Receiving and sending text messages with internet package

[megs193]

This might be a dumb question but we have never gotten the internet package on a cruise before.  Will we be able to send and receive text messages like normal with the internet package?  We are leaving our dog with a new pet sitter so u want to make sure we can communicate the whole time.  Thanks!

[MandyMooToo]

If you all have iPhones you can iMessage with the internet package. If you don’t all have iPhones then download WhatsApp and you can send texts back and forth with the internet package. Our oldest son has an android and we all have iPhones so we use WhatsApp. 

[Ourusualbeach]

15 minutes ago, megs193 said:

 Will we be able to send and receive text messages like normal with the internet

No

[cruisegirl1]

18 minutes ago, megs193 said:

This might be a dumb question but we have never gotten the internet package on a cruise before.  Will we be able to send and receive text messages like normal with the internet package?  We are leaving our dog with a new pet sitter so u want to make sure we can communicate the whole time.  Thanks!

We have been able to text/receive from a variety  of providers with the package.   We also have good results with WiFi calling/facetime.  

 

M

[Dewaldcruiser]

I have T-Mobile and an Android phone and I have no difficulty sending or receiving text messages with RCI's internet package.  Been on several Royal ships post-covid and all worked the same.

[Cigar King]

3 hours ago, megs193 said:

Will we be able to send and receive text messages like normal with the internet package?

It's more than just a yes or no answer since it depends on your phone type and what apps you sue to send messages.  Generally the answer is yes if you have an internet package since even if your default messaging app does not work you can download one that will like whatsapp.

 

 

[megs193]

4 hours ago, MandyMooToo said:

If you all have iPhones you can iMessage with the internet package. If you don’t all have iPhones then download WhatsApp and you can send texts back and forth with the internet package. Our oldest son has an android and we all have iPhones so we use WhatsApp. 

We do all have iPhones. Will the phone automatically send an iMessage once the service is turned off or do I need to send the message differently?

[twangster]

It depends on your cellular provider and how they implement WiFi calling. 

 

With T-Mobile and WiFi calling I can send and receive SMS text messages using a paid Voom plan

 

I could not do SMS text when I had Spectrum service and their WiFi calling.  

[MandyMooToo]

29 minutes ago, megs193 said:

We do all have iPhones. Will the phone automatically send an iMessage once the service is turned off or do I need to send the message differently?

 

We log into the WIFI plan and put our phones in airplane mode.  When you do this you are only using WIFI but keep them in airplane mode!! The messages will be sent automatically, through iMessages, like at home.  There can be a short lag depending on the strength of the internet but I have even taken WIFI calls sitting in the Schooner bar on ships before.

[DaKahuna]

11 hours ago, MandyMooToo said:

If you all have iPhones you can iMessage with the internet package. If you don’t all have iPhones then download WhatsApp and you can send texts back and forth with the internet package. Our oldest son has an android and we all have iPhones so we use WhatsApp. 

 

 i can verify this.  My wife, our son, DIL, SIL, and I all have iPhones.  Our daughter has an Android.  When we are on the shipboard WiFi, all the iPhones use iMessage and we can all exchange messages except our daughter.  So we have used WhatsApp for the last four years when on WiFi only and it works well. 

 

As @MandyMooToo said, put your phone in airplane mode and then turn on WiFi and connect to the ship's WiFi network.  You will be able to SMS with anyone using the WhatsApp regardless of what type of phone they are using and make phone calls, provided your carrier/phone supports Wifi calling. 

 

[rudeney]

This is really not that difficult as long as your phone and carrier both support WiFi Calling.  If so, you must setup WiFi calling while connected to your carrier's home network.  To do this, you just need to be in your home cellular network coverage area with Airplane Mode off, and connected to a WiFi network with Internet access.  Find the WiFi Calling setting on your phone and enable it.  Once it validates and enables it, try it by turning Airplane Mode on and WiFi on.  Connect to a WiFi network with Internet access and try making and receiving calls and texts.  If that works, then you'll just do this on the ship - i.e. turn Airplane Mode on, WiFi on, and then connect to the ship's WiFi network with Voom Internet access.

 

If your phone or carrier does not support WiFi calling, then you may still be able to send and receive text messages over Voom.  Apple iPhones using iMessage will be able to communicate with other iPhones via iMessage over an Internet connection, but they can't communicate with Android phones.  Android phones would need a different messaging app, so WhatsApp might be an option.  I think Verizon customers can use the Verizon Messaging SMS app and it works over WiFi.

[karaloo]

Thank you for that, @rudeney. Do I have to be sure Cellular Data Roaming is off, or does that not matter if I am on Airplane Mode?

[poocher]

3 IPhones and an Android step onto a ship.  Suite status gives them all access to Voom.  WiFi calling set up in advance, all phones in airplane mode and WiFi calling turned on.  We were all able to text each other as normal.  Did not have to download WhatsApp to contact android son.

[rudeney]

2 hours ago, karaloo said:

Thank you for that, @rudeney. Do I have to be sure Cellular Data Roaming is off, or does that not matter if I am on Airplane Mode?

 

No, with Airplane Mode on, it shuts of all cellular communication.  Actually, it shuts of all communication connections, so that's why you have to switch WiFi back on.  And if you have any Bluetooth devices you'll want to use (watch, earbuds, speakers, etc.) you'll need to switch tit back on, too.  Note that if you have an iPhone, I highly recommend that you periodically check to make sure that Airplane Mode is still on.  iPhones have been known to mysteriously and randomly turn Airplane Mode off.

 

2 hours ago, poocher said:

3 IPhones and an Android step onto a ship.  Suite status gives them all access to Voom.  WiFi calling set up in advance, all phones in airplane mode and WiFi calling turned on.  We were all able to text each other as normal.  Did not have to download WhatsApp to contact android son.

 

That works as long as both your phone and carrier support WiFi calling.  It routes all data (voice and SMS) that would normally transmit over the cellular network to use The Internet.  There are some carriers and older phones that don't support WiFi calling.  That's the only reason why you might want a 3rd party app.

[karaloo]

@rudeneyThank you so much! Very helpful

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

We got off the Freedom yesterday.  If you are using the Royal app, you need to connect to the ship’s wifi (free) to use it.  We were all in airplane mode and able to text each other and friends and family back home without paying for the internet package.  We have iPhones. 

[AspiringCindy]

Just got off Oasis 2 hours ago. We were able to make calls and use messenger through Facebook.

[willing292]

I Facebook messenger on my ipad and iphone with the internet package.

No extra costs and no problems.  

[gfargo53]

we have android phones and were able to send and receive text messages and post facebook photos while on ships wifi and phones on airplane mode.

[brillohead]

As long as your phone and carrier support Wifi Calling (and you set it up before leaving home -- you have to be connected to the cellular system to initially set up Wifi Calling), THERE IS NO NEED TO DOWNLOAD OR USE WHATSAPP or any other messaging service.

I have an Android and currently have Verizon service (just a few more months until I switch... YAY!).  I have Wifi Calling turned on all the time, not just for cruising.  I live in a spot with very weak cellular signal, plus I live in a basement, so calls drop ALL THE TIME on the cell signal at home.  But I have great wifi, so by keeping the Wifi Calling enabled at all times, my phone will automagically choose the strongest signal to carry the call, so I can make and receive calls at home and everyone can actually hear each other.  

When I board the ship, I turn on Airplane Mode, then I turn Wifi back on, then I connect to my Voom package, and I can make/receive phone calls and texts just as if I weren't on a ship. 

 

The only thing I've found that doesn't work normally is voicemails -- they only want to download to my phone when I'm connected to an actual cell signal (but I can still call in to check my voicemails if it's something I want to hear right away -- it's only the act of downloading the recording to my phone that doesn't work via Wifi).  Most of my cruises stop someplace in Mexico, St Thomas, or San Juan, so I could always connect to the cell system for free in those spots if I wanted to download a voicemail.... but they all just want me to extend my car's warranty, so I don't bother! LOL

[DaKahuna]

27 minutes ago, brillohead said:

As long as your phone and carrier support Wifi Calling (and you set it up before leaving home -- you have to be connected to the cellular system to initially set up Wifi Calling), THERE IS NO NEED TO DOWNLOAD OR USE WHATSAPP or any other messaging service.

 

 You do if you want to text someone who uses a different phone platform than the one you use.  

 

 For example, when we are connected to the ship's WiFi we cannot exchange text messages with our daughter who has an android phone. We can exchange messages with our son who has an iPhone the same as us.   

 

[brillohead]

9 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 You do if you want to text someone who uses a different phone platform than the one you use.  

 

 For example, when we are connected to the ship's WiFi we cannot exchange text messages with our daughter who has an android phone. We can exchange messages with our son who has an iPhone the same as us.   

 

NOPE.

If everyone sets up their phones for Wifi calling before getting on the ship, there is nothing else needed.

I have an Android, and can text with people -- on or off the ship -- who have Apple phones.  

If your daughter never set up Wifi calling on her phone, then you would need another app, like WhatsApp or Facebook's Messenger.  But that's not what I said, which you quoted:

As long as your phone and carrier support Wifi Calling (and you set it up before leaving home -- you have to be connected to the cellular system to initially set up Wifi Calling), THERE IS NO NEED TO DOWNLOAD OR USE WHATSAPP or any other messaging service.

 

 

 

If you set up Wifi Calling on your phone, your phone will act normally. 

[DaKahuna]

 I believe you, I am just reporting what our experience has been.  I have no explanation for why our experience has been different from yours.  This has happened when we were on the same ship / WiFi system as well as when we were on a cruise and she was at home.  It may be that her phone was not configured for WiFi calling. 

 

My phone, like yours, is always configured for WiFi calling.  

[brillohead]

45 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

It may be that her phone was not configured for WiFi calling. 

That would be the only reason I can think of that it wouldn't work.  Many people aren't aware of this feature (I actually learned about it here on Cruise Critic a couple years before COVID).  It's been a real lifesaver for me, with the crappy signal I have at home. 

[ustasmom]

I am on a Royal ship right now, at sea so only on their wifi. My phone is in airplane mode. I have received 4 calls since sailaway. One was from my daughter (Samsung to my iPhone.) There were 2 spam calls (are you kidding me?) And today a call was from a landline.

 

I am at a loss as to what is going on.