iPhone 5 in Italy

[azonie]

Assume Verizon iPhone 5 will work in Italy.

What do I need to do to use there.

 

[KevinJS]

You need to find out whether your Verizon phone meets the standard GSM 900/1800, it needs to be unlocked, and you will need a local prepaid SIM.

Here's a site with prices etc

Italy SIM Card - Prepaid cell phone service for travelers

 

[azonie]

Thanks for info just gathering info. But what's the diff this way vs buying plan from Verizon

 

[KevinJS]

It'll probably run out cheaper buying it locally. <br><br>Also, if you are traveling in Europe, it's cheaper to use a Visa or Mastercard for purchases, because you get the business exchange rate instead of the tourist rate.<br>

 

[azonie]

Someone suggested that while there if I am on WIFI I would be able to send and receive iMessage to other iPhones at NO CHARGE. anyone know if this is correct??

 

[KevinJS]

That is correct. Last time I was in Italy, wifi didn't exist but I'm sure it's all over the place now.

 

[azonie]

Looks like Verizon plan gives 100 MB of data usage. Trying to judge how much that really is. Anyone got an idea how much the average email or and or text is in megabytes

 

[azonie]

Does Google Translate use data. Since global data very expensive.

 

[scifan57]

Does Google Translate use data. Since global data very expensive.

Any app that accesses the Internet via cellular connections uses data. Your message to be translated is sent to Google servers, translated, and sent back to your device. My advice is, when traveling, use WiFi whenever possible.

 

[azonie]

True. Assume this forum won't use data unless I go to it. On other words the notification since they are via email. And I am turning that off except when connected to WIFI.

 

[Yptcn]

Someone suggested that while there if I am on WIFI I would be able to send and receive iMessage to other iPhones at NO CHARGE. anyone know if this is correct??

I came back from Florence a few days ago and can confirm that. There is WiFi all over the place now .

 

[scifan57]

Someone suggested that while there if I am on WIFI I would be able to send and receive iMessage to other iPhones at NO CHARGE. anyone know if this is correct??

I came back from Florence a few days ago and can confirm that. There is WiFi all over the place now .

While there is no data charge to your cellular account while using WiFi, there are places that charge for WiFi access.

 

[xrayeyes]

Does Google Translate use data. Since global data very expensive.

I was in Italy last year and wifi was available at hotels and restaurants. It was free if you were paying for room or meal. Google translate will not work unless you have data or wifi, it is totally web based and not preloaded into the program. We were not able to use it much because of that. We pretty much winged it and did OK. The Italians speak English fairly well.

I can't remember if I even attempted to use iMessage, because most of my family has android. I downloaded Viber and they all did too and that worked very well when I had wifi access. It has VOIP and I was able to make a few free calls with it too!