I am still confused by this for some reason. Which number should we be registering with Apple? The new eSim number? Wouldn't that then create confusion for the iMessage recipients and create separate iMessage threads?
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iPhone 14 Pro Max Travel with eSIM
- Thread starter joeblow7777
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I have had 3 numbers registered with my Apple ID before. (2 lines and 1 Google Voice number). Right now only 2. I would register your main home country #s only if it was me.
In Messages you can choose which # to start new conversations from (your primary #). Settings --> Messages --> Send & Receive. "You can receive iMessages to and reply from". Make sure all your #s have a blue checkbox next to them that you want to use with iMessage.
I register them with Apple so they get treated as iMessage recipients/senders - meaning they work on wifi, airplane mode, etc.
Hope this helps. This is confusing to me too.
Well my phone number has been used for my iMessages up until now, even though it looks like it’s not registered. I can’t register now because I can’t receive the verification code on that line while I’m traveling.
In any case, no need for you all to try to figure this out for my benefit. You’ve already been very helpful! The most important thing is that I can use data, and funny enough, WhatsApp is working perfectly as far as I can tell. My only concern is that anyone back home trying to reach me by iMessage using my usually contact is unable to, but anyone who really needs to reach me has other means of doing so, so it’s not the end of the world.
Oh dang, you're traveling already. Wow. Sorry to hear!
Well thank you for posting what has happened - it will help others (and us).Yeah at the very worst you can use iMessage (your Apple ID email) to text people you know while you're traveling.
What is your home carrier if you don't mind saying?
Hope you have a great trip!!!
My home carrier is Telus (Canadian). I don’t know if that complicates things. Anyway, thanks again for your help!Oh dang, you're traveling already. Wow. Sorry to hear!
Yeah at the very worst you can use iMessage (your Apple ID email) to text people you know while you're traveling.
What is your home carrier if you don't mind saying?
Hope you have a great trip!!!
I use a second SIM for local data when I am traveling. Once arrived, I just turn the travel SIM on in addition to the home SIM. Turn off cellular data of the home SIM and only use the travel SIM data. This way your iMessage and FaceTime keep your home number (otherwise your contacts will go from blue to green bubbles) active and y can use it just like home.
There should be no charges to your Canadian number as you are not using the phone or data feature.
In my case, I even activate Wi-Fi calling for my home SIM. This way the local data gets used to route the roaming calls without any roaming charges.
I’ve tried having my home SIM activated alongside my travel SIM. iMessages still can’t be sent to or received from my usual (phone number) contact. Attempts to send to that contact result in failure. Sending a message myself results in the recipient receiving it from a different contact (my iCloud email).
My guess is that'll have to wait till you get back to Canada to re-activate your home sim. That's my fault for suggesting that you turn off your primary sim. Sorry bout that.
It’s really not a problem! In fact, it’s probably a good thing that I’m a little harder to reach while on vacation! Don’t worry about it. 🙂
Not sure why imessages is not working for you whilst overseas (I'm guessing BigMcGuire suggestion about registering your number with Apple is correct).
But it's good to know Whatsapp is working for you, so you can still receive messages whilst overseas.
Whatsapp (despite some people's concerns about it being owned by FB), is an excellent cross platform messaging app. As someone who doesn't live in the US...I hardly ever use imessage (heck my last imessage was sent over a year ago); Whatsapp is the defacto messaging app (even in places like the UK where the iPhone is quite popular).
Basically yes. Treat it no differently to putting your phone into airplane mode and connecting to a wifi network (with internet access). Provided you're setup correctly you still should receive messages and/or calls from imessage as well as apps such as FB messenger, Whatsapp, Viber, Signal, Telegram, Skype, MS teams etc etc.
Granted there are esim plans that do come with a phone number...but as far as I'm aware, they're fairly rare. The vast majority of plans I've searched for on both Airalo and Mobimatters are data only plans (with no phone number).
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The re-enabling of iMessages might take a moment. I had this happen to me as well (on iOS 15) when I accidentally deactivated my main number in favor of two different travel SIM. Apparently, iOS 16 fixed this issue by keeping the iMessage active for 30 days.
Just wait a bit or deactivate and re-activate again with some 5-10min in between.
Good luck for your travels!
My concern is the ability to continue to receive iMessages from my home number (Canada) and not via email. So thanks for this great explanation, I just want to make sure I understand this correctly:
Upon landing: 1- the travel SIM should be turned on. 2 - home SIM should be left on. 3 - data for the home SIM should be turned off. Is this correct? Where specifically in the iPhone settings should home data be turned off?
So with the above method iMessages from back home will continue to come through via home number? Also by leaving the home SIM on don't I risk roaming charges for incoming calls from back home?
Sorry for so many questions but there are too many conflicting messages out there.
No problem. Always happy to help. I took a few screenshot on my iOS 15.7. [corrected my typo]
Salt is my home line and Kingdom is for travel. As you can see, both lines are turned on when I am on travel.
Cellular Data is currently off - this is where you make the switch to the travel line once you are abroad.
If you select the travel line in cellular data, you will not use any of your home or roaming data but only the travel sim.
To be 100% sure, do make sure the "Data Roaming" is deactivated in the setting for your home line. This ensures that you can receive calls (yes, with roaming charges) but no data charges are incurring.
Depending on your carrier, you can enable Wi-Fi calling for your home line to use it abroad without additional charges. This is not the same for all carriers, do research or call support to check. In my case, if I use Wi-Fi calling with my home line I can make and take calls abroad WITHOUT any roaming charges. "Wi-Fi calling" is displayed with your carrier information if it is activated.
I hope this helps you. Don't hesitate to ask additional questions...
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This is awesome! Thank you very much. Unfortunately my carrier (Bell) only allows wifi calling in the home country. But that's ok - my main concern was to be able to use my home phone # for iMessage without interruption, which you so greatly took the time to explain.
As a side note I've noticed you're on iOS 17 - any issues with using the beta as it relates to eSIM/travel SIM? Thanks again.
@outlawarth, I am actually on iOS 15.7, just corrected my typo. The dual sim features in iOS 16 are said to be (even) better but I am reluctant to upgr and change a well-running system. Everything works great and probability is high that battery won’t be as good with the new iOS on my 13 mini.
Maybe someone else can report on the iOS 17 dual sim features.
Rant incoming ...
This whole thing re iMessage and FaceTime using phone numbers that have to be "Apple Approved" is annoying.
I'll refer to my home/personal number as "local" and the ones I get when travelling as "travel". I used to carry two phones when travelling. One with my local number and one with the travel one. I could turn off the local phone and iMessage/Facetime continues to work with that number for up to a month. All you need to then do is turn the phone on for a few minutes, and you get another month.
However, if you swap SIMS (either by pulling the local one out and putting the travel one in, or turning off the local eSIM) then Apple decides that your phone no longer has that number and de-registers it from both iMessage and Facetime immediately. Very annoying.
There are two solutions (well, a third solution would be to go back to two phones...). First option, do as mentioned above. keep the local eSIM turned on but deactivate as much as possible and hope people don't keep calling you, racking up huge roaming fees. You could divert all calls to voicemail. The second option is to make everyone use your iCloud email address as the iMessage and Facetime contact. I tried that, but it confused the hell out of everyone because of Apple's stupid idea to try and merge iMessage to SMS and Facetime to phone calls, the latter of which of course use phone numbers as normal.
The easiest method is to switch everything to Whatsapp (or Line, or something) that isn't so stupidly integrated into non-similar features. grr.
This whole thing re iMessage and FaceTime using phone numbers that have to be "Apple Approved" is annoying.
I'll refer to my home/personal number as "local" and the ones I get when travelling as "travel". I used to carry two phones when travelling. One with my local number and one with the travel one. I could turn off the local phone and iMessage/Facetime continues to work with that number for up to a month. All you need to then do is turn the phone on for a few minutes, and you get another month.
However, if you swap SIMS (either by pulling the local one out and putting the travel one in, or turning off the local eSIM) then Apple decides that your phone no longer has that number and de-registers it from both iMessage and Facetime immediately. Very annoying.
There are two solutions (well, a third solution would be to go back to two phones...). First option, do as mentioned above. keep the local eSIM turned on but deactivate as much as possible and hope people don't keep calling you, racking up huge roaming fees. You could divert all calls to voicemail. The second option is to make everyone use your iCloud email address as the iMessage and Facetime contact. I tried that, but it confused the hell out of everyone because of Apple's stupid idea to try and merge iMessage to SMS and Facetime to phone calls, the latter of which of course use phone numbers as normal.
The easiest method is to switch everything to Whatsapp (or Line, or something) that isn't so stupidly integrated into non-similar features. grr.
That depends. If you don't answer it and the call gets sent to voicemail then you MIGHT be charged for both an incoming call (to the phone) and outgoing call (to your home-country voicemail number). I think it depends on how the call is diverted to voicemail. If it's automatic (the call times out) then it SHOULD be free. If the call is manually rejected on the phone then you MAY be charged. I'm hoping network providers don't do this any more but they certainly used to.
If you have a full divert/forwarding enabled (i.e. all calls go to voicemail) then there should be no charge, as the divert is done in your home country. If you have no voicemail function and don't answer, then there's still no charge as the call is never answered.
Thank you Adrian for sharing this info. I am on iOS 15 and thought this to be the reason why the deactivated eSIM immediately disconnects from iMessage. Seems to be not the case and iOS 16 or 17 also do not appear to solve this.