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Question about SIM Cards

Posted by on

Hi all!
Thanks for all of your help so far! Can't believe we are 5 days from leaving! My question today is about SIM cards. Last time we went to Europe we did not get SIM cards, and we only operated off of Wi-Fi from our normal cell phones.

This time, we are looking into getting SIMs when we get to Lisbon. The reason I would want a SIM card, is that I want to be able to iMessage with other iPhone users at home in the US while I am not connected to WiFi. When I send an iMessage, does that get sent as an SMS message (therefore subject to a limit on number of messages I can send), or does that get sent as part of the cellular data (would come out of the like 5GB I would get)?

Thanks!

Posted by
28247 posts

You might try re-posting this in the Technology Tips forum in hopes of responses from folks (unlike me) who are capable of answering. You might find your answer in prior threads in that forum, where there are frequent threads related to cell phones, but I can't promise that. I'm not an Apple person and don't pay any attention to Apple-specific posts.

Posted by
5687 posts

Apple's iMessages use WiFi or mobile data, not SMS, to send messages. iMessages that contain photos use a lot more data than simple texts messages, so I would avoid sending images in your messages unless you are on WiFI.

Are your phones unlocked now? They must be unlocked in order for you to use another SIM card in the phone. Who is your mobile provider in the US?

Here is some more info on Portuguese mobile companies and SIM cards:

https://prepaid-data-sim-card.fandom.com/wiki/Portugal

Posted by
48 posts

Our phones are unlocked and we have Verizon. We'll be in Lisbon, Sao Miguel and Porto for 13 days coming up next week!

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