Cell Phone Refresher Please

[resstation]

Boarding Seaside in a week. We have the MSC for Me app installed on our phones and we purchased an internet package. What do we turn on/off on our phones so we don't get a surprise T-Mobile bill after the cruise but are able to access app and internet?

 

Thanks!

 

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[1fifthavenue]

Turn off mobile data and roaming, leave WiFi on :)

[resstation]

Turn off mobile data and roaming, leave WiFi on :)

Thank you

 

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[lauren55581]

I'd recommend placing your phone into Airplane Mode, then turning on Wifi (and bluetooth if you need it).

 

This ensures there is no chance of cellular communication. I know with T-Mobile if you are not on one of their networks (they cover several countries for free) and you get a voicemail, you'll be charged (not much). If you only plan on using wifi, then airplane mode is the way to go.

[Beamafar]

WiFi won't work if the phone is in Airplane mode.

[lauren55581]

It will, as this is the method I use when traveling abroad. For iPhone: Go to Settings > Turn on Airplane mode. Then turn on wifi and bluetooth. For android: Turn on airplane mode. Then in Settings you would turn on wifi & Bluetooth.

 

Also, if you have used T-Mobile's wifi calling before and have it turned on you'll be able to make regular phone calls in airplane mode over wifi.

[Beamafar]

Sorry ... I'm just so used to wifi automatically being switched off when I put my phone on Airplane mode that I assumed it becomes disabled. :rolleyes:

[lauren55581]

Sure, it'll turn it off but you can turn it on. And lots of carriers have wifi-calling that enables you to make phone calls when ONLY connected to wifi. Just as if you are back in the states, you'd only be charged if you call a number that you'd normally be charged for in your coverage area (as long as in Airplane mode). They do (at least T-mobile) dictate that you must have at made one call using wifi calling) to have it work prior to traveling.

[Hey Tina]

Turn on: airplane mode.

[windlicht]

Lauren is absolutely correct. Put your phone in airplane mode BUT there is more....

 

( Wifi Will work in airplane mode)

 

I returned from a cruise and saw a lot of usage fees... i called my cell provider and the charges were all 1-2 minutes on the phone cruise ship charge per minute 3.9

 

I explained but, i had my phone off the entire time OR in airplane mode

 

BIG mistake! dont ever turn your phone off... if you do.. it will go to your voicemail and thus the excesss one minute charges.. every time my phone rang when it was off.. it went to voicemail and was considered a 1 minute call

 

in reviewing my bills for a year.. noticed this happened on every cruise! They went back 8 months and gave me credits ( i had done 14 cruises)

 

since then, i havent ever turned off my phone, and never a charge.

 

Stop right there!

14 cruises in 8 months??

[fordan]

Lauren is absolutely correct. Put your phone in airplane mode BUT there is more....

 

( Wifi Will work in airplane mode)

 

I returned from a cruise and saw a lot of usage fees... i called my cell provider and the charges were all 1-2 minutes on the phone cruise ship charge per minute 3.9

 

I explained but, i had my phone off the entire time OR in airplane mode

 

BIG mistake! dont ever turn your phone off... if you do.. it will go to your voicemail and thus the excesss one minute charges.. every time my phone rang when it was off.. it went to voicemail and was considered a 1 minute call

 

in reviewing my bills for a year.. noticed this happened on every cruise! They went back 8 months and gave me credits ( i had done 14 cruises)

 

since then, i havent ever turned off my phone, and never a charge.

 

This is pretty odd if you really had Airplane mode on. The reason you can get the charge for voicemails is if your phone registers with a cell "tower" on the cruise ship or in another country, they'll tell your home carrier and your home carrier will forward the calls to that provider for a period of time (a day I think, or until you register someplace else). If you don't answer, the cruise ship/foreign cell system needs to forward the call back to the voicemail system in your home country, so you get charged even if you didn't answer because the call was answered by the voicemail system back home via the foreign carrier.

 

If your phone is registering with cell towers while in airplane mode even when just powered on, it's breaking all sorts of rules. In the US it'd definitely not get FCC certification, and I can't believe Industry Canada (or whatever they're called now) would let it through either. Any chance your phone registered with the ship's cell system before being put in airplane mode/turned off?

 

For the OP, as everyone is saying, airplane mode (before out of range of home carrier), then turn wifi back on and connect to the ship's wifi (and you can turn bluetooth back on if you have bluetooth devices you want to connect to).

[resstation]

One more question- should we turn off wifi (when in airplane mode) when we are not using the MSC for Me app or internet? I imagine we will, but in case we forget.

 

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[lauren55581]

You can also call your carrier (assuming they are all able) to have them turn off your VM so there is no chance of those charges, just remember to call back in when you get home to have them turn VM back on. This is what I do to ensure zero charges for cellular (along, with airplane mode). Keep in mind this may delete any VM you have so ensure you have a backup if you need to save your VM's.

 

Regarding turning off wifi when not using a specific app. I turn off all app and OS updates as they can consume a large amount of data over wifi. If you turn off wifi and have things needing refreshed they'll just download/update when you reconnect.