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

[karimarie]

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.

You're right--you absolutely don't need a Verizon account.

Skip the loaner and go onto eBay and get a cheap unlocked quad band GSM phone (I paid $20 for mine) and buy SIM cards for whatever country you're in while you're over there. Then take your DroidX and use it for exactly what you just said--wifi stuff. And set up a Google Voice account so that you can use that for texting.

I just got back from eight days in Singapore and Malaysia, and I used my Thunderbolt there--there's a phone company there that hosts a bunch of wifi hot spots, so I picked up credit on that and was able to connect pretty much everywhere, and the new version of Skype works without Fring, so that I was able to use my phone just like a phone wherever I could connect to Skype, thanks to calls through Skype and texts through Google Voice. It was fantastic!!

And really helpful when I had to make some calls back and forth with my boyfriend after my kitty got hit by a car. She didn't make it, but I was so glad I was able to talk with him about it rather than have to find a computer and email back and forth.

So yeah--your DroidX will work great on wifi hotspots. Just download Skype and Google Voice so you can text and call (you can't text through the Skype app, for some reason) and get yourself a cheap quad band phone and SIM card just for calling.

 

[androidawg53]

Update on Droid X in Spain and Italy 6/11,

I paid verizon $20 to supply a simple Euro friendly phone assigned to my stateside number for easier calls back home and texting. We then used my Droid X in airplane mode to ck email and surf the web at any wi-fi hotspot. On-board our cruise ship the satellite airtime rate at sea was $2/min so being a cheap skate I'd wait until in port to hit a starbucks for free or typically pay 1euro for 10min.

The wi-fi mode worked perfectly and I even used the DroidX camera for all my vacation pics. The panoramic mode(see example) is an awesome feature and all our shots came out very well. If I had it to do again I could've just taken a small netbook for easier email composition and wi-fi along with a regular small camera. Being pseudo minimalists we were fine with just carry on luggage for 2wks so I'd have to think it through and might just end up with our Droid X again.

Thanks for posting and I hope it helps other travelers too.
Mike

 

[VenturaAndroid]

Hi. Going to Europe this fall. My Droid X shows that it has the latest version of Skype already on it (auto-updates set ON). I turn to Airplane mode, and turn WiFi on. When I try to go into Skype, I get the error message that it cannot be used with WiFi, but only on a Verizon network. What am I missing? Previous posts indicate that this should work now.

 

[karimarie]

Hi. Going to Europe this fall. My Droid X shows that it has the latest version of Skype already on it (auto-updates set ON). I turn to Airplane mode, and turn WiFi on. When I try to go into Skype, I get the error message that it cannot be used with WiFi, but only on a Verizon network. What am I missing? Previous posts indicate that this should work now.

I have no idea why this would be. Try uninstalling Skype and reinstalling it from the Market? I used Skype in Singapore via wifi with no problems, so it should work.

 

[VenturaAndroid]

I had Skype Mobile on my Droid. I downloaded regular "Skype" and it works with that. Thanks for all your useful info in this thread!!!

 

[karimarie]

I had Skype Mobile on my Droid. I downloaded regular "Skype" and it works with that. Thanks for all your useful info in this thread!!!

Whoohoo--glad it worked!! You're very welcome--I'm glad I've been able to help people!!

 

[karimarie]

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

Not sure how I missed this post before. Your original Droid doesn't have a SIM card. Only GSM phones have SIM cards. As far as if it'll automatically connect, I would guess so, but I'm not sure--you'd have to check with Verizon.

 

[KSandstrom]

Thank you - this looks really useful. I was envisioning myself with my Droid and colleagues in a wifi hotspot (in Tanzania, with a beer) speaking into Google Translator and getting Swahili text back. Since this would only be an internet connection, I don't see why it wouldn't work. Anyone have any experience along these lines?

First off thank you KariMarie for this post. Headed to study in Italy & this was EXTREMELY useful to answer my questions.

As for Tanzania, this process should work but the availability of WiFi is little to none unless you are in the Westernized parts of Dar or Arusha...even then, its unlikely. Verizon allowed me to rent a phone through their partner Vodaphone for free & then pay $.50 to send a text/$.05 to receive. I found great success with this even in remote villages so it may be worth it. Members of my trip who had blackberrys were able to upgrade their phones for relatively inexpensive to use their existing phone & they had the same success. So again, her instructions might work but the chance that you'll find wifi is slim. Good luck!

 

[karimarie]

First off thank you KariMarie for this post. Headed to study in Italy & this was EXTREMELY useful to answer my questions.

As for Tanzania, this process should work but the availability of WiFi is little to none unless you are in the Westernized parts of Dar or Arusha...even then, its unlikely. Verizon allowed me to rent a phone through their partner Vodaphone for free & then pay $.50 to send a text/$.05 to receive. I found great success with this even in remote villages so it may be worth it. Members of my trip who had blackberrys were able to upgrade their phones for relatively inexpensive to use their existing phone & they had the same success. So again, her instructions might work but the chance that you'll find wifi is slim. Good luck!

So glad I could help!! I went looking for info when I went to Italy with my Droid back in November of 2009, and there really was nothing out there, so everything I've posted has been my own trial and error. I'm just glad I can help others with it!

Wow, that's a great rate for renting anything from Verizon! What we did for a phone last summer (and what I've done on all of my trips except to Costa Rica, where foreigners can't get a SIM card) is just to take an unlocked GSM quad band phone that I picked up off of eBay for $20 (nothing fancy--it's just an old "dumb phone" LG) and I get a SIM card in each new country. I've actually had luck finding ones that are fairly reasonable regionally--I got one in Croatia that covered me for Croatia and Montenegro and part of Bosnia, and my Hungary one was also good in Germany. It was worth the investment.

 

[jdlonn]

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[Bobsgoncoastal]

Karimarie, you are awesome. I have been posting questions like crazy trying to find the very information in you post. I am headed for Italy in a few weeks, and have been scratching my head, trying to figure out how to use my droids wifi capabilities, without having the cell service running (is that legal on aircraft). I have been hoping that google voice ( I have a number, and use it domestically) would work as a means to call into my office in California from Italy. I believe you said it would, but without incoming calls (at least you haven't tried it). Can you tell me if I would be able to retrieve voicemails from google voice?

Thanks again for your informative posts.
Bob

 

[karimarie]

Karimarie, you are awesome. I have been posting questions like crazy trying to find the very information in you post. I am headed for Italy in a few weeks, and have been scratching my head, trying to figure out how to use my droids wifi capabilities, without having the cell service running (is that legal on aircraft). I have been hoping that google voice ( I have a number, and use it domestically) would work as a means to call into my office in California from Italy. I believe you said it would, but without incoming calls (at least you haven't tried it). Can you tell me if I would be able to retrieve voicemails from google voice?

Thanks again for your informative posts.
Bob

I was talking about Skype, not Google Voice (the making and receiving calls.) You can't make calls with Google Voice, but you can with Skype--you'll need to download that (not the Skype Mobile verson that comes on some phones, but the full Skype app in the Android Market.)

If you have the Google Voice app, you can listen to your voicemail through that as long as you're connected to wifi, since that is independent of your phone carrier. You just can't make calls on GV, since that *is* dependent on your phone carrier.

You can definitely use your Droid's wifi on a plane, but international and transocean flights don't have wifi, so you'd have to use it over the continental US.

 

[az_r2d1]

I was talking about Skype, not Google Voice (the making and receiving calls.) You can't make calls with Google Voice, but you can with Skype--you'll need to download that (not the Skype Mobile verson that comes on some phones, but the full Skype app in the Android Market.)

If you have the Google Voice app, you can listen to your voicemail through that as long as you're connected to wifi, since that is independent of your phone carrier. You just can't make calls on GV, since that *is* dependent on your phone carrier.

You can definitely use your Droid's wifi on a plane, but international and transocean flights don't have wifi, so you'd have to use it over the continental US.

You CAN now make calls with your phone thru google voice. All you need is an app named groove-ip. (this is on android). I've used it with great success while in europe. Was able to call for many hours when I had wifi connections and cost me nothing.
Calls from europe to any phone in the US (and canada ? not sure).
app is about 6 dollars I think.
ofcourse you can also use a laptop/netbook and use google voice to dial out.
What was of enormous help to me was an external usb antenna to catch wifi signals. The one I used is the alfa awus036h. It let me catch wifi signals over a mile away (over water, no obstacles in the way).
Now if only this adapter would work in combo with my phone......

 

[fiona11]

Hi,
Thank you very much for putting so much information out there. I really appreciate it.
I moved recently to Dominica and ordered the Droid 3 global phone by motorola.
I heard about the viber application where you can call and text for free. My question is, if I can use my own wifi network in Dominica, do I have to purchase the global plan for an extra 30 dollars a month?
What do you mean by putting the phone in airplane mode. What is the difference between having it in airplane mode or normal.
If I only use my own WiFi connection, I should not receive charges for using the internet, like facebook, google, and gmail. Or would I still be roaming and charged per MB.
Sorry for my questions, but I am on a student budget and really need to find a cheap way on how to be able to communicate with friends and family back home in the US.
Thank you again!

 

[karimarie]

Hi,
Thank you very much for putting so much information out there. I really appreciate it.
I moved recently to Dominica and ordered the Droid 3 global phone by motorola.
I heard about the viber application where you can call and text for free. My question is, if I can use my own wifi network in Dominica, do I have to purchase the global plan for an extra 30 dollars a month?
What do you mean by putting the phone in airplane mode. What is the difference between having it in airplane mode or normal.
If I only use my own WiFi connection, I should not receive charges for using the internet, like facebook, google, and gmail. Or would I still be roaming and charged per MB.
Sorry for my questions, but I am on a student budget and really need to find a cheap way on how to be able to communicate with friends and family back home in the US.
Thank you again!

If you are on wifi ONLY, you will NOT receive any data charges. Think of it this way--if you were on a laptop and using wifi, they couldn't charge you for data!

As far as putting your phone in airplane mode, hold down the power button for a couple of seconds, and a menu should pop up that gives you the option to put it into airplane mode. This disables all data communications--you will then have to go into "Settings" and re-enable wifi.

 

[moonlily]

Can I send an Email from Europe from my Droid X without being charged anything? I really don't want any outrageous charges. If so what settings should I use?

 

[karimarie]

Can I send an Email from Europe from my Droid X without being charged anything? I really don't want any outrageous charges. If so what settings should I use?

Email is email. As long as you're connected to wifi, you won't be charged. And, as the Droid X is a Verizon (and therefore CDMA) phone, you can only connect to wifi in Europe, since there is no CDMA coverage there.

 

[smshiver]

Thank you to Karimarie and az_r2d1 for all the info. I plan to use this setup on my Sprint Evo on future international trips. In switching from Verizon to save a few $$, I ended up with a non-cell serviced Droid X, which I have successfully turned into a fantastic home VOiP phone using Google Voice and Groove-ip.

Works so well we are going to get rid of our home land line !

 

[Amy_Melinda]

Im moving to Vieques Puerto Rico soon. I think i read that it was a CDMA country. Im unclear how this affects normal service.. would it be better to get a new phone once im in PR?

 

[karimarie]

Im moving to Vieques Puerto Rico soon. I think i read that it was a CDMA country. Im unclear how this affects normal service.. would it be better to get a new phone once im in PR?

I honestly have no idea. My advice here is really just geared toward travelers wanting to use their phones overseas without connecting to cell/data services. I think you're best off going there and talking to the rep of whatever cell phone company you think is best.

Sorry I can't be of more assistance!

 

[ucsdjosh]

Thanks for all the info. I am going to Israel (CDMA country) with my droid incredible. I don't want to use it for phone calls. Will use it for wifi only so I will follow the instructions regarding airplane mode and disabling auto sync and roaming, etc. My question is about the GPS. If you are in airplane mode but have GPS enabled, will the GPS still work or does airplane mode also cut out the GPS receiver? Also on google maps you can now download up to 10 square miles of map data at a time for offline use.

So theoretically, if i dont mind waiting a bit longer for the GPS to find my location (since i wont be using a-GPS) then the combination of the cached map images with the standard GPS should work, right? Anybody have any experience with that?

BTW...anybody hear about the woman in the news today that got a cell phone bill for over $200,000 in ONE MONTH for texting and video downloads while in Canada?

 

[beachica]

Thank you Karimarie for this great info. I am traveling to Costa Rica in a few days and would like to know what worked for you there. Thank you in advance.

 

[karimarie]

Thank you Karimarie for this great info. I am traveling to Costa Rica in a few days and would like to know what worked for you there. Thank you in advance.

Wifi in Costa Rica (I stayed in Heredia and a few places in the mountains) was surprisingly not difficult to come by, and it was rarely locked down. I didn't make any phone calls using my Droid while I was there, but I used Google Voice to text quite a bit, and it worked well enough that I had people asking me what cell phone service I was using to be able to text people back home. Google Voice FTW!!

FWIW, if you have a GSM phone and were planning to get a SIM card, you can't get a SIM card in Costa Rica unless you're a citizen or legal resident. I picked up a "global" SIM from some company online (can't remember who now, but if you Google "Costa Rica SIM card", you should be able to find places that will sell them to you in the US) and it worked pretty well, but I only used it once or twice.

I love Costa Rica--have a wonderful trip!!

 

[chrisk13]

Thanks for all the great info here. I'm testing my Samsung Charge here in Philly...and finding that when turning off wifi, turning on airplane, then turning wifi back on, I have no network connection. I have wifi here in my office. I also have data turned off...could that be an issue? I use unlimited data so never really know if I'm using wifi, so, again....that could be the issue somehow?

I want to be able to use wifi in Italy, although I understand you do need to login to even the free wifi as a result of terrorism laws. Thanks!

 

[karimarie]

Thanks for all the great info here. I'm testing my Samsung Charge here in Philly...and finding that when turning off wifi, turning on airplane, then turning wifi back on, I have no network connection. I have wifi here in my office. I also have data turned off...could that be an issue? I use unlimited data so never really know if I'm using wifi, so, again....that could be the issue somehow?

I want to be able to use wifi in Italy, although I understand you do need to login to even the free wifi as a result of terrorism laws. Thanks!

No data network, or no wifi? If you're using wifi, the wifi indicator will appear next to the clock in your phone's status bar, and you won't have a 3G/4G signal.