Getting Text messages on my phone?

[sandsunsurf]

On 11/20/2023 at 7:41 AM, no1racefan1 said:

I'm confused by some of these answers. Why would I buy wifi if I can't use my phone to communicate? I thought that was the whole point.

 

TL;DR- you buy wifi to access the internet, not to make phone calls. If you buy internet, you can use data messaging apps and use FaceTime or the like for communication. If you dig deep into your phone, you probably CAN make traditional cell phone calls and send texts, but it takes some knowledge and work. 

----------

There is not an easy way to explain all of this. Even the (seemingly) conflicting posts are actually correct from that person's experience.

 

I'll try to break this down into two parts: first being the connections the second being phone calls and texts. Unfortunately to be technically correct I will have to use some jargon. Please bear with me..

 

Generally, your phone connects to three "networks" in different ways using radio frequencies (not cords).

1) You have your WiFi connection, which accesses a local computer-type network (Princess MedallionNet or your home network, for instance). On Princess, if you pay for Internet, then the local network also gives you access to the internet, over the WiFi connection. If you are on the Internet, you will get data like from the web or the cloud storage using different protocols. These could be "internet protocols." Also, to picture this in your head, wifi is when your phone is acting like a computer connecting to the internet.

 

2) You have your cellular connection for the other two networks (which are now really just one connection)- a voice component and a data component. This is a radio connection to a tower that is then connected to the provider's "telephone" network. On the ship, the "tower" or "cellular connection" is operated by the Ship, and this is the expensive way to use your phone for calls and texts (more later). The data portion of this is now so advanced that this direct cellular connection to the internet is like using your wifi at home, but it's not using WiFi, it's using cellular. This part is simplified, but just understand that it is very different from WiFi.

 

For the next part of this, we have to include a little history.

 

Initially, a (dumb) cell phone just connected to the cellular tower which then connected to the "Plain Old Telephone System" which you know/knew as the plug in your kitchen wall with a phone attached using copper wires. In the 90's it was trivial to use a police scanner and actually listen to people's cellular phone calls, they were a two-way glorified walkie-talkie.

 

Over the next 20 years or so, the cell phone introduced the ability to have some simple data attached to the radio signal, and SMS messaging was introduced. Then with 2g digital and later cellular, a separate data channel existed which ultimately gave us smart phones that could access the internet and have a voice conversation simultaneously.

 

Now this is where the conflicting possibilities and posts come in...

 

With your current 5g iPhone or Android, there is still backwards compatibility with the old SMS messaging, which means that your cellular carrier AND your phone's capabilities and settings matter.

 

Talking on a cell phone NOW actually means you are talking on the data channel using a "voice-over-internet-protocol" or VoIP. GoogleFi as a cellular provider takes advantage of this and allows you to make a "cell phone" call over your WiFi connection to the internet or over a cellular data connection to the internet. 

 

Now we need to separate out the texting options. SMS is still (mostly) a cellular phone network function. iMessage is not a text message- it's a really complex data messaging app that happens to bring your SMS texts into the fold. WhatsApp or Messenger or Signal are all chat apps like that, also. The catch is that the person you want to talk to has to have the same app, vs SMS which is basically universal without regard to your cellular provider or phone make/model, because it is the old-school standard that used to share the cellular signal.

 

With all of that background: If you buy internet on the ship, have an iPhone, and don't change settings on your phone, you can seamlessly message people with iMessage if the other person has iMessage also because iMessages is a chat app, but you WON'T see any texts from your friends with Android. If you have an Android, you can use Google Messages, which is like iMessage and integrates SMS with a chat app but you won't see SMS texts from others. So with Internet package on a ship, you can surely use chat apps if your friends and family have that same chat app.

 

Where it gets more complex is that some phones and some providers have a setting that allows "WiFi calling" which means that you can use VoIP to make cellular calls and send SMS texts over a WiFi connection to the internet. Sometimes this ability is limited by your provider, not your phone. This is what the post from the user using GoogleFi is specifically talking about. So if you are able to change the setting on your phone, you may be able to send SMS texts and make phone calls using the ship's internet connection and package.

Edited December 1, 2023 by sandsunsurf

[suekel]

RCS texting works over wifi just fine,  just enable before the cruise.  Easy to do. 

[nazpaz]

You might want to get Google Voice.  You can then forward your texts and calls to it for the duration of the cruise.  I've used it a lot while traveling out of country.  The caller never knew I was on WiFi, using the Voice app.

[IndyKid]

Both my wife's Pixel and my Samsung S22 have the WiFi calling option on them, and I checked with Verizon with whom we have our service with, they do not charge for using the feature to receive or make calls and texts from/to the US. So while I was at work I told my wife to enable WiFi calling, put her phone in airplane mode and then try to call me and it worked perfectly, same with texts. So as long as we have a decent WiFi connection aboard the ship our phones will operate no differently than on land here at home.

[Rick&Jeannie]

I use an Android, and as such was never able to trade texts with the rest of my traveling party (all of whom us iPhones) until I switched to Google Messages (away from the default Samsung messaging.) Once I did that I was able to send/receive texts.

 

I had *always* been able to use WhatsApp (voice calls/texts) with my son who is pretty much the only person that I need to communicate with while on a cruise (except for email...)

 

Pretty much *all* newer phones are capable of WiFi Calling now...make sure it is enabled in your Settings (iPhone *or* Android) BEFORE you leave home.  You could even test it at home...turn on airplane mode and turn WiFi back on (airplane mode will generally turn it off automatically.)

 

One quirk that I have onboard using Medallion Net (with my Android) that has persisted since the very beginning of Medallion Net and spanning *several* different Android phones...Comcast email is impossible to use with a standard email client.  I can usually get to my email using the Xfinity email web portal...but getting into it is always CRAZY slow.

[ldubs]

On 11/20/2023 at 12:32 PM, desertdwellingsailor said:

 

You cannot get SMS messages in airplane mode on an iPhone.

 

 

Except when wifi calling is enabled?  

[t&atravel]

51 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

One quirk that I have onboard using Medallion Net (with my Android) that has persisted since the very beginning of Medallion Net and spanning *several* different Android phones...Comcast email is impossible to use with a standard email client.  I can usually get to my email using the Xfinity email web portal...but getting into it is always CRAZY slow.

@Rick&Jeannie This suggestion may not help but I have comcast and I have my email set up as an IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) account instead of POP3. I don’t have any problems with emails on board. Of course IMAP does not clear your email from the server so you have to go in and delete them separately but it’s worth a try if you’re using POP.  I have always had IMAP set up because we access email using different devices.  I use Apple devices also, so that may be the reason, but I don’t see why it would make a difference.

[Rick&Jeannie]

15 minutes ago, t&atravel said:

@Rick&Jeannie This suggestion may not help but I have comcast and I have my email set up as an IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) account instead of POP3. I don’t have any problems with emails on board. Of course IMAP does not clear your email from the server so you have to go in and delete them separately but it’s worth a try if you’re using POP.  I have always had IMAP set up because we access email using different devices.  I use Apple devices also, so that may be the reason, but I don’t see why it would make a difference.

Yes, I am using IMAP as well...have been for years. I recently switched from Outlook as a client (which had the same problem) to Blue Mail. Both have issues, for me anyway.  I retired from IT...fully aware of the possible snags one can run into with email.  I'd be curious as to what email client you are using. 

[desertdwellingsailor]

On 12/2/2023 at 12:31 PM, ldubs said:

 

Except when wifi calling is enabled?  

I have not tried WIFI calling. Posts on the internet say SMS text works with it. Might be a good option on a ship if you pay for internet access. I've only used an iPhone without wifi calling on a Princess ship.

[ldubs]

38 minutes ago, desertdwellingsailor said:

I have not tried WIFI calling. Posts on the internet say SMS text works with it. Might be a good option on a ship if you pay for internet access. I've only used an iPhone without wifi calling on a Princess ship.

 

We use wifi calling all the time on board and on land.  So far so good.   

[t&atravel]

On 12/2/2023 at 12:18 PM, Rick&Jeannie said:

  I'd be curious as to what email client you are using. 

@Rick&Jeannie Apple mail.

[WisCruiser2]

As @erber mentioned, we also have Googlefi for our carrier. SMS messages do go over wi-fi with it, but probably not with other carriers for Android users? Also, WhatsApp sends messages, audio calls, and video calls over wi-fi, too, so that would be a way for people to contact you.

[Rick&Jeannie]

I recommend leaving the setting for WiFi Calling turned on all the time...even when not cruising.  JMHO

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I recommend leaving the setting for WiFi Calling turned on all the time...even when not cruising.  JMHO

 

We do that -- never turn it off.  

[ljhershey]

On 12/1/2023 at 5:45 PM, sandsunsurf said:

 

TL;DR- you buy wifi to access the internet, not to make phone calls. If you buy internet, you can use data messaging apps and use FaceTime or the like for communication. If you dig deep into your phone, you probably CAN make traditional cell phone calls and send texts, but it takes some knowledge and work. 

----------

There is not an easy way to explain all of this. Even the (seemingly) conflicting posts are actually correct from that person's experience.

 

I'll try to break this down into two parts: first being the connections the second being phone calls and texts. Unfortunately to be technically correct I will have to use some jargon. Please bear with me..

 

Generally, your phone connects to three "networks" in different ways using radio frequencies (not cords).

1) You have your WiFi connection, which accesses a local computer-type network (Princess MedallionNet or your home network, for instance). On Princess, if you pay for Internet, then the local network also gives you access to the internet, over the WiFi connection. If you are on the Internet, you will get data like from the web or the cloud storage using different protocols. These could be "internet protocols." Also, to picture this in your head, wifi is when your phone is acting like a computer connecting to the internet.

 

2) You have your cellular connection for the other two networks (which are now really just one connection)- a voice component and a data component. This is a radio connection to a tower that is then connected to the provider's "telephone" network. On the ship, the "tower" or "cellular connection" is operated by the Ship, and this is the expensive way to use your phone for calls and texts (more later). The data portion of this is now so advanced that this direct cellular connection to the internet is like using your wifi at home, but it's not using WiFi, it's using cellular. This part is simplified, but just understand that it is very different from WiFi.

 

For the next part of this, we have to include a little history.

 

Initially, a (dumb) cell phone just connected to the cellular tower which then connected to the "Plain Old Telephone System" which you know/knew as the plug in your kitchen wall with a phone attached using copper wires. In the 90's it was trivial to use a police scanner and actually listen to people's cellular phone calls, they were a two-way glorified walkie-talkie.

 

Over the next 20 years or so, the cell phone introduced the ability to have some simple data attached to the radio signal, and SMS messaging was introduced. Then with 2g digital and later cellular, a separate data channel existed which ultimately gave us smart phones that could access the internet and have a voice conversation simultaneously.

 

Now this is where the conflicting possibilities and posts come in...

 

With your current 5g iPhone or Android, there is still backwards compatibility with the old SMS messaging, which means that your cellular carrier AND your phone's capabilities and settings matter.

 

Talking on a cell phone NOW actually means you are talking on the data channel using a "voice-over-internet-protocol" or VoIP. GoogleFi as a cellular provider takes advantage of this and allows you to make a "cell phone" call over your WiFi connection to the internet or over a cellular data connection to the internet. 

 

Now we need to separate out the texting options. SMS is still (mostly) a cellular phone network function. iMessage is not a text message- it's a really complex data messaging app that happens to bring your SMS texts into the fold. WhatsApp or Messenger or Signal are all chat apps like that, also. The catch is that the person you want to talk to has to have the same app, vs SMS which is basically universal without regard to your cellular provider or phone make/model, because it is the old-school standard that used to share the cellular signal.

 

With all of that background: If you buy internet on the ship, have an iPhone, and don't change settings on your phone, you can seamlessly message people with iMessage if the other person has iMessage also because iMessages is a chat app, but you WON'T see any texts from your friends with Android. If you have an Android, you can use Google Messages, which is like iMessage and integrates SMS with a chat app but you won't see SMS texts from others. So with Internet package on a ship, you can surely use chat apps if your friends and family have that same chat app.

 

Where it gets more complex is that some phones and some providers have a setting that allows "WiFi calling" which means that you can use VoIP to make cellular calls and send SMS texts over a WiFi connection to the internet. Sometimes this ability is limited by your provider, not your phone. This is what the post from the user using GoogleFi is specifically talking about. So if you are able to change the setting on your phone, you may be able to send SMS texts and make phone calls using the ship's internet connection and package.

Thanks so much for this thorough explanation.  I have What's App loaded on my Android phone and have tried it from home with family over WiFi....successfully..

 

My question ..on board the ship, how would I message my husband who prefers not to have WiFi.  Will he get a notification of the message?

 

Thx very much.

[IndyKid]

1 hour ago, ljhershey said:

Thanks so much for this thorough explanation.  I have What's App loaded on my Android phone and have tried it from home with family over WiFi....successfully..

 

My question ..on board the ship, how would I message my husband who prefers not to have WiFi.  Will he get a notification of the message?

 

Thx very much.

Your husband will have to have WiFi aboard the ship for any of his apps to work, except for perhaps the cruise line app.

[nazpaz]

Just a very side note - our T-Mobile includes Mexico.  Upon arrival at Cozumel, I got a text message from T-Mobile welcoming me to Mexico and confirming I had my regular 5G coverage.  

[IndyKid]

We cruised last month for a week aboard the Caribbean Princess, had WiFi as part of our package. Both our cells are Androids (Google Pixel and Samsung 23) and Verizon is our carrier. Both phones had a WiFi calling feature, which is no-cost when calling or receiving any calls with a US number. So we enabled it on both phones and put them both on airplane mode. Texting worked fine both between us and people back home. Calling sometimes took a few attempts but when it went through it worked well, sound quality was very good, no noticeable delay, echo, etc.

[ljhershey]

1 hour ago, IndyKid said:

We cruised last month for a week aboard the Caribbean Princess, had WiFi as part of our package. Both our cells are Androids (Google Pixel and Samsung 23) and Verizon is our carrier. Both phones had a WiFi calling feature, which is no-cost when calling or receiving any calls with a US number. So we enabled it on both phones and put them both on airplane mode. Texting worked fine both between us and people back home. Calling sometimes took a few attempts but when it went through it worked well, sound quality was very good, no noticeable delay, echo, etc.

I have t mobile also....good to know!

 

[RocknRoll22]

A little bit of a thread drift, but wondering if anyone has experienced Cellular at Sea for calls back to the mainland. My Android phone is older, and doesn't have WiFi calling, so I believe my only option to receive calls from the US would be over regular cellular.

 

Anyone use Cellular at Sea, and if so, was it costly?

[IndyKid]

2 minutes ago, RocknRoll22 said:

A little bit of a thread drift, but wondering if anyone has experienced Cellular at Sea for calls back to the mainland. My Android phone is older, and doesn't have WiFi calling, so I believe my only option to receive calls from the US would be over regular cellular.

 

Anyone use Cellular at Sea, and if so, was it costly?

Probably best to check with the cruiseline.

[leck57]

8 minutes ago, RocknRoll22 said:

A little bit of a thread drift, but wondering if anyone has experienced Cellular at Sea for calls back to the mainland. My Android phone is older, and doesn't have WiFi calling, so I believe my only option to receive calls from the US would be over regular cellular.

 

Anyone use Cellular at Sea, and if so, was it costly?

 

The last time I saw the costs for Cellular at Sea it was about $7 a minute. Even though your phone doesn't have wifi calling, can't you use WhatsApp, Google Meet etc which you can use to have calls, messages etc.

Edited January 11 by leck57

[wolfie11]

Cellular at Sea is very expensive.  I accidentally racked up a bill of over $300 when I forgot to put my iPad in airplane mode.  It’s not enough to turn off cellular data evidently.  You must be in airplane mode.  
 

I have an iPhone and AT&T.  I have no problems texting or calling friends and family even if they have another brand of phone. 

[nazpaz]

Certainly makes sense to check your ship account after a day or two to see if anything unexpected is being charged.

[Thrak]

On 12/2/2023 at 10:55 AM, Rick&Jeannie said:

I use an Android, and as such was never able to trade texts with the rest of my traveling party (all of whom us iPhones) until I switched to Google Messages (away from the default Samsung messaging.) Once I did that I was able to send/receive texts.

 

I had *always* been able to use WhatsApp (voice calls/texts) with my son who is pretty much the only person that I need to communicate with while on a cruise (except for email...)

 

Pretty much *all* newer phones are capable of WiFi Calling now...make sure it is enabled in your Settings (iPhone *or* Android) BEFORE you leave home.  You could even test it at home...turn on airplane mode and turn WiFi back on (airplane mode will generally turn it off automatically.)

 

One quirk that I have onboard using Medallion Net (with my Android) that has persisted since the very beginning of Medallion Net and spanning *several* different Android phones...Comcast email is impossible to use with a standard email client.  I can usually get to my email using the Xfinity email web portal...but getting into it is always CRAZY slow.

 

On our recent Australia/New Zealand cruises my email client (Thunderbird) worked well with Comcast email as long as I enabled my VPN and told it I was in Miami. Otherwise, as you said, the mail client bombed out. My wife has no VPN and had to do as you did and check her mail using the online email. (Blech... I hate having to go to some stupid web site to get mail.)