pay for at least one cellphone tower.


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

You use Boingo hotspots and Truphone for VOIP, and buying local SIM cards, a reliable and cost effective solution for which you already have a spare GSM phone, is a hassle?

For the OP, find a cheap unlocked GSM phone and you're set to use European SIM cards while you travel.



wilecoyote said:


> I leave for Europe tomorrow. My plan is to turn on Airplane mode, and then turn on wireless (so the phone is off - I've confirmed that if the phone is on and someone calls you, you'll pay roaming charges for their voicemail - not so if the phone is off).
> 
> I'll use wireless to pick up email - I've got a Boingo Mobile account and so far it's been pretty good (in the US). I see a lot of Boingo hotspots in Europe. Also, I'll use Truphone to make calls (VOIP).
> 
> I'll report back on how well this worked. I've got an unlocked Nokia as well, but I don't make many calls and I don't want to bring another phone and charger and deal with buying SIM cards.


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## whatiwant (Feb 21, 2008)

from personal experience, using an unlocked phone in the uk, with an o2 sim for voice and data was great. France was more akin to rogers. I'm pretty sure that most of the carriers offer the same type of plans for paygo, but they do not offer data except at the rate of 0.10€/15kb. At least on orange. But I asked at a few other places too.


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## wilecoyote (May 25, 2008)

HowEver said:


> You use Boingo hotspots and Truphone for VOIP, and buying local SIM cards, a reliable and cost effective solution for which you already have a spare GSM phone, is a hassle?
> 
> For the OP, find a cheap unlocked GSM phone and you're set to use European SIM cards while you travel.


I'm back from Europe now so I can give a report for anyone who's interested.

I agree that generally buying a local SIM card is the easiest solution for most cases. In my case it wasn't for the following reasons:

I was traveling with my family and knew I would rarely needed the phone.
The apartments I rented all had wifi.
I did not want to carry two phones and two chargers. In my books, that's a hassle!
The few places where I needed to phone local contacts (ie. airports/train stations) had Boingo access.

Anyway, my experience was really positive. I made several calls using TruPhone when I had wifi access - some just for fun to see how well it worked. I had no problems and generally the quality was pretty decent. And with the iPhone, I didn't miss having my laptop at all. I also used TruPhone to call my cell number to check for any messages (since I had my iPhone in Airplane Mode so I wouldn't have to pay for calls that I didn't answer). 

The one thing I really missed (and can't believe is still missing from the App Store) is an app that would use the GPS in the iPhone along with pre-loaded maps - for the ocassional "where the hell are we?" moments. 

Summary: If you happen to be staying in places with lots of wifi and don't really need to make a lot of calls, this solution worked fine. For anything else, get an unlocked phone and a local SIM card!


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## Darien Red Sox (Oct 24, 2006)

Some times if you are going to be traveling for a wile you can contact your phone company and they will set you up with a plain with a phone company where you will be traveling without any need to swap sim cards ext. I know some one who came over to visit from Ireland a few years ago and there phone company set them up with and AT&T plan for the time they were hear.


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## roosterstoker (Apr 29, 2009)

*Thought you could get GPS working in Europe w/o Data or Wifi*

I thought someone told me that programs such as GPS Motion X from App store and Google Maps could work without using data or Wifi,, I actually read an article on that (of course, now, I would find it a struggle to find that article), even though I find myself asking how that would have been possible? But then again, somehow it was explained in this article.. Ok,,, anyone else read this article,, perhaps on the App site,, or am I way out in left field?


Ok,, just found this description at GPS Motion X,,

witching gears, MotionX, well known for their prior and most excellent MotionX Poker and the freebie compantion, MotionX Dice, have now released a GPS application.

MotionX GPS does not feature maps, and as such it does not require a data connection. It works entirely off of the satellite, so it can be used anywhere, even where there are no cell towers within range, making it the ideal companion for hikers, geocachers, joggers, riders, and anyone else who spends time out of doors — particularly those who like to explore unpopulated areas.

MotionX can track elapsed time, speed, distance travelled, average page, and even calculate an ETA given your current pace if you set a destination. Get your current coordinates, GPS signal strength, last satellite fix, set and name waypoints and POIs, and check your compass to see which direction you’re headed in. (Accurate compass bearings require that you be moving.) Because it doesn’t use a data connection, it does not have the benefit of the Assisted part of the iPhone 3G’s GPS system, so acquiring your position will take longer than you’re probably used to because it doesn’t rely on cell tower triangulation or WiFi spotting to assist in getting a lock on your position. This is pure satellite navigation.

There is a kind of map of sorts — it’s not Google Maps, but it will plot your course along a scalable grid so you can visualize where you’ve been. You can browse your set waypoints and get all the details on them, even set them as destinations if you want to make your way back to them.

It’s quite a full-featured data-free GPS application and is one of the best GPS-only apps out there right now. Although this particular version has a “lite” designation, there doesn’t appear to be a full version avaiable at the moment, nor any indication of what it might have over this version or what it will cost — but what you get in this version seems like it’s plenty for any outdoorsy adventurist looking for an integrated GPS solution that will work no matter how far from civilization you get.


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## roosterstoker (Apr 29, 2009)

*Maybe I answered my own question,, will check out further*

2. “Can MotionX-GPS be run on a first generation iPhone or iPod Touch?”

A2. MotionX-GPS relies on the GPS chipset present in the 3G iPhone. First generation iPhones and iPod Touches do not have a GPS chipset and cannot be used to navigate with MotionX-GPS.


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