Among all the things you have to keep in mind when traveling, taking your smartphone with you is usually near the top of the list. You always want to stay connected, not to mention the powerful cameras on smartphones that are now substituting for the real thing, and of course, not getting lost with the help of Google maps and guidebooks. But there’s one thing you’ll want to be wary of: roaming charges.
What is roaming?
Although the concept of roaming is more extensive and covers all types of wireless technology including Wi-Fi networks, in this case, roaming refers to the usage of another network’s coverage areas.
With roaming you can communicate from any country (Image: Wikipedia)
Basically, if you have a cellular contract with a company in your country and you want to go abroad, in order to make a phone call, send messages, or use the Internet with your 2G, 3G, or 4G connection, your phone has to use connections available from local providers.
The technology is useful because it allows you to use your phone and your SIM card in other countries very easily but it’s a double-edged sword; it may turn out that your phone company’s roaming rates are high, resulting in an huge phone bill.
How do you enable and disable roaming?
There are two ways to enable and disable roaming on your mobile device. One way is to talk to your network provider, and the other is to configure it manually in your phone.
If you’d prefer not to do it manually, have a look at your network provider’s official website or call its customer service number. Sometimes the service is enabled by default, otherwise, you’ll have to ask them to turn it on. The same also applies in the opposite case, if you want to disable it.
Below, I’ll show you how to disable roaming on your Android, iPhone, Windows Phone, and Blackberry.
Android
To check whether you have roaming enabled or disabled on your Android phone, go to Settings > Wireless & networks > More > Mobile networks and look to see if the data roaming option is checked or not.
Make sure you un-check it if you don’t want to use roaming. To be sure, you should also un-check the Enable Data option.
Another interesting option is to limit the consumption of mobile data to avoid getting a shock when the bill comes. Go to Settings > Wireless & networks > Data usage and enable the Set mobile data limit option. You can then set the limit in the chart displayed below.
If you’re with a network provider that offers affordable roaming rates, you need to go to the same section, Settings > Wireless & networks > More > Mobile networks, and then Network operators. After scanning for networks, it will show the available network providers.
iOS
To disable roaming on your iOS device, whether it’s an iPhone or an iPad with a 3G connection, you need to go to Settings > Cellular and disable the Cellular Data and Data Roaming options.
When using roaming, you can restrict which apps use mobile data to save on your bill. From the same section, Settings > Cellular, scroll down until you get to the Use cellular data for section.
Here, you’ll see a list of apps that use the Internet. Un-check those that you won’t need on your trip (especially games). The apps will still work, but won’t send or receive data.
Another possibility is that you already know which network provider offers the cheapest roaming service. In that case, go to Settings > Carrier and you’ll be able to select a specific network provider. Simply disable the Automatic option and wait to see the list of available operators in that area (it can take up to two minutes to display the full list).
Windows Phone
Using a Windows Phone, you can also enable and disable roaming.
To do this, go to the the application list and then go to Settings > Mobile Network and SIM > Data roaming options.
BlackBerry
From the Home screen, go to Settings > Network Connections > Mobile Network.
If the Mobile network selector is O, change it to I, and in the drop down menu that appears, change the Data roaming services option to O (off) or I (on).
Roaming is easy to control
As you may have seen, enabling or disabling roaming on your smartphone is relatively easy, although it’s not as apparent in the phone settings as you may have expected.
The quickest way is to directly configure the device (via calling customer service or using manuals on the official website), provided that your network provider gives you the option.
In any case, if you don’t need this service, disable it. If you do need it, try to bring down the cost by using only the apps you really need for your trip.
Related Articles
How to use Google Maps offline on Android
Google is tracking your every move but you might want it to
Why Lyft isn’t a glorified taxi service
Follow me on Twitter: @gilead1984
