Use of iPhone

What's App works on both iPhone and Android phones so no worries about texting a different type of phone ... putting your phone on airplane mode will block wi-fi so turn it off when you arrive ... depending on your service provider, you should be able to get international service on a per day basis using your account and you'll need a sim card for the countries you'll be visiting ... you can also get a mobile hotspot from a third party that will allow you to text or call when not on wi-fi ... I've never had the need for any of this, we just wait until we can connect to a free wi-fi and used the app maps.me for any navigation or directions (you download the apps and appropriate maps for where you will be and it works just as well as google maps)

Smitty, who is your cell phone provider? Some of them offer international roaming; some don't. If your provider does not offer international roaming (or it's too expensive), you can always buy a SIM card in Europe if want to be able to use the phone away from WiFi. But your phone has to be unlocked to be able to use a SIM card in place of the one from your US mobile provider. Changing SIM cards gives you a new phone number (temporarily - say a French phone number if you go to Paris and buy a French SIM card there for your phone)..

You can also install Google Voice on your phone and use that to make free voice calls to US numbers while in Europe and send free text messages...without the people you are calling needing to have WhatsApp installed. But if everyone you would call/message already has WhatsApp, then that's all you need. It will work on WiFi only if you don't have a SIM or don't have international roaming.

Thanks to Andrew H's advise and help, I used Google Voice during 2019 Italy trip. My technophobic hubby uses our land line and won't answer his flip phone. Google Voice will call land lines, WhatsApp won't. I also signed up for but only occasionally used Verizon's International plan ($10/day if used).

Agree with periscope. On older models you used to need to turn WiFi on while in Airplane mode (which left cellular data off), but now it defaults to WiFi on while in Airplane mode.

I've got a Samsung Galaxy so not as familiar with iPhone ... good to know ... thanks.

If you don't have T-Mobile and you travel a lot, consider changing providers and your worries are way less.

My family all does Facebook Messenger, so I used Messenger for both voice/video calls and messages, using either WiFi (or data). Both parties must have WhatsApp and Messenger in order to use either. But it is really useful to use in Europe! I have also used Skype (download the app and add $5-$10 of credit ahead of time) for calls home. It can be used to call landlines as well. Works the same as Google Voice.

Any answer depends on your needs.

“If you don't have T-Mobile and you travel a lot, consider changing providers and your worries are way less.”

I guess that would work for some folks but since I live in a T-Mobile blank spot I’d suggest you check the coverage out for any company you might decide to try. The US location where I travel to most also has zero T-Mobile coverage.

I’ve used WhatsApp a lot on my current trip. I’ve had several meetups with folks and this is the easiest way to communicate by far!

Smitty,

You can certainly use WhatsApp, Viber or other apps to communicate with family back home, using only WiFi. You'll need to ensure that Airplane mode is activated or cellular roaming switched "off" to ensure that you don't get any huge cellular roaming bills. You'll only be able to use this at the hotel or public WiFi spots. A few points to mention.....

• Hotel WiFi is sometimes a bit problematic in terms of speed or access. You will probably have to sign in with the password they provide every day and it may not operate well in all parts of the hotel.
• I generally try to avoid public WiFi spots as I'm not convinced that it's totally secure.
• You won't have access to any of the other functions on the phone when you're out touring.

You might want to touch base with your cellular provider to find out if they have a cost effective roaming plan. That's the option I normally use when travelling, as it provides the same service that I have at home (although it is somewhat expensive). Your profile doesn't indicate where you're from, but if you use T-Mobile they apparently have some reasonably priced plans. There have been numerous posts here on the forum about Google Fi, as that also provides inexpensive service.