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Iconcierge app on Getaway

funredhead

By funredhead,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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ravnmaniac228

ravnmaniac228

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I was on the Getaway in October. Had no problem staying connected to wifi. I did not purchase the texting/calling package. My family (6) all have iPhones. We texted via iMessage. There is no charge for using iMessage as it works via wifi. My daughter is currently on the Epic and we have been texting back and forth all week.

 

 

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stickey_mouse

stickey_mouse

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My family (6) all have iPhones. We texted via iMessage. There is no charge for using iMessage as it works via wifi. My daughter is currently on the Epic and we have been texting back and forth all week.

Did you have the internet package? If iMessage uses wifi, how could it possibly be free?

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ravnmaniac228

ravnmaniac228

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When you board the ship turn your phone on airplane mode. Open Norwegian iconcierge. It will connect to wifi. This is how you check your onboard spending/balance, reserve shows/dinner. You do not have to purchase anything to connect to wifi. What you have the option of buying is the message service. You do not need that if you have an iPhone. As far as I know this is a iPhone exclusive perk. It does not work with android. I hope I explained that okay.

 

 

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stickey_mouse

stickey_mouse

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When you board the ship turn your phone on airplane mode. Open Norwegian iconcierge. It will connect to wifi. This is how you check your onboard spending/balance, reserve shows/dinner. You do not have to purchase anything to connect to wifi. What you have the option of buying is the message service. You do not need that if you have an iPhone. As far as I know this is a iPhone exclusive perk. It does not work with android. I hope I explained that okay.

 

 

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I understand how iPhones can message one another using wifi. However, as far as I know, use of wifi onboard is not free. The only exception (or so I thought) was use of NCL's app. The app itself has a built in text capability for an up-charge, but that's something else entirely. I still don't understand how you used iMessage for free.

 

 

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Bengalfang

Bengalfang

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I understand how iPhones can message one another using wifi. However, as far as I know, use of wifi onboard is not free. The only exception (or so I thought) was use of NCL's app. The app itself has a built in text capability for an up-charge, but that's something else entirely. I still don't understand how you used iMessage for free.

 

 

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Hoping to understand this a little more myself! Any help is appreciated!

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ravnmaniac228

ravnmaniac228

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When you connect to iconcierge you automatically connect to ships wifi. That is how you keep track of onboard activity. This is one of the features of the iconcierge app. Since you are on wifi, iMessage is available to use. I am not technically savvy, I just know that is how it worked on October and is working now with my daughter who is currently on the Epic.

 

 

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Edited by ravnmaniac228
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stickey_mouse

stickey_mouse

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When you connect to iconcierge you automatically connect to ships wifi. That is how you keep track of onboard activity. This is one of the features of the iconcierge app. Since you are on wifi, iMessage is available to use. I am not technically savvy, I just know that is how it worked on October and is working now with my daughter who is currently on the Epic.

Interesting. Perhaps you found a loophole. Connecting to wifi is the way to access the paid internet, but you seem to have found a way to use the internet without being charged for it. Well done!

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stickey_mouse

stickey_mouse

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I did some digging on the forum, and it appears that many have recently discovered the ability to use iMessage while onboard. It shouldn't work, but it does! I would expect NCL to close this loophole the next time it updates the app/wifi system. Until then, mum's the word!

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mking8288 "Live from...." Rare

mking8288

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When you connect to the ship's WiFi or wireless connection, you are being bridged to the ship's server in a closed loop, the inTRAnet - it stayed there behind the firewalled partition - it does NOT go beyond to the inTERnet, which has to go thru satellite orbiting high above the earth, traveling a distance in excess of 2,200 miles to reach other servers and I.P. addresses.

 

Think of the ship only WiFi inTRAnet as the intercom system on your multi-line office system. Think of the WiFi InTERnet as the outside telephone lines connecting to other locations - which has to be switched, with extra steps.

 

Behind the scene server software & hardware do these transparent switching as part of the registration & activation steps, and, unless you are authorized or allowed to get to an outside line or circuit - you can't connect elsewhere.

 

The iMessaging loophole is for TXT messaging or SMS only, not graphics or web browsing like accessing emails. As a matter of fact, depending on the smartphone's OS design & security settings, SMS messgage "headers" with one's "home" cellular or mobile carrier has been received and the first segment or portion of the TEXT message can be seen & read, however, you won't be able to see the full message or the rest, including any attachment, without given full access to the inTERnet server.

 

For most non-tech geeks, this, is a very simplistic way of explaining it - most of the iConcierge features are (still) free to use, calling texting are not free and require additional steps and the extra "switches" to be turned on or enabled, as in "paying" for usage.

 

Extra F.Y.I. - those prepared to use/paid for inTERnet usage and/or getting the unlimited $30 a day plan, or possibly have the "Free At Sea" 250 minutes plan or other time-based package - unofficial report posted very, very recently indicated that an extra step is needed to optimize the user's cache & compression experience in web browing, by downloading & installing a free APP by MTN, called "SpeedNet" on Play Store (iOS & Android).

Edited by mking8288
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zqvol

zqvol

Posted
Posted
When you connect to the ship's WiFi or wireless connection, you are being bridged to the ship's server in a closed loop, the inTRAnet - it stayed there behind the firewalled partition - it does NOT go beyond to the inTERnet, which has to go thru satellite orbiting high above the earth, traveling a distance in excess of 2,200 miles to reach other servers and I.P. addresses.

 

Think of the ship only WiFi inTRAnet as the intercom system on your multi-line office system. Think of the WiFi InTERnet as the outside telephone lines connecting to other locations - which has to be switched, with extra steps.

 

Behind the scene server software & hardware do these transparent switching as part of the registration & activation steps, and, unless you are authorized or allowed to get to an outside line or circuit - you can't connect elsewhere.

 

The iMessaging loophole is for TXT messaging or SMS only, not graphics or web browsing like accessing emails. As a matter of fact, depending on the smartphone's OS design & security settings, SMS messgage "headers" with one's "home" cellular or mobile carrier has been received and the first segment or portion of the TEXT message can be seen & read, however, you won't be able to see the full message or the rest, including any attachment, without given full access to the inTERnet server.

 

For most non-tech geeks, this, is a very simplistic way of explaining it - most of the iConcierge features are (still) free to use, calling texting are not free and require additional steps and the extra "switches" to be turned on or enabled, as in "paying" for usage.

 

Extra F.Y.I. - those prepared to use/paid for inTERnet usage and/or getting the unlimited $30 a day plan, or possibly have the "Free At Sea" 250 minutes plan or other time-based package - unofficial report posted very, very recently indicated that an extra step is needed to optimize the user's cache & compression experience in web browing, by downloading & installing a free APP by MTN, called "SpeedNet" on Play Store (iOS & Android).

 

SpeedNet has horrible reviews and should not be installed on any device in spite of what they claim. It is a major security risk.

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mking8288 "Live from...." Rare

mking8288

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SpeedNet has horrible reviews and should not be installed on any device in spite of what they claim. It is a major security risk.
Thanks, noted - there are very few reviews on Android like you said. However, nothing on iOS - insufficient data. From the revision history, looked like MTN at least tried to keep it updated & fixed the bugs ... unlike iConcierge, which is just as bad & haven't been updated in well over a year now running Android.

 

Anything specific on the risks, did you sandbox & run it or had it scanned by security softare ? We will be on the GEM in May but unlikely to use anything from the ship for data ... much rather count on Google Fi and VPN-secured WiFi once we have land towers.

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  • 3 weeks later...
skatie

skatie

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Thanks everyone for the details. Just so I'm crystal clear....do I have this right...

- before leaving home the four of us download the iconcierge app to our iPhones.

-Once on board we put phones into airplane mode and enable wifi.

-We can use the app to check out bills and entertainment etc, but unless we pay the $9.95 per device, we can't call each other while onboard

-We can text each other and our friends and family back in Canada for free using iMessage (no pictures, just word texts)- do we need to be signed into the NCL app and use the iMessage button there or just go through the iMessage icon on our phones?

Thanks!

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babybird626

babybird626

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I was on the Getaway in October. Had no problem staying connected to wifi. I did not purchase the texting/calling package. My family (6) all have iPhones. We texted via iMessage. There is no charge for using iMessage as it works via wifi. My daughter is currently on the Epic and we have been texting back and forth all week.

 

 

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Just got off the getaway wish I had known to use imessage. I guess I should have know that, or it should tell you that some place, but wifi was on and off constantly anyway. I found my husband by looking at his account activity and found which bar he was at :>

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ravnmaniac228

ravnmaniac228

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Perhaps NCL recently updated the app and closed the loophole. Every time I tried to send an iMessage, it would fail to send. It wasn't just me/my phone, everyone in my party tried it and had a 0% success rate all week long. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

 

 

How long ago? I was on the Epic January 14-21 and it worked fine.

 

 

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