Help Using your Motorola Droid internationally--let me answer questions for you!

[karimarie]

OK. Here I am in Ireland.

I am in airplane mode.

I am in a hotel, where there is wi-fi.

With wi-fi, my email and gmail have been updating.

Just for kicks, I hit Google Maps. It found me. Took all of 15 seconds.

This threw me because I'm in airplane mode, but I apparently left the GPS on and it's still working.

But I started freaking out about roaming charges and all that business. But then, how could I be using cell towers to "A" my "A-GPS" when I'm in a non-CDMA country?

So my question is: how did this happen in airplane mode? Was it the Wi-Fi that assisted the GPS and managed to plot my hotel in Dublin? And, more importantly, if I turn the GPS back on (from the widget) am I in absolutely no danger of accidentally roaming (because I'm (a) in airplane mode, and (b) in a country where I couldn't connect to their cell towers if I wanted to)? Or is it possible that Verizon can hit me with some sort of roaming data charges for using the GPS?

You are in ABSOLUTELY NO DANGER of getting hit with data charges in Ireland--I PROMISE. There is no CDMA service there, so there's no way you could possibly be using mobile data. They can't charge you for using wifi and GPS, I promise. I used my Droid in Ireland too.

Yeah, the GPS is a-GPS, and you probably have the box checked to use wifi to help find your position.

Kind of cool, huh?

 

[czerdrill]

Ok I'm going to India, and its on the list of coutnries that have CDMA. However, I have no intention of using cdma to make phone calls. What I want to do is enable airplane mode, then enable wifi, and ONLY use wifi to connect to hotspots. for calls i want to use skype.

will this ensure that i get no roaming charges provided i leave my phone on airplane mode the entire time i'm there, only use wifi, and use skype through wifi for calls?

 

[karimarie]

Ok I'm going to India, and its on the list of coutnries that have CDMA. However, I have no intention of using cdma to make phone calls. What I want to do is enable airplane mode, then enable wifi, and ONLY use wifi to connect to hotspots. for calls i want to use skype.

will this ensure that i get no roaming charges provided i leave my phone on airplane mode the entire time i'm there, only use wifi, and use skype through wifi for calls?

Yep! If you are in airplane mode, it shuts off the cell phone radio (that transmits calls.) So wifi will still work, but you won't be able to call (or use data.) Incidentally, you most likely won't be able to use GPS either, unless you take it out of airplane mode for short bursts, since like I mentioned above, the GPS is a-GPS and needs the cell radio on to connect (even if there's no cell signal and it's using wifi to determine your location.) That's my experience, at least.

If you want to be able to use GPS, you can turn off data sync and 3G on your phone--I outlined those steps in my post above.

Have a great trip!

 

[czerdrill]

Thank you! You've eased my fears haha...i called verizon initially and as per usual they were clueless, but you've helped. Thanks again!

 

[karimarie]

Thank you! You've eased my fears haha...i called verizon initially and as per usual they were clueless, but you've helped. Thanks again!

Yeah, they're pretty clueless, but to be fair, it's hard for one person to be an expert on all the phones all the time. That said, you think they'd have certain groups responsible for each phone, so when you call with a phone-related question/issue, they can ask you what kind of phone you have and direct you to that department, ya know?

Have a great trip!

 

[czerdrill]

exactly...i'm not upset that they don't know, i just get annoyed when they claim they know but are obviously not sure of themselves...luckily there are forums out there and people who help like you haha...Thanks!

 

[rlmorrisonwy]

I can get the GPS to work after turning off airplane mode for a short period. I am thinking you need to 'prime the system' with a small amount of data first.

My question: Do you need to have a WiFi connection while traveling abroad in order to get the GPS started?

 

[karimarie]

I can get the GPS to work after turning off airplane mode for a short period. I am thinking you need to 'prime the system' with a small amount of data first.

My question: Do you need to have a WiFi connection while traveling abroad in order to get the GPS started?

I addressed both of these questions in an earlier post. The cell phone "radio" that transmits a signal needs to be on in order for the GPS to initially work. So in order for you to get GPS going, it can't be in airplane mode. It doesn't need cell tower signal, but it does need to be in non-airplane mode.

Having wifi does help the GPS triangulate your signal as long as you have the box checked for using wifi networks to help facilitate GPS location.

 

[julesvern97]

So, in light of all of these things to keep in mind while traveling internationally, how might an app like Trip Journal come into play for documenting a trip? I'm going to Nicaragua (non-CDMA) and figured I would at least like to mark my photos with GPS and then upload or whatever when I get back home. Thoughts?

 

[MichaelHG]

I am currently abroad in Spain (My home country, feels great to be back, and good weather despite the purported coldness going on everywhere in the US at this time ), and I'm a new Droid owner. I'm tryna get skype on my phone, and try and use enable wifi. I have it in Airplane mode as of right now, and I'm stuck in a stand-still.

-I haven't downloaded Skype, and I dunno if I can access the App Market.
-Apparently Verizon doesn't have service over here, I was under the impression that they did because two years ago my Ex (Also Spanish-American) would text me/call me, although she had T-Mobile.
-Spain has TONS of free WiFi hotspots, so I'm sure I could access it.

 

[karimarie]

I am currently abroad in Spain (My home country, feels great to be back, and good weather despite the purported coldness going on everywhere in the US at this time ), and I'm a new Droid owner. I'm tryna get skype on my phone, and try and use enable wifi. I have it in Airplane mode as of right now, and I'm stuck in a stand-still.

-I haven't downloaded Skype, and I dunno if I can access the App Market.
-Apparently Verizon doesn't have service over here, I was under the impression that they did because two years ago my Ex (Also Spanish-American) would text me/call me, although she had T-Mobile.
-Spain has TONS of free WiFi hotspots, so I'm sure I could access it.

There is no CDMA in Spain, and therefore, your Droid will not work unless it's the Droid global, in which case you need to get a SIM card.

As far as I know, the Skype app in its current iteration won't work solely via wifi. I used Fring (as described in my original post) and accessed my Skype through that. I don't know if it still works that way though--I've heard Fring has changed some things. I'm not leaving the country again until May, so I'll probably play with it then.

UPDATED JUNE 2011: The Skype app (downloaded from the market--NOT the Skype Mobile app that comes preinstalled on some phones!) does indeed work over wifi, without having to use Fring!!

You can get on wifi when you're in airplane mode, you just have to turn it on.

There are some countries where you can't purchase paid apps on the Android market. However, I'm pretty sure you can in Spain. I know when I was on my trip last summer, the only country I wasn't able to access paid apps on the market in was Bosnia. Here's a list of what you should be able to access and where: Android Market - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Purzel]

Hi,
I'm going to be visiting friends in Germany this summer, and would like to be able to call their cell/home phones from my droid using my skype credits that I purchased. I'm aware that they won't be able to call me, since I won't have a number to call me.
I've been reading this thread and am a bit confused about something:
Do I have to be connected to "Fring" to make such a call or to use skype overseas at all?
I make calls through skype and never had to use Fring before. Why would I need Fring as mentioned in one of the posts? I'm completely unfamiliar with Fring, and wouldn't know what to do with it. Would I just need to be logged into it, and why is it necessary?
By the way, thanks for all the helpful information so far!!!
Purzel

 

[karimarie]

Hi,
I'm going to be visiting friends in Germany this summer, and would like to be able to call their cell/home phones from my droid using my skype credits that I purchased. I'm aware that they won't be able to call me, since I won't have a number to call me.
I've been reading this thread and am a bit confused about something:
Do I have to be connected to "Fring" to make such a call or to use skype overseas at all?
I make calls through skype and never had to use Fring before. Why would I need Fring as mentioned in one of the posts? I'm completely unfamiliar with Fring, and wouldn't know what to do with it. Would I just need to be logged into it, and why is it necessary?
By the way, thanks for all the helpful information so far!!!
Purzel

The way to Skype from wifi may have changed since I last used it, but when I went to Europe last summer, there was no Skype app for the Droid, so you had to connect via a third-party client. I used Fring. When the Skype app was originally released for Android, it only worked via a regular cellular connection, NOT via wifi. I have no idea if this has changed, so you might want to test it yourself (by putting it into airplane mode, then turning on wifi) and see if that's still the case.

UPDATED JUNE 2011: The Skype app (downloaded from the market--NOT the Skype Mobile app that comes preinstalled on some phones!) does indeed work over wifi, without having to use Fring!!

 

[Purzel]

Thanks, I guess that would make sense, since the "Fring" comments were made a while ago.
Thanks for that info. I'll give it a try and see what happens

 

[jizgrey]

Awesome thread. Thanks for starting it, Karimarie. You know your stuff!

I'm in Canada for the week. Not as romantic a location as some of you have! Nevertheless, data roaming charges will be incurred the same here as if I were on a warm beach in Portugal. I've got a wireless connection on my DX but my Skype app won't work. Keeps telling me that they can't find my telephone number. Annoying, but that's not what has me upset. What's upsetting is that when I try to use Google Voice, it tells me that Airplane mode needs to be off to use it. I thought it went through the wireless? Anyone know why this is happening?

 

[karimarie]

Awesome thread. Thanks for starting it, Karimarie. You know your stuff!

I'm in Canada for the week. Not as romantic a location as some of you have! Nevertheless, data roaming charges will be incurred the same here as if I were on a warm beach in Portugal. I've got a wireless connection on my DX but my Skype app won't work. Keeps telling me that they can't find my telephone number. Annoying, but that's not what has me upset. What's upsetting is that when I try to use Google Voice, it tells me that Airplane mode needs to be off to use it. I thought it went through the wireless? Anyone know why this is happening?

Are you trying to call or text using GV? You can text via wifi through GV, but you need cell signal to actually make calls. And I'm pretty sure the Skype app works the same way (not entirely sure, though.)

 

[jizgrey]

Thanks. Both text and voice in GV tell me to shut off airplane mode.

 

[pikmeir]

First of all, thank you so much for creating this thread. It's just what we were all looking for.

Next month I'm going to travel with my D2G to Hong Kong for a few days, then Korea for a month, and I don't want to incur any data charges, or phone charges - but I know I'll definitely want Wifi (and sometimes GPS). I was thinking about calling Verizon for this information, but I've had some bad experiences with them giving me false information before, so I think I'd trust this a lot more than their customer "service" center. This is gonna be so helpful to me.

The only thing I'm worried about, is sometimes the D2G phone crashes (once a month it seems), and I have to turn it off and back on. If that happens, I'm worried my phone will suddenly send/receive tons of data when it turns on before I'm able to shut off the 3G receiver and the other settings. Any way around this?

 

[SLUnatic85]

So I am an HTC Incredible owner, but I imagine that is all fairly irrelevant to my question. I think it would help myself, and it seems others browsing this forum, to be able to see somewhere definitive that a phone that can only work on a CDMA network does not work, or roam, or charge for roaming of any kind when you are in an area (see prev posted maps or links) that does not offer a CDMA network. What I am getting at here, is that if I travel to Spain and Italy (keeping it off or in airplane mode on the plane ride) and spend however long, say a week in each location, why would I even need to worry about roaming charges or airplane mode or turning my cell radio on or off??

Someone please correct me if I am wrong or send me to someone who can verify, but my current understanding is that no matter what mode my phone is in, Verizon (or whatever CDMA-only mobile phone plan in question) cannot charge me for international or any roaming if there is no network available to roam in. I have seen this mentioned in a few posts but I guess I am just double checking because then people still keep asking about what mode to have the phone in in these countries. Could there be CDMA-compatible networks in Italy and Spain (in my case) that I am unaware of that my phone may roam to?

Sorry if I am not making sense it just seems like a question that is at the root of a lot of this discussion (unless the travel in question involves out of US CDMA networks). I just hope I figure this out for sure before I rack up the bill on my trip next month

Like others I am just trying to use my android phone for mp3s/maybe some GPS if it gets a signal/wi-fi if and where its offered/some offline maps and travel guides/possibly a few offline games/maybe taking some notes or pictures or video without having to worry about paying the 7,000 dollars we've seen in horror stories around the web.

Thanks so much for all of the information so far in this and related threads!! I hope I am not crazy and this helps others as well!!

 

[karimarie]

So I am an HTC Incredible owner, but I imagine that is all fairly irrelevant to my question. I think it would help myself, and it seems others browsing this forum, to be able to see somewhere definitive that a phone that can only work on a CDMA network does not work, or roam, or charge for roaming of any kind when you are in an area (see prev posted maps or links) that does not offer a CDMA network. What I am getting at here, is that if I travel to Spain and Italy (keeping it off or in airplane mode on the plane ride) and spend however long, say a week in each location, why would I even need to worry about roaming charges or airplane mode or turning my cell radio on or off??

Someone please correct me if I am wrong or send me to someone who can verify, but my current understanding is that no matter what mode my phone is in, Verizon (or whatever CDMA-only mobile phone plan in question) cannot charge me for international or any roaming if there is no network available to roam in. I have seen this mentioned in a few posts but I guess I am just double checking because then people still keep asking about what mode to have the phone in in these countries. Could there be CDMA-compatible networks in Italy and Spain (in my case) that I am unaware of that my phone may roam to?

Sorry if I am not making sense it just seems like a question that is at the root of a lot of this discussion (unless the travel in question involves out of US CDMA networks). I just hope I figure this out for sure before I rack up the bill on my trip next month

Like others I am just trying to use my android phone for mp3s/maybe some GPS if it gets a signal/wi-fi if and where its offered/some offline maps and travel guides/possibly a few offline games/maybe taking some notes or pictures or video without having to worry about paying the 7,000 dollars we've seen in horror stories around the web.

Thanks so much for all of the information so far in this and related threads!! I hope I am not crazy and this helps others as well!!

I'm pretty sure I said this above, but you DO NOT need to keep it in airplane mode if you are somewhere where there is no CDMA coverage. You can keep the cell radio on. HOWEVER! If you just leave your phone like normal, and it can't find a CDMA signal, it can potentially keep searching for a signal, and drain your battery a whole lot faster. I've noticed this on my Droid, which is why I always kept it on airplane mode.

Does this help?

 

[karimarie]

First of all, thank you so much for creating this thread. It's just what we were all looking for.

Next month I'm going to travel with my D2G to Hong Kong for a few days, then Korea for a month, and I don't want to incur any data charges, or phone charges - but I know I'll definitely want Wifi (and sometimes GPS). I was thinking about calling Verizon for this information, but I've had some bad experiences with them giving me false information before, so I think I'd trust this a lot more than their customer "service" center. This is gonna be so helpful to me.

The only thing I'm worried about, is sometimes the D2G phone crashes (once a month it seems), and I have to turn it off and back on. If that happens, I'm worried my phone will suddenly send/receive tons of data when it turns on before I'm able to shut off the 3G receiver and the other settings. Any way around this?

I honestly wouldn't worry. First of all, if you shut off roaming data on your phone (in the directions above) it'll stay shut off when you reboot your phone. Second, the phone can only sync so much at a time--it's not like an avalanche all coming down at once. But anyway, try putting the phone in airplane mode and restarting it--when you restart it, it should come back on in airplane mode. If it does, you know you should be good to go.

 

[SLUnatic85]

I'm pretty sure I said this above, but you DO NOT need to keep it in airplane mode if you are somewhere where there is no CDMA coverage. You can keep the cell radio on. HOWEVER! If you just leave your phone like normal, and it can't find a CDMA signal, it can potentially keep searching for a signal, and drain your battery a whole lot faster. I've noticed this on my Droid, which is why I always kept it on airplane mode.

Does this help?

Muchas Gracias, karimarie,

I know I had seen you post it before, but I just didn't get why that didn't answer a lot of people's issues after that. If my only issue is draining the battery looking for a signal, then I have no worries. Of course since I can't call or text I will just keep the phone turned off unless I am using it. I suppose I should just double check that I won't be in any area that offers any sort of CDMA if I really want to be safe, but seems like I am all squared away! I already planned on modifying my phone setup to turn off as many auto updating features or notifications or widgets for that same battery reason.

 

[pikmeir]

You mentioned that we have to turn off Airplane Mode in order to connect to GPS, but my D2G phone allows me to turn on Airplane Mode, then turn on GPS after it.
The GPS works fine, but would this be a problem if I did it this way in another country? Maybe there's something I'm missing...

 

[lincolnrobinso]

[/B]***Here is a list of countries that use CDMA, and YOUR PHONE WILL WORK AS A PHONE: Countries Where Any Verizon Wireless Phone Will Work

Hello,

I'd love this point clarified:

I am going to Southeast Asia (a few of the island countries) that are listed as using CDMA using the list above.

Does that mean that I won't need to switch out the sim card at all and my original Droid will automatically connect when I land in those countries?


Thanks

 

[androidawg53]

Great Droid travel info and it almost sounds like a verizon account shouldn't even be needed in Europe if I had a deactivated DroidX that could somehow access a wifi acct. Like any netbook do you think text/email/fring would work on an inactive but formerly wifi capable Android smartphone?

Verizon suggested I temporarily swap/disable my DroidX and have them send me a global loaner phone for our trip to Spain/Italy next week. Apparently my U.S. only DroidX would be deactivated until I return the loaner. Data rates on their loaner are $20/mb, $1min voice, .50p/text. YIKES.

I'm leaning toward bringing the loaner for emergency reliable calling(teenagers at home under guard) AND bringing my DroidX to possibly text/call/Fring for cheaper use on wifi.

Thanks for your input.