Using a SIM card it Italy

Apps stay in your phone. They don't disappear when you remove your SIM card.

I have a similar question. Verizon tells me my current smartphone is unlocked and compatible with Italian cell service, and says I could remove my Verizon SIM card and use my TIM SIM card while in Italy. For those with experience swapping US and Italian SIM cards, are there any “traps” to doing that? For example, would I need to perform some new set-up for my TIM SIM card to work in a different phone, would I need to turn off automatic e-mail updates to control usage of my TIM time, or could certain settings on my smartphone be lost when swapping SIM cards back and forth?

As mentioned in the previous reply, your Apps should still be there after you insert the new SIM. That's the way it works with my iPhone when I switch to my travel SIM.

A few points to mention though.......

• Is your unlocked iPhone a GSM model? If it's a Verizon iPhone 4 or earlier, it likely won't work in Europe whether unlocked or not.
• You'll need to be sure to get the correct version of the SIM card. You may find this helpful - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5554
• As you'll likely be using a PAYG plan, you may or may not be able to get data with that. In Italy you'll need to present your Passport and "register" in order to obtain a SIM card.

I have Vodafone in Italy, so I don't know what TIM offers, however if you have a smart phone you will need the data plan. It's a monthly plan and starts probably at around €15/month for the cheapest plan (500mb). It also generally includes a certain number of voice minutes and a number of SMS. I find 500Mb more than sufficient for the couple of weeks I generally go to Italy for. My wife generally gets 1Gb, which might be 5 euro more (with also more voice minutes and SMS). If you are willing to pay €50 for a month, you will have 3Gb and unlimited calls and unlimited SMS.
Definitely you need to check if your Iphone works with GSM. Then the next best thing to do is go to a store and let them insert the SIM card for you and test it.

Good information. Verizon support did verifiy that my Droid meets all requirements to use an Italian SIM card, but I hadn't thought about whether the SIM card in my older style Italian cell phone is compatible. I'll stop at the TIM store and have them check.

The SIM card for the Iphone (at least my Iphone 5) is a micro SIM and is smaller than the old SIM cards used by my other "not so smart" phones. So if you bought an Italian SIM card in the past for a regular phone, you probably need a microSIM for your Iphone. Not sure if they can transfer your old number into a new Micro-SIm.

To keep things less expensive, you can use the sim card for calls, but rely on free wifi for you data usage. If you need to be connected constantly, then a special data plan may be necessary.

A few updates and corrections to the above posts (I just returned from Italy):

1. The newest iPhone models, and some other newer smartphones, actually take a nano-SIM. Most other smartphones take a micro-SIM, and most dumbphones take a mini-SIM (of course, there are LOTS of exceptions). In case you are wondering, a "full size" SIM is the size of a credit card, and phones haven't taken these for years. Here's a great photo showing how the mini-, micro-, and nano-SIMs compare: http://tinyurl.com/kocxz2m. Note that while a mini-SIM and a micro-SIM are the same thickness, a nano-SIM is a bit thinner. If you really want details along with more pictures, here's the Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_SIM#Formats

2. TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile) has a wonderful new deal called TIM Welcome. For €30 you get a SIM, 2GB of data, 200 minutes to use to call Italy or many foreign countries (including the US) and €5 euros of credit for texts or more calls. In Europe, receiving calls and texts is free. I had a dumphone and so didn't need data, so I paid €20 for €15 of credit for talk and texts.

3. When you buy the SIM, you need to bring your passport; sometimes you also need a codice fiscale. Here's how to get one (scroll to the bottom of the page where it says "Codice Fiscale - what's that?): http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/italy.php

4. When you buy your SIM, make sure the sales person sets your phone so you get your voice mails and balance updates in English.

5. The TIM store in Rome Fiumicino Airport terminal 1 (after security) was selling mini-SIM's and micro-SIMs, so I was able to buy mine there (we had a layover there on our way to Sicily). But my friend's phone takes a nano-SIM, and they didn't have these in stock. So he had to get his at a TIM store in Palermo.

6. The only thing that will disappear when you change SIM cards is anything actually stored on the SIM card. For dumbphones, sometimes phone numbers or text messages are stored there, but these can also be stored on the phone. For smartphones, the apps are on the phone, so you won't lose these. Nothing about the appearance or use of your iPhone will change, except that on your screen where it now says "Verizon," it will say "TIM"

Thanks, Harold, for all that great advice. I usually just roam with my UK phone but I think I'll buy my iPhone a present this time. That's all helpful good stuff. For the first time I am the proud owner of a codice fiscale. Thanks...