Can iphone bought in us work in europe

In the U. Please clarify that what is different in between iPhone 12 mini international Vs Middle East Version. International Version means it was not made for the U. Often they will work in the U. You need to make sure before you purchase one.

Before you buy iPhones in bulk from overseas suppliers, they are subtle differences between the US, Chinese, and Japanese variants you should be aware of, to safeguard your purchase from turning into a regrettable investment. The differences are divided into hardware, firmware, and cellular. The results are fairly surprising: Japan is the cheapest place to purchase any of the new versions see chart below, click to enlarge , while India is the most expensive.

The second most expensive iPhone market is New Zealand, where the 11 Max is 25 per cent more than the price in India. You can! But you have to buy iPhone from Apple official store in Japan. One of the main reasons for the difference in prices is the sales tax in certain countries.

When calculated with current exchange rate, the prices in Japan come out to be around Rs 65, and Rs…. All iPhones are assembled in China, however certain models destined for sale in certain countries or regions may have limitations to comply with local laws. The incentives introduced by the companies allow consumers to buy a standard iPhone 11 for between 40, yen and 70, yen, depending on storage size. The actual cost of the iPhone 11 Pro Max, the top of the three new models, which carries three camera lenses and a large screen, is between 60, yen , yen.

Apple sells particular versions of its hardware in different countries and regions around the world. For iPhones, it has to do with the cellular frequencies in use by carriers. UK and US cariers use different bands. If purchased in the US, then only a US warranty. But keep an eye on these cellphone carriers' policies — some require you to bring in your original passport in order to qualify for the purchase of a SIM package, for example.

To further complicate things, many American carriers "lock" their phones to prevent users from swapping out their services for a cheaper SIM package. Users can unlock their phones through their carrier or via a third party, but if they do so before their contract with the carrier is up, it can void the phone's warranty. If a smartphone isn't eligible to be unlocked by its U.

Retailers like Walmart and Target sell them. A new SIM card means a new phone number, so most travelers who go this route opt to download messaging apps to simplify that situation. WhatsApp, which uses a data connection to place phone calls and send texts, is the most popular option for European travelers. Thank you so much! I think with Skype we have it covered. Bless you! Hi thanks so much for the great ideas. I have an iPhone 3GS and my sister the iPhone 4 we will be in Dublin , Ireland and France for a couple weeks and looking for a solution.

I also heard something about google voice being free to use when overseas … Is this true? Has anyone tried this? Based on posts here I tried out the airplane wi-fi option at home on my iphone3 and it works perfectly for allowing wi-fi internet access but blocking text and data. Thank you!!!!! Not sure what to do!! Anyone can help? To pay almost nothing for your outgoing calls from Europe to the US, follow the directions about turning off data roaming and fetch and then turn on airplane mode.

This will turn off wi-fi but then turn wi-fi back on, leaving the phone in airplane mode. Hot spots are everywhere, including in McDonalds.

Use Skype for your voice connection and, Voila, you have very inexpensive outgoing voice calling without fear of other charges. Do we need an international plan for that? Any ideas? I think renting a GPS is quite pricey. Thanks, all, for the helpful advice. The last time I went to Europe, cell phones may have existed but they were probably still big as bricks.

It would be a local call for them, effectively, yes? If you run into issues, you simply put it in DFU mode and restore it…. Thanks in advance. I am headed to France for a vacation in a few weeks.

I still use it a little as an Ipod touch and wi-fi device and children are allowed to play with it : , and my replacement iphone4 which is currently my active cell phone on Verizon service.

But I would like to take advantage of wi-fi service where I can find it, to check email and so forth — perhaps to download travel maps and do some research, and so forth.

Somehow the iphone3 seems safer since it is no longer associated with a phone number and service. Are there any caveats? Such as possible scenarios where I could unwittingly rack up a bill that is larger than the cost of the trip? If you want to be reachable via at least some phone number at all times, you should jailbreak and unlock your old iPhone…then purchase a SIM card when you get to France. If your SIM card includes data, then you can always receive calls both with your French number and through Skype you could have your American phone number forward calls to your Skype number so people can reach you with a local call.

If your SIM card does NOT include data, then people will be able to reach you on your French number at any time, and on your Skype number only when you are connected to wifi. If you sign up for that, you would need a VoIP app on your phone I use one called fringe in combination with sipgate.

If you want simplicity though, go with Skype. Bring your laptop and whenever you have free internet connection, make calls on Skype. Either Skype to Skype free or Skype Out just a small charge. Here you can also do your email correspondence and browsing. The GSM system is everywhere in the world, except Japan. You cannot use a phone that has worked on Verizon, Sprint or Nextel.

Then, when you arrive in the country in Europe where you are going to spend the most time, buy a local SIM card and make inexpensive calls within the country you are in, or, at somewhat more expensive rates , country to country. Wow, I am heading to England and Scotland in August and have been trying to figure out a work around for the last month. These tips are super valuable. Are you doing the math? However and we know if we turn off Airplane Mode the chances of our bill increasing exponentially is huge.

Best workaround I found was to download the Skype App. Skype works by placing your voice call over the WiFi radio for almost free. It has a keypad just like the default iPhone keypad. This way requires you to get to know your phones capabilities but saves you some ching!!!!!!!!!

Good Luck. As for the Nokia unlock….. Keep asking. The i can be unlocked…. Can anyone please help me unlock my old Nokia i? It is not jailbroken. I was able to use it in Airplane mode, with wi-fi on and find a free wi-fi signal and call back to the United States.

A 6 minute call from Italy cost me 20 cents. I had Airplane mode on, wi-fi on it defaults to off when you select airplane mode and data transfer off.

I just went to my wi-fi in settings and wandered around a neighborhood in Venice until I picked up an unlocked wi-fi router and made the calls. So are you saying that if you use Skype on your Iphone3G or new Iphone when you are traveling that there is no international charge? Does you phone have to be on a particular setting to assure there are no charges involved, and I am assuming you must be in a WIFI area.

Is this also true of the IPAD? I have a 3G iPhone. What I did was open by Settingsand turned on wi-fi in the Airplane mode. Then, while walking through Rome, I search for unlocked wireless routers and connected that way. Once I connected, I stopped and checked my mail and used Skype. Worked like a charm. Will ipad 1 take a SIM? I am only talking about Rome. Has anyone figured out how to use the free wifi all over Rome with their American iphone?

Apparently you need an Italian SIM card and then you need to register your phone number with them. Depends on the iphone — if you have an older iphone, or a newer one with the appropriate older baseband, you can jailbreak it — AND you can unlock it to use a SIM card. Does anyone know if I can forward my cell phone to a skype number and receive and make calls for free on my IPhone 4 while in Europe?

Just pre-pay for your calls through there. Very cheap. Wi-Fi only. Hi, I am travelling to Turkey in less than a week. Dan — my iPhone had iOS 4. This particular jailbreak also unlocked the phone automatically. 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.

I just jailbroke my iphone 4 4. 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. Just got back from Italy, using my iPhone in Airplane mode and picking up wi-fi hotspots.

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. 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.

I forgot to mention that while I was in Europe I forward ALL my calls to my Google Voice number which automatically transcribed messages and made them available to listen to on the web. My daughter used this the entire 9 months she was working in Europe. You can just log on to Google Voice and check your messages.

It worked great because of the time difference where actual calls would be impracticle. 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? However, were you able to use MyWi in Europe, with a wirelessly tethered ipad?

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. 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 — I used my iPhone 4, iOS 4. 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. 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! 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. I am from Holland by the way. Tanja, Thanks for your comment. 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. Dan, I got the phone with a contract in the Netherlands. It cannot be unlocked.

I have an iPhone 4 and an iPad2. ATT iPhone 4 hotspot feature has just been implemented for 4. Has anyone had any experience with jailbreaking an iPhone 4 with 4.

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 will not be using ATT overseas at all as a consequence, and would appreciate any help. So PdaNet is looking really good, right? 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 successful, you should be ready to rock-and-roll in Europe. So your better option is to try the data tethering first…as it would allow you to use both devices. I plan on going this summer. 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 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? Honestly, I came to Paris to work a few years ago and have ended up living here. Of course, that means phone calls and texts only unless you want to pay the premium. My wife is headed to Italy for two weeks with a girlfriend. How would I get a telephone number?

Is there a way to make it a pay as you go phone? 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. Will appreciate any advice. If I have a text and turn off airplane mode will the text come through? In other words, will it wait for me?

I used my iphone in Amsterdam and Turkey on wi-fi and kept it on Airplane mode the entire time. Airplane mode is the way to go! Most hotels have wi-fi. 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. 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 might be cheaper to buy a GPS to take along with you that has European maps.

This is all great information. My last 2 trips abroad I turned my phone off until I landed back in U. 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? Can a smart phone be used just to check and send emails, surf the web, etc.

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. The quality is mediocre, but you get what you pay for. 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 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? Does that sound like a logical plan?

Does anyone have a suggestion for doing it better? 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 and it worked great. You do need WiFI access, but it seemed to be easily available. 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. Check with Verizon. I spent a week in Austria and Slovakia on business in Dec. 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.

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. 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. When I use my american skype account to call local paris numbers when im living here in paris..

I am an American using blackberry and living in Paris but traveling worldwide. I used to have iphone and i miss it like crazy. 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…….. Anyways thanks, and I appreciate your reply. We show no interest in learning about other cultures. 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.

The above was directed to Steve Angel…not Steve from travellingprofessor. Ah, crap. Sorry Steve. I received your post via e-mail and thought it was just a general post…not a reply. 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 will be traveling to Paris with four other friends soon.

If the five of us are in Paris and are calling each other, do we dial the U. 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.

If you need to be contacted, just have work, family or friends send a text then find a place to call from. Buy the cheapo data package. 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. For phone usage, buy a cheap phone in Italy and buy some time. To mkcoleman: yes you can. 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?

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. I asked them, if those extra two months of billing would be refunded when I canceled. The person on the phone clearly said this. I went to Europe with the phone—a Blackberry. Like they warned me, I waited two months after I got back to cancel.

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. So, expect to pay for 2 months of extra overseas data if you get their overseas data plan. The future is WiFi. I am preparing to go to Europe for a few weeks. In other words, if I need to stay in contact with someone back in the US I can do so for free via Skype.

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.

It was decent. I advise against this! Whenever your iPhone is on, and not in Airplane mode, it uses minutes! I really missed being connected in France. If you need data in Germany, check out the T-Moble Kart. If you need data in France, God help you! Try to get help from one of your friends who live in France. 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! What an amazingly useful article and comment thread!

This is straightforward and clear. But I have no idea which countries that will work in, or even if the price is still that low. Just be sure to be specific mention 2g when you do a google search for the jailbreak software…and the unlock. 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.

I have an older first-gen, I think iPhone I no longer use. Or would I need to activate my older iPhone with a new service plan or something first? Thanks for the info. Where would I find a SIM card that has data? Anyway, to answer your actual question….