iPhone/Android for travel?

[Buffalonian]

Another vote for Google Fi. A Pixel 3A with Google Fi is my only phone, and I used it seamlessly in 7 countries outside the U.S. last year. (Canada; Peru; Columbia; Iceland; Denmark; Sweden; and Turkey.)

Bills have averaged about $45 to $65 a month, depending on how much I'm away from home -- far less than what I was paying Verizon for service in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico only.

One caveat: I don't stream much video or music. If I did, the cost would be higher.

A quick funny story: On a flight from Reykjavik to Copenhagen, I forgot to put the phone in airplane mode. From 38 thousand feet, it pinged to say: "Welcome to the Faroe Islands." So yes, it works there too.

[DQBunny]

Good luck with the new phone!

My husband has a Pixel 2, and I have the 11 Pro but traveled to the UK twice this year with the XS. We had no issue connecting either phone when needed, and it was largely to keep the costs down that my husband kept his data off. It was $10 per day on Verizon to tap into my normal data bucket. The nice thing about the XS and higher is the dual SIMs, so if we had stayed longer, I could have activated a UK SIM card alongside my US one.

[ClicketySnap]

New iPhone purchased! and holy crap getting the two phones to talk to each other so that I can set up the new one is PAINFUL!!!

Thank you again for all of the feedback everyone, it has given me a lot of other things to research!

[ClicketySnap]

You can use Google Fi with an iPhone now too, if that helps!

Personally I'm team iPhone (well, Apple in general). If I've ever had an issue with a device I've been able to make an appointment with the Apple Store and get it fixed, regardless of where I am.

If you're swapping Sim Cards in different countries (i.e. buying a local one) be aware that some of them want to change settings on your device - on an iPhone this is limited to the network settings by the OS, but on Androids it can completely change your homescreen layout and preferences!

I have used Google Fi as my primary (only) line for a few years now. It's gotten better over time. It worked well in Europe and in the Middle East for me, and recently they improved the service in West Africa. At home in the US, it has some surprising dead spots on my commute, but except for that is good at home, work and most places. It even latched onto the US Cellular network to give me service in a really remote area of North Carolina where no one else's phones seemed to work. (The additional networks only work with Android phones.)

They now offer an "unlimited" option as well as metered data, and that includes international use (up to 22 GB / month).

Thank you so much for your feedback. Fortunately for me, iPhones went on wonderful sales this weekend and that's probably what I'll end up doing. My parents and most of the people I volunteer with have iPhones, and I am planning on upgrading my computer this year to a Macbook Air or Macbook Pro 13". I've never had the kind of issue with a phone that led me to seek service and repair, so I totally forgot about Apple stores worldwide. That's a pretty big bonus.
I never even thought about foreign SIM cards changing settings on your phone!! I'll give my partner a heads up, as his Huawei phone loves to mess with him on a good day.

Unfortunately, Google Fi is only available in the US. That's why I've never heard of it. Canada can be pretty lame when it comes to phone services and networks.

[bchaplin]

I have used Google Fi as my primary (only) line for a few years now. It's gotten better over time. It worked well in Europe and in the Middle East for me, and recently they improved the service in West Africa. At home in the US, it has some surprising dead spots on my commute, but except for that is good at home, work and most places. It even latched onto the US Cellular network to give me service in a really remote area of North Carolina where no one else's phones seemed to work. (The additional networks only work with Android phones.)

They now offer an "unlimited" option as well as metered data, and that includes international use (up to 22 GB / month).

[RosemaryOrchard]

You can use Google Fi with an iPhone now too, if that helps!

Personally I'm team iPhone (well, Apple in general). If I've ever had an issue with a device I've been able to make an appointment with the Apple Store and get it fixed, regardless of where I am. Long ago there was also the concern about finding chargers but thankfully iPhones have only ever had 2 charging adapters. Nowadays the vast majority of Android phones are USB C anyway making that less of a concern.

If you're swapping Sim Cards in different countries (i.e. buying a local one) be aware that some of them want to change settings on your device - on an iPhone this is limited to the network settings by the OS, but on Androids it can completely change your homescreen layout and preferences! The latter happened to a friend of mine 3 times on a trip (she bought 3 sim cards, and they changed things every time). Hopefully this sort of thing is happening less and less.

[ClicketySnap]

I have an Android phone I use for international travel. I use it with Google Fi network. Overseas it connects to T-mobile and operates the same as it does in the states. Data used comes from the standard "bucket" you pay for ($10/gigabyte up to $60 - then data is slowed with no additional charges). It's a little pricey for data but cheaper than international plans offered. My stateside phone is an iPhone on Verizon. I would use the android phone in the states but we live in a T-mobile dead zone. Verizon is the only carrier that has some service where we live.

Same, I use Google FI and I love it - it seamlessly switches between various networks including Wi-Fi which makes it a great experience. I routinely travel within the US and to Japan, Canada, Europe and love that I don't have to worry about anything, it just works (@rabergnc describes the charges).

My bill is in the same general range every month, and much more reasonable than when I was using T-mobile, verizon, and AT&T. Plus with Fi you can get free data SIMs so you can have a bunch of devices that all connect to your account which I definitely use (I have 4 devices). With that said I'm almost always in a major city, but have driven between cities in the US, Canada and Europe with no problems.

In short, FI is pretty reasonable, you can add multiple data SIMs, and you can travel internationally without worry or hassle, all of your devices just work, including iPhones if you have them.

I've literally never heard of this before. Off to Google I go!

[GrussGott]

Same, I use Google FI and I love it - it seamlessly switches between various networks including Wi-Fi which makes it a great experience. I routinely travel within the US and to Japan, Canada, Europe and love that I don't have to worry about anything, it just works (@rabergnc describes the charges).

My bill is in the same general range every month, and much more reasonable than when I was using T-mobile, verizon, and AT&T. Plus with Fi you can get free data SIMs so you can have a bunch of devices that all connect to your account which I definitely use (I have 4 devices). With that said I'm almost always in a major city, but have driven between cities in the US, Canada and Europe with no problems.

In short, FI is pretty reasonable, you can add multiple data SIMs, and you can travel internationally without worry or hassle, all of your devices just work, including iPhones if you have them.

[rabergnc]

I have an Android phone I use for international travel. I use it with Google Fi network. Overseas it connects to T-mobile and operates the same as it does in the states. Data used comes from the standard "bucket" you pay for ($10/gigabyte up to $60 - then data is slowed with no additional charges). It's a little pricey for data but cheaper than international plans offered. My stateside phone is an iPhone on Verizon. I would use the android phone in the states but we live in a T-mobile dead zone. Verizon is the only carrier that has some service where we live.

[ClicketySnap]

I traveled to Europe with an iPhone and T-mobile, which is a German company. I didn't have to do anything special with my phone. Everything worked like normal.

My Dad traveled with us, with an iPhone and AT&T and he had to buy a special package to get service in Europe.

That’s a fair point. I believe I’ve checked before which European providers my Canadian provider is compatible with, and I’ve never had phone connectivity issues in the few countries I’ve been to. My iPhone occasionally says it has service but refuses to send iMessages, or can’t browse the internet when my android tablet can.


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[ClicketySnap]

Also, you can pry my apple watch from my cold dead wrist. :-)

Hahahaha [emoji23][emoji23] I feel the same about my Fitbit Versa!


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[bartleby]

After five years with an Android phone I switched to the iPhone world this year. I travel a lot in Europe and the US and I didn‘t notice much of a difference. I even used my Android phone to go online with my MacBook which some people might regard as a sacrilege I agree with BWeaves that your provider is more important than your device as the quality of the net might be different (at least in Europe) as well as their service.

[lizziejean3]

My husband and I got the Pixel 3s last year and traveled to Lisbon. No problems at all using it there!

[BWeaves]

I traveled to Europe with an iPhone and T-mobile, which is a German company. I didn't have to do anything special with my phone. Everything worked like normal.

My Dad traveled with us, with an iPhone and AT&T and he had to buy a special package to get service in Europe.

[jessmakes]

I think that anymore, it's just going to be about user preference - use whatever you want. :-) For me, I'm team iphone and have been since Verizon started supporting them. I appreciate that even if I'm traveling internationally, the phone doesn't change and is available/supported around the world, including availability of Apple stores if I had issues that would warrant a visit. YMMV. Also, you can pry my apple watch from my cold dead wrist. :-)