Using an American iPhone in Europe… without going broke
Note: This article was updated in February 2013 with new rates and information.
If you’re an American iPhone user getting ready to take a trip to Europe, you’ve likely been warned about using your iPhone abroad. After all, AT&T and Verizon’s rates for international data use can be confusing, and misunderstanding your usage or iPhone setup could be a very costly mistake.
I recently returned from two weeks in Europe, one spent in Paris and one in Venice. This was a work trip, during which I visited about 90 hotels for EuroCheapo. I brought along my laptop, but what to do with my iPhone? Was there an economical way to use it in France and Italy? Should I pay for one of the international data packages offered by AT&T (my carrier)? Should I just leave the thing in New York?
Connecting with friends and travel companions is obviously aided by sending text messages. Those, however, don’t always work with American cell phones and, if they do, require international roaming. And if you turn on roaming, you could receive phone calls from home — which will cost you. But I’m getting ahead of myself…
I realized that my iPhone could be handy. But how could I use it without going broke?
After hours of hair pulling and squinting at fine print (and some phone time with Verizon and AT&T employees), we have compiled a list of pointers for American travelers hoping to use their iPhones in Europe.
Our Guide to using an American iPhone in Europe
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Thanks for the suggestions. So do you still get charged a monthly service fee from ATT despite the phone being effectively not in use? In other words, is there a way to travel for a month with the Iphone ‘off’ and not getting one monthly bill from ATT?
Oh dear,I can’t believe anybody would ask this.
Check out the word ‘contract’.
No wonder Europeans think we are dumb.
Wow rude
Rude and not even right. AT&T lets you suspend your service for $10 a month instead of your regular bill.
To not be billed during this time, call and suspend your service with AT&T. I don’t know how this affects your ‘contract’ (if it counts towards your months), but you won’t be billed during this time.
Anthony – we will be going to France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Prague and Italy soon. I like the sound of your ideas. I assume it will work with 3GS and 4.0 software? Now the silly ? – how do you open the phone to replace the SIM card? Is there a good all Europe card for data? Thanks!
I am going to be in Prague for the next four months and just got the Iphone 4. Do any European cell phone providers have the micro sim card that fits into the phone so that I can get a plan while I am there?
You can always trim a regular-sized SIM card to fit the IPhone – search YouTube for a tutorial, it’s easy:)
Well for the frequent traveller Travelplan now has an offline flight schedule app so no need to have a connection to find flight or hotels when travelling.
Jay, there is a small hole the size of a paper clip on the top of your iPhone. Push a paper clip into the hole and the tray that holds the sim card will slide out. Pay attention to the orientation so you don’t put it in backwards…although I don’t think that’s possible because one corner of the card is cut. Anyway, I read that Orange has/had a data plan for like $10/month for unlimited. No clue if that was a special price, or what countries it covered. Maybe someone on here can help you. Here’s the big catch though…I don’t think there’s a jailbreak for the latest version of iOS 4. You’ll have to do some research based on the version that you have installed on your phone. If you don’t have the SHSH blobs backed up in any way, and there isn’t a jailbreak available for your iOS version, then you won’t even be able to jailbreak (until a jailbreak is released for your version of iOS). So long story short, if your phone is completely up to date, you probably won’t be able to jailbreak it. You can send Apple a nice thank you note for helping AT&T to screw you if that’s the case.
Dmitri, wishful thinking. You signed a contract to pay every month for 2 or more years. What you can do is drop your calling plan to the lowest possible minutes, etc, for that month…and/or ask AT&T to credit you…but I doubt they will. If you do drop your calling plan to the lowest minutes, realize that you will lose all accumulated rollover minutes except for the amount equal to the anytime minutes of the calling plan that you drop to….something like that. If you get a good deal or credit from AT&T, let us know the details!
Eileen, you will first need to be able to jailbreak/unlock your phone…which you can’t do if your phone is completely up to date, as I don’t believe a jailbreak has been released for the latest version of iOS. If your iOS version is slightly older, you might be able to jailbreak and unlock. I’ll post a link at the bottom of this post that might help point you in the right direction. Finally, if you can’t secure a micro sim card, you can actually cut a normal sim card. Make sure that the metalic contact side looks identical before/after you cut. In other words, don’t cut the metal contacts. There are some tutorials online, or if you look around hard enough, you can probably find one at a cell shop in Europe. I’d think a razor blade, some hand-eye coordination, and some patience would be all you need.
http://www.iphonehacks.com (look around for jailbreakme link on there)
I too had that misfortunate phone conversation with an ATT rep prior to taking my iphone to Prague this spring. I decided to forgo their expensive options and just kept the airplane mode on. Fortunately, my hotel offered free wifi so I had free access to my email. However, I did need to make a phone call back to the US but was unable to do so even after turning off the airplane mode. Fortunately, I happened upon a pay phone and utilized that instead. When I returned to the states and called ATT to find out why I couldn’t make calls from my iphone in Prague, I was told that I needed to first power off my phone and restart. I thought that a croc because I never had to do that with my LG or Blackberry when I used them in Europe years before.
I have since learned that I should have gotten the Skype app and would have been able to make cheap phone calls from my wifi enabled hotel room. Live and learn.
I went to Canada and had airplane mode enabled, and wifi on. 24 hours into the trip I got an email from AT&T with travel tips for my iPhone. How is it possible they knew I was out of the country? With no data being pinged off of international cell towers (hence airplane mode) was AT&T still seeing my wifi traffic coming from .CA addresses? Was the GPS I used being sent back to AT&T? Even worse, does AT&T sniff non-cellular data and are they able to tell where you are at all times even if the cell part of the phone is “disabled”?
Hey Community!! I am headed to Europe next month for 3 months and I spoke to an AT&T rep and was made aware that you CAN pause your service for a max of six months, as long as you have been with AT&T for more than 6 months, but you must pay a $10 fee/month to maintain your phone number and of course, your contract will pick back up upon your arrival.
Check it out! Good luck and happy travels!
P.S. Anthony is right, UNLOCK the phone!
Anthony,
This sounds like a stupid question, but I haven’t updated my software in about a year, as my computer has an issue with itunes (it’s really strange, but nobody has been able to just remove the old version and add itunes all over again) and have no idea which version I have. How can I tell?
Thanks.
Nevermind, I found it (version 3.1.3). Can’t you break the phone by trying to take it apart? How do you unlock it easily if you’re not a techie?
Kristina,
You don’t need to take your phone apart…unless you’re trying to replace/fix hardware (like a broken screen, etc). I’ve never taken one apart. Anyway, to answer your actual question…
All you have to do is download the appropriate jailbreak program (determined by your computer’s operating system (Windows vs. Mac) and your iPhone’s OS (3.1.3). There are several options.
Once you jailbreak your phone, then you will run another piece of software to unlock your phone. The software that you use for this depends on what you used to jailbreak your phone. If you do a little research, you will find a wealth of information. Just make sure to be specific in your searches, such as “windows jailbreak 3.1.3″ or “blackra1n unlock 3.1.3″. (Blackra1n is one example of jailbreak software.)
Once your phone is jailbroken and unlocked, simply obtain a SIM card for phone/data or just data (you can use a VoIP program to get free calling…although it is rather complicated to get free VoIP calling…here are some keywords if you want to persue this: fring (app), google voice (sign up for free acct), gv mobile (app), and sipgate.com (free incoming VoIP calling). Research can get you up and running for free VoIP calling, but it is a pain and I don’t feel like trying to explain it (sorry). Anyway, once you obtain your SIM card, simply use a paperclip to pop the old SIM tray out (top of phone) and replace with the new SIM card. Good luck!
Anthony,
Thanks for the info. I’m not really that interested in calling overseas, mainly just using the google maps and some apps while I’m abroad. Where would I find a SIM card that has data?
Thanks.
Hi Anthony,
I have an older (first-gen, I think) iPhone I no longer use. Could I jailbreak that one and then just get a data sim card in Europe to use while I’m there? Or would I need to activate my older iPhone with a new service plan or something first?
Thanks!!
Kristina,
You’ll have to do research for data plans in whatever country you’re going to. I’ve read that Orange has a cheap data plan for like $10/month for unlimited data. But I have no idea which countries that will work in, or even if the price is still that low.
Tina,
You should be able to jailbreak/unlock a 2g phone. Just be sure to be specific (mention 2g) when you do a google search for the jailbreak software…and the unlock. I don’t think your phone can handle some of the later iPhone OS versions though. Never had a 2g, so I’m not 100% sure what challenges you’re going to encounter. But there is a bunch of information out there. Like I said, be specific in your searches and make sure the articles you read are referring specifically to 2g iPhones.
What an amazingly useful article and comment thread! I’m hoping to go to Austria in 2012 to follow the footsteps of my late father, who worked as a civilian employee of the Allied Occupation, helping administer the Marshall Plan, after leaving his US Army unit at war’s end.
I’d been hoping to find information on whether my iPhone (assuming I still have it in 18 months) would be usable. This is straightforward and clear.
Thanks to all!
Eric
I’ve just been to Germany and France with my jailbroken iPhone 4. Mixed experiences! In Germany, I found a pre-paid T-Mobile card (Deutches Telekom) that charged by the minute (used up my pre-paid credit) for calls or for data. My total usage in Europe was 250 MB download and 25 MB upload, and it was mostly on this “T-Mobile Kart”, for which I paid a total of about 90 euros. 7 days in Germany. It was decent. However, I couldn’t recharge it online (I think). I bought recharge cards in sealed envelopes and was told that I could return them to any T-Mobile store in Germany before I left if I didn’t need to use them and still had my receipt.
In France, I went into an Orange Mobile store and quickly (too quickly) bought a pre-paid Orange Mobicart. I advise against this! Whenever your iPhone is on, and not in Airplane mode, it uses minutes! I couldn’t use this at all, though it cost me at least $50 before figuring out that it was outrageous.
I really missed being connected in France. I went to another cell phone store and with my limited French and the clerk’s limited English, I seemed to determine that Orange, SFR, and Bouyige (sp?) all had about the same prices, and that all pre-paid plans were extremely expensive in France.
If you just need to make a few calls, and be available for emergency contact by friends and family in the US, ATT’s plan is the easiest, and not that expensive for a couple minutes here and there. If you need data in Germany, check out the T-Moble Kart. Your phone needs to be unlocked; jailbreaking will do this, and maybe T-Mobile could do it for you (but I don’t know). If you need data in France, God help you! Try to get help from one of your friends who live in France. There is also a company that sells sim chips for roaming all over Europe
On another note, I bought MyWi for my jailbroken phone ($20), and it worked great (but not in France, where data was too expensive) – I used my T-Moble Kart to connect, turned on the MyWi tethering, turning my iPhone into a little wifi hotspot, and then connected my MacBook, my iPad, and the laptops of several friends. Since I was being charged by the minute, not by the GB or MB, it was sweet for all of us.
Skype for iPhone worked great, both in wifi connections and in Germany through the T-Mobile Kart.
I found and then lost a link to a company that sells sim chips that work across Europe; I thought it was too expensive (until I got to France!).
I am preparing to go to Europe for a few weeks. If I were to go into ‘airplane’ mode, could I still access the internet and use apps such as the ‘Skype’ App? This app would allow me to make calls/texts to other people using Skype anywhere in the world for free. In other words, if I need to stay in contact with someone back in the US I can do so for free via Skype. So, if I can still use this App in ‘airplane’ mode my problems would be solved.
Is this possible?
Skype App works over wifi, and wifi can be accessed without turning on airplane mode.
Warning: AT&T’s international data packages might be advertised at $30 to $200 per month, but they will tell you not to cancel it for two months after you return. Here’s what happened when I went to Europe using an overseas data package from AT&T:
They said, don’t cancel the overseas data plan for two months after you get back to the US otherwise the delay in billing will cause you to get billed at overseas roaming rates instead of it being included in the plan that you just paid for.
I asked them, if those extra two months of billing would be refunded when I canceled. Obviously, if it’s required to leave the plan active for two months after you return to get their stated prices then you won’t get billed for those extra two months. The person on the phone clearly said this.
I went to Europe with the phone–a Blackberry. I think I paid about $60 for the month. Like they warned me, I waited two months after I got back to cancel. They then told me that the extra months of billing couldn’t be refunded, and that they had no record that anyone told me that the extra months would be refunded. They also confirmed that if I had canceled the plan right when I got back I would have been charged expensive overseas roaming rates above the $60 I already paid AT&T for the month’s worth of data.
After a long, argument with several of their employees I asked them to put me through to their cancellation department to immediately cancel my entire phone plan. At that point the cancellation department backed off and refunded my $120.
So, expect to pay for 2 months of extra overseas data if you get their overseas data plan. I highly suspect what AT&T is doing is illegal, but good luck fighting it.
My advice is: don’t use AT&T, but if you do, turn off the phone service with AT&T while you’re away and just use WiFi for data. T-Mobile doesn’t have overseas data plans and most of Verizon’s phones aren’t GSM so they won’t work in Europe. The future is WiFi.
I only want to use Internet like I do in US. I was Lost walking around without my Internet. I use wi-fi and keep airplane mode on always. Don’t need phone.
I will be traveling to Europe soon with my iphone and am wondering:
Can I turn on airplane mode, find a wi-fi spot and use internet and e-mail and incur no extra charges?
mk — yes, that’s what I did in Prague with my iPhone. You can also make calls, if you want to get a Skype account, $10 minimum purchase.
Enjoy!
To mkcoleman: yes you can. At first I didn’t realize you could turn on airplane mode, which turns phone and WiFi off, and then separately turn WiFi back on without reactivating phone connections.
I just got back from Italy and here’s my advice. Buy the cheapo data package. It’s for times when you can’t access wi-fi and you have to use the web or check your e-mail. As long as you don’t spend all day doing it, you’ll use very little of the 20 MB.
Most hotels in Italy have free or cheap wi-fi, although sometimes you have to be in the lobby or close to the lobby to access it. Just make sure you turn data roaming off and put your phone back into airplane mode when you’re done.
For phone usage, buy a cheap phone in Italy and buy some time. I didn’t have to buy a phone as my cousin had a handful laying around, and the time is cheap. Having said that, I didn’t use it for international calls, so I have no insight on that issue.
I just returned from a one month trip to europe. If you have an iphone or current itouch, if you will be staying in a hotel with wifi, are not needing to be contacted regularly or are willing to wait until you can sit in a cafe with wifi, then the cheapest way is to download the app Truphone. We paid for $15 before we left Canada and called from all over without any problems. I think we used up about 1/2 of that amount at approximately 2 cents a minute. If you need to be contacted, just have work, family or friends send a text then find a place to call from.
Why don’t you just buy one of those disposable phones when you get to Europe?
I will be traveling to Paris with four other friends soon. I am very confused based on what I’ve read and AT&T advice. If the five of us are in Paris and are calling each other, do we dial the 011-33-(U.S. area code) ( cell phone number) or do we just dial 1-(US area code) and cell phone number!??
I will be traveling to Italy with my husband and daughter in January. We have two iPhones, one a 3GS and one a 4. As we will only be there for 2 weeks, I am confused about getting the international data package from ATT. On earlier posts they said I would need to purchase 3 months. Is that correct?
Also, is it allowable for US citizens to buy disposable cell phones in Italy? I was told that they wouldn’t allow it.
Steve, Europeans think we’re dumb because we think we’re the center of the universe…and the world revolves around us and our needs. We show no interest in learning about other cultures. That aside, we are dumb for allowing AT&T (and other cell companies I’m sure) to rape us with outrageous international data fees and roaming fees. We don’t exactly have a choice to change those fees to something reasonable…otherwise we would. Then, maybe we wouldn’t have to find alternatives to getting screwed over by our cell company. Besides, the purpose of the contract is for the phone company to recoup the money that they spent to reduce the price of the phone for the consumer. Regardless of how we use our phones overseas, the cell company is still collecting their monthly bills for the duration of the contract…and therefore recouping their money. If you are living up to your contract obligations (paying your monthly bill for 2 years or whatever the length of your contract is), you should have the right to use your phone however you want…even if it means purchasing non-AT&T data or cell plans to use while you’re overseas. As far as Europeans are concerned, I’m pretty sure the smart ones also seek affordable alternatives…and still honor their contract while they’re abroad. But hey, you can keep getting gouged if you’d like.
The above was directed to Steve Angel…not Steve from travellingprofessor.com. Apparently Steven Angel’s comment was removed.
Ah, crap. They changed the layout of the comments and now allow replies to specific posts…Steve Angel was replying to a previous post and not making a post directed to those seeking alternatives to AT&T’s outrageous fees. Sorry Steve. I received your post via e-mail and thought it was just a general post…not a reply.
Anthony,
Yes, I agree with all you have said and nobody wants to pay more than one needs, but my comment was directed at Dmitri, who wondered if he can have a ‘holiday’ from his contract while travelling. This is simply not possible as if you have monthly contract fee, your choice of travelling is of no concern to your service provider, (you signed the contract) in fact if you have a contract you have already have had the cost of your phone subsidised by taking a contract in the first place. Which leads us onto the subject of unlocking……..but thats another topic altogether.
Us Americans need to wise up or start reading contracts before signing them, hence my ‘dumb’ comment. Anyways thanks, and I appreciate your reply.
I have a question that I don’t think has been raised yet:
If I have my iPhone in Airplane Mode and I have a Skype account and I’m in Italy at a wi-fi hotspot, what rate do I get charged if I call a U.S phone number from Italy using Skype?
Does Skype know where you are if you are connecting over the Internet? I see rates for calling Italy but none for calling from foreign countries back to the U.S. over the Internet.
When I use my american skype account to call local paris numbers when im living here in paris.. it charges me local rates.
I am an American using blackberry and living in Paris but traveling worldwide. I used to have iphone and i miss it like crazy. however, with my sfr plan it is very affordable to pay as I go around europe just topping off my account online. I pay probably 20euro/month when I stay in paris and up to 60/month in london or milan. my question is, I want an iphone but will only change when I find an affordable international unlimited calls/receiving and data plan.
do they exist?? …because for now anyways, all my friends have BBM.
hmm, let me know.
I spent a week in Austria and Slovakia on business in Dec. 2010. the hotels had decent wifi. When I left home I placed Iphone in airplane mode. I purchased 10 dollars of credit with skype and had the app on my phone. I was able to make calls to the US for 2.3 cents a minute which was very handy. Do a little work before traveling abroad and make sure your hotel has wifi and find wifi hotspots and you can talk to friends and loved ones as much as you like.
As someone has already noted: download the free Skype app, set up an account
that allows you to access the US phone system at ~ 2 cents a minute and call back
to the US. Make sure airplane mode is ON, wifi is ON (because you will be using
voip through the internet to make your calls). Try it before you leave the US –
call your own phone.
I did this in Ireland in 2009 and it worked great. You do need WiFI access, but it
seemed to be easily available.
PS: I did this on my iTouch which is the same as an iPhone with airplane mode ON,
Wifi ON.
I will be lost without my iPhone in England so I am so glad everyone answered these questions!! I am with Verizon so I am assuming the same carrier charges and issues are pretty relevant to me too. Will just go wifi and airplane mode the whole time, but I’ll miss my texting!
scriptat, if your iPhone is from Verizon, what is being discussed here about using an iPhone in Europe won’t apply to your kind of iPhone. AT&T’s iPhone can be used in Europe, but Verizon’s iPhone (which looks identical) has different network technology inside that won’t allow it to be used there. That is because Europe uses the GSM standard (so does AT&T) which covers about 220 countries, but Verizon uses CDMA cell phone techology which is used in about 40 countries. Check with Verizon.
We are moving to Germany for 2 years, military. So, if you are military you can suspend your service for 2 – 18 month periods – this allows you to keep your phone numbers, allows you to reactive your service when you return to the states for family visits, and they waive fees. When you return to the states you can call 611 and get some sort of service.
My questions are: Am I able to use airplane mode while service is suspended?
If I jailbreak and get a German sim card for the phone what that will do to our suspended contract?
We have an old phone that is no longer under contract with AT&T and I was thinking of making that our german phone number with the new card from t-mobile for local calls and using the 3Gs in the wi-fi places for our skype back to the states.
Does that sound like a logical plan? Does anyone have a suggestion for doing it better?
You will have to jailbreak and unlock your iPhone(s) to allow them to work with other cell providers’ SIM cards. Unlocking it is really what allows it to work on other networks…the jailbreaking only allows non-approved apps to be installed on the phone. Anyway, you can jailbreak/unlock your phones regardless of if they are out of contract…because whether or not you temporarily suspend your service, you will eventually complete your contract. The purpose of the contract is to ensure AT&T recoups the money it used to subsidize the cost of the phone. If you keep your iPhone updated as far as iOS/firmware goes, you might not be able to unlock your phone. If that’s true, you’re only option is to use airport mode with wifi enabled…then using Skype or a SIP-based app. It’s actually possible to make free calls and receive free calls using SIP, but it is a pain to make outgoing calls. Basically you’d use Google Voice’s website from your phone to make calls…it will then call your SIP number/app (free incoming calls from sipgate – free app: fring) and then connect you to who you’re trying to call. The quality is mediocre, but you get what you pay for. Since one of your phones is out of contract, you might try stopping by a AT&T store one day and see if they will unlock the phone for you.
Can a smart phone be used just to check and send emails, surf the web, etc. in hotels and other places which have Wi-Fi available without having any plan with ATT, Verizon, etc.
This is all great information. My last 2 trips abroad I turned my phone off until I landed back in U.S. But I want to use my iPhone mainly for navigation and checking sites out during driving tour of French countryside in a few months. I am not versed in all the iPhone lingo. What us the recommended way to use phone exclusively for that purpose? Thanks!
depends where you’re going too, but I’ve traveled the french countryside with a french contract phone and had poor reception. SFR and virgin offer prepaid but bouygues (which doesn’t offer prepaid) has much better service outside the city.
Susan – If you want to use your iphone for navigation you will need to have an International data plan and I would expect that it would need to be a fairly expensive international data plan in order to use Google Maps and check sites. It has been suggested that you need a three month data plan for one month of travel because the European cell companies take their time billing AT&T. You can ask AT&T how much that will cost and how expensive a data plan you would need. It might be cheaper to buy a GPS to take along with you that has European maps. I bought a Garmin GPS with European and us maps two years ago for about $170 that has been very helpful traveling around Europe and the US.
Bob
Yes. I have an old iphone that my son gave me that I use like an ipod touch. (It has no contract with any phone company.) I can even make telephone calls on it using Fring. Sipgate also has its own app on itunes that allows you to use it as a Voip phone assuming you have a telephone number through sipgate. I have used it both in the US and Europe over Wi-Fi networks.
I used my iphone in Amsterdam and Turkey on wi-fi and kept it on Airplane mode the entire time. Didn’t need to call anybody, but could e-mail, access internet, and did not get charged any extra. Airplane mode is the way to go! Most hotels have wi-fi.
If I put my iphone in airplane mode can I still send/receive texts? If I have a text and turn off airplane mode will the text come through? In other words, will it wait for me?
I have replaced my Nokia phone with an iphone 4 (AT&T contract). Just now, I turned on my old Nokia phone and it said “smart chip registration failed”
Could I take this Nokia phone to England & France and use it by buying a sim card? How would I get a telephone number? Is there a way to make it a pay as you go phone? I don’t need it to call the U.S.
I will only need to use the Nokia a few times to let people know I have arrived at a bus stop or train station. Would use a pay phone but they are becoming so scarce.
Having read all the helpful info about the iphone abroad, I think I’ll just pass and leave it at home.
Will appreciate any advice.
My wife is headed to Italy for two weeks with a girlfriend. She will have her iPhone 3gs with her and I’m trying to figure out the best way for her to be able to use it when needed. Having it in airplane mode is fine most of the time but she’ll need to send/receive texts at some point and would like to use her apps that are web based. As of this moment her phone isn’t jailbroken but that is an option I’m strongly considering for her. Does anyone have any suggestions for JB apps or programs that would make using her phone/data reasonable (or free)?
Honestly, I came to Paris to work a few years ago and have ended up living here. What I recommend for my friends that come is just bring the phone you have, and go to the Phone House (http://www.phonehouse.fr/) and have them give you a temporary sim card that you will buy prepaid minutes for which you can find at any tabac (look for the sticker on the door that says SFR, ORANGE, BOUYGUES, or even VIRGIN). Of course, that means phone calls and texts only unless you want to pay the premium. and if your phone doesnt accept the sim and they aren’t able to unlock, you can get a really cheap phone that you can throw away at the end of your trip.
now. for BB and IPHONE as far as france goes, the people that I work with that travel internationally but have Paris as a home base and need to use their data services worldwide, they pay 100euros/month minimum for this service, and that’s with a contract- not prepaid.
good luck. xx
I have an iPhone 4 and an iPad2. ATT iPhone 4 hotspot feature has just been implemented (for 4.3 iOS) and I would like to use the iPhone 4 as a hotspot in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy on an upcoming vacation. Has anyone had any experience with jailbreaking an iPhone 4 (with 4.3 iOs) so you can use your phone as a hotspot and connect your iPad to it? Can you get such a sim card that allows you to hotspot connect and pay for data usage (as well as make calls on a per-minute basis I assume), and only have to worry about one sim card for both the devices?
I got totally turned off with speaking with ATT, since data usage with Hotspot causes them to try to gouge you even more, with the explanation that “data” in Europe costs even more than “data” here in the states (and having unlimited data on my iPhone 4 does me no good whatsover). I will not be using ATT overseas at all as a consequence, and would appreciate any help.
Dan,
My experience is only on an iPhone 3gs, so I’m unaware if there is an app that cracks the hotspot feature so that AT&T cannot track the data. However, my phone has been a “hotspot” for quite a while (although I rarely use it) thanks to a jailbroken app called PdaNet, which creates an ad-hoc network (allows 2 wireless devices to communicate directly with each other) OR is tethered to the computer via USB to act like a modem. Using either option through PdaNet, AT&T does NOT see this as a separate type of data…they just see it as phone data usage. If you use the hotspot feature, the phone keeps tabs on the data usage via hotspot…meaning that a) they know you’re using the feature and b) they can bill you for your usage. Boo! So PdaNet is looking really good, right? Well, there are drawbacks: getting a successful connection between the phone/computer can be difficult at times (via ad-hoc wireless network…haven’t tried the tethered approach), I have no clue if this works on iPhone4 (although I don’t see why it wouldn’t…assuming your phone is jailbroken), and I’m not sure if iPad supports ad-hoc networking. Before your trip, I would jailbreak your iPhone (assuming there is an untethered jailbreak available), install PdaNet (or some other similar app), and test said app with your iPad (with cell service disabled) to ensure that you have Internet service on your iPad from your iPhone. If that is successful, then unlock your iPhone (so that other carrier’s SIM cards can be used with it…and this assuming they even have an unlock available for your specific iPhone model/iOS version). Test the unlock by borrowing a non-AT&T friend’s SIM card and seeing if you can call out and/or use the data service. If successful, you should be ready to rock-and-roll in Europe.
To answer your question about using the same SIM card for both the iPhone and iPad…this would work IF both the iPhone AND iPad were jailbroken AND unlocked and you switched the SIM card back and forth between the 2. So your better option is to try the data tethering first…as it would allow you to use both devices. Let me know what kind of deals your find in Italy as far as voice/data goes, please. I plan on going this summer. I can’t wait!
Anthony, Thanks very much for your input. I was actually hoping that someone has already tried this in Europe with Hotspot on the iPhone 4. I won’t travel until May, so hope to hear from anyone who may have tried this. I didn’t want to use the same sim card in both devices, rather hoping to just jailbreak and unlock my iPhone 4 when I get there, and use one sim card to unlock the hotspot in Europe, and wirelessly tether my iPad 2, so I don’t have to worry about looking for wifi spots along the way. I’ve also heard of good experiences with Boingo in Europe to get reasonable wifi spots at reasonable data rates, in case I decide to turn off my phone entirely (or just to have with me for wifi backup). I may decide to do this, and install Skype for emergency use.
Can you install Skype on your phone while in Europe, or do you have to do it before traveling? And does the jailbreaking done in Europe wipe out your Skype account if done in Europe? I’ve heard that they are very familiar with jailbreaking, and can do it quicker and easier than here, but, since they wouldn’t be re-installing any lost apps or programs, do you lose any such apps or programs once it is jailbreakon there?
Yes, this is quite annoying about the Iphone. I travelled around Europe last year, looking forward to using my iphone as my guide. (In fact I got it for this purpose). Unfortunately there was never any wifi in sight. Only in big cities, big hotels and American coffee shops, all of which things I try to avoid when on holiday. Can’t change the sim card for a local one for the next 2 years. So it’s basically useless abroad. I am from Holland by the way. If anyone’s got an idea, to fix this problem would love to hear about it. Will then dedicate a post on my blog What’s up with Amsterdam about it for sure.
Tanja, Thanks for your comment. To clarify: where did you get your sim card – in the US or in Europe, and why can’t you get it “refilled” to use again while in Europe. I know that you can get a sim card in the US (for jailbroken/unlocked GSM phones) for roughly $45, with call minutes only, but have not found good information on European phone/data sim cards, which I would need in Europe. I looked into Boingo, but only could find one hotspot on my entire trip that was in any of my hotels, so don’t think I’ll do that at all. I really need a sim card that will work in my iPhone 4, and allow hotspotting for data usage, so my iPad2 will work seemlessly, and without having to have a separate sim card for the ipad. Hoping someone will offer this feature soon, so I can use it in May, when I’ll be in Germany/Switzerland, and Italy.
@Dan, I got the phone with a contract in the Netherlands. It cannot be unlocked.
This link: http://www.phone-guide-germany.com/iphone-4-prepaid-micro-sim-germany/3978/ might be helpful to you.
How to charge an IPhone in Germany? Is there a converter I should purchase in the U.S.?
You shouldn’t need a converter, because iphones are OK to work on 120 or 240 volt (most of Europe is 240 Volt). You will need a plug in adapter only (I am assuming the hotels will have one for my use, but they can be purchased (Radio Shack, Fry’s, etc) before you go. If you have appliances that can’t work on 240volt, then you may need a converter (look on each appliance and it should tell you – most modern appliances work OK on either voltage).
Dan – I used my iPhone 4, iOS 4.0.1, as a hotspot last summer. I jailbroke it in the US (which unlocked it too), and bought a non-apple store app, “MyWi” ($20). This app let me turn my iPhone into a hotspot that at least 5 WiFi devices could connect to when I had my cellular connection working for data. I was using a T-Mobil SIM card, so ATT was not in the picture. I don’t think there is a good jailbreak yet for iOS 4.3, but one seems imminent. The hard part, once your phone is jailbroken, is finding a SIM card in Europe with a data plan that is affordable. My experience with T-Mobile in Germany was pricey but within reason; my experience with Orange Mobile in France was astronomically expensive (it used up my pre-paid minutes whenever the iPhone was turned on!).
Thanks for your comments.
When you said you used it as a hotspot, did you also mean you used the newly implemented hotspot wireless tethering between the iphone2 and an ipad? This is what I’m trying to achieve in Europe for my trip. I know you can install MyWi, but I don’t want to use it in the states, because ATT is monitoring its use, and may cancel my unlimited data plan for ATT, should they decide to intervene. However, were you able to use MyWi in Europe, with a wirelessly tethered ipad?
Also, usually just jailbreaking the phone doesn’t unlock it, so you can remove the micro-sim card and intall another in Europe. What program (s) did you use to jailbreak AND unlock your phone, and did you have any trouble re-installing your ATT micro-sim card once you returned to the states? Others have cautioned that 4.3 or 4.3.1 may not be as easy to get to re-initialize again, and some have encountered problems trying to get it to work correctly again (either jailbroken or not), so I don’t want to take a chance on “bricking” my phone once I return to the states. I am still under Apple warranty, but don’t know whether jailbreaking is really “legal” as far as Apple is concerned (it is supposed to be, but that doesn’t keep Apple from trying to prevent it, as they are constantly trying to do).
I know data plans vs voice minute plans are variable in Europe, but having a “true” hotspot feature that works with a European Sim card would negate the need to get a separate data card (and jailbreak), my ipad2. Data would then flow between devices, and I would only be charged for the total minutes/data, which is certainly reasonable. If I can’t figure out how to do this, I will probably just leave my iphone off while in Europe, and use my ipad with a data card sim by itself (and maybe use Skype for calls?).
Do you have to install Skype on your ipad before going to Europe to make it work, and will it work once you jailbreak it and install a European sim card?
Lots of questions, and hopefully, anyone who has experience can help. Thanks again for your very helpful comments. Dan
Just got back from Italy, using my iPhone in Airplane mode and picking up wi-fi hotspots. (when you put it in airplane mode, wi-fi is turned off, so you have to turn it back on again).
I went to my Settings, and searched for unlocked wi-fis as I walked through Rome and Venice. When I connected, I was able to check my email and use my Skype app to make calls.
My phone is not jailbroken or unlocked. I used it as it, just in Airplane Mode with wi-fi on.
Wayne, Thanks. That answers my concern about Skype, and lets me know I can get by with Skype, and not have to get a sim card for voice. Still leaves the burning question about getting data sim card while in Europe, and whether the hotspot wireless tethering will work between the iphone and the ipad. Hope to hear from anyone who may have tried.
Dan – my iPhone had iOS 4.0.1 when I used “JailBreakMe.com”. This particular jailbreak also unlocked the phone automatically. I used a T-Mobil SIM card, and had no problem running MyWi. My phone could then become a wireless hotspot that my iPad and other computers, Macs and PCs, connected to via WiFi. No problem getting the iPad to connect to my iPhone’s WiFi network. I had no trouble back reinserting my ATT SIM card back in the US. I haven’t installed Skype on my iPad; I would think an iPhone would make a better Skype phone. I installed Skype on my iPhone in the US–any kind of installation will require some data downloading, and it’s much cheaper here. You can test Skype from the US, and if it works over WiFi here, it’ll work there. I’m not sure if the iPhone version of Skype can receive calls if you don’t leave Skype open with the phone on. If you just want to use your iPad, you don’t need to jailbreak it. They’re sold unlocked in the US, aren’t they? So you could use a European SIM card with a data plan in it right out of the box, if you find a non-contract data plan.
Byrrno, Thanks so much for the useful information.
I just jailbroke my iphone 4 (4.3.1) yesterday with the new jailbreak – works just fine. My question is: This is not an unlock, and they haven’t released one yet. When you ONLY jailbreak your iphone (not unlock it) does that mean that using a SIM from overseas won’t work? (ie. does the unlock affect the phone itself, the SIM or both?). I’ve never quite understood this. Someone told me (or I read) that jailbreaking alone will not allow you to use another SIM card successfully, that you need to have an unlock (of the phone itself) in order to use a SIM card from another carrier. Thanks.