iMessage when traveling

[etaleb]

Folks - on my verizon iPhone, I've turned off Cellular data roaming as I don't want to incur any roaming charges with travel pass. If someone sends me a text from an android phone, will it still come through as a regular text message thus causing me to activate that day's travel pass? Nothing is urgent for me so was hoping not to incur any charges and I'll get to my texts once I'm in the hotel connected to wifi

Thanks

 

[JemTheWire]

I may be wrong, but I don't think that you will get a 'conventional' text message until your device has cellular access.
However, if your device is connected to Wi-Fi and someone sends you an iMessage, you will receive that.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

@JemTheWire has it right… currently, SMS/MMS messages are delivered via carrier signal only, not data. Won’t matter if you’re on WiFi or roaming, you’d only get a text message if your carrier has a forwarding agreement with wherever you are. Only iMessage will come through reliably.

Once RCS rolls out later this year, you can get messages from Android via WiFi (but still not true SMS, e.g. multi-factor login codes)

 

[Le Big Mac]

If you turn off data roaming only, then you will (likely) establish a cellular connection and can get calls and SMS.

If you're worried about incurring roaming charges internationally (totally reasonable!) easiest to turn on airplane mode and then activate wifi when you want. Then you won't incur charges for phone calls that roll to VM. Leave data roaming off as well in case you forget about airplane mode.

 

[Domadia_Jasmine]

Normally your cellular data is off & cellular signal ( for calls & sms ) is on, you should receive SMS from android, banks etc. though I don’t know how Verizon charges for the SMS while roaming

 

[Yun0]

Once RCS rolls out later this year, you can get messages from Android via WiFi (but still not true SMS, e.g. multi-factor login codes)

wifi calling already does that, has for years. just images/videos dont go through since they want data enabled/connected for some reason

 

[Böhme417]

You won't incur any "roaming" data charges if you are using travel pass. Travel pass enables regular use of your device as if you were home for $10 per day. If you don't utilize travel pass and turn off your data, you can still connect to a mobile network for calls and text messages but will be charged a per minute and per message rate. (You will be charged a per MB rate as well if you use data without travel pass.)

It sounds like what you want to do is just keep your phone in airplane mode the whole time until you can connect to wifi, and then you'll have data (iMessage) and such. If you have wifi calling enabled, it will also connect to Verizon for you to make calls and send/receive regular text messages at no additional charge.