IOS and Android devices have a ton of similarities. There’s an argument to be made though, that having an iPhone brings many more benefits to the user. Since, you can potentially piggyback on all of the perks that Android users have. Which is basically access to the G-Suite. With an iPhone though you’re going to have the best of IOS devices as well. There are different ways to make international calls. iPhone users may just have a couple of extra options when compared to folks who have other types of devices. Now, having more options doesn’t mean that you necessarily have better options. That’s also a part that we’re going to be keen to explore. To make sure that you find the best ways to call abroad or call home when you’re abroad.
That’s actually another important distinction that we’re going to have to make. Calling abroad while you’re at home is not the same as calling back home or to another country when you’re the one that’s abroad. The rates that you would have to pay if you used your regular wireless coverage will definitely vary. When it comes to using apps to make international calls iPhone has some exclusive apps that could be good options. However, you still have to take into account some of the hidden costs that you can pay when using these apps. We’re going to be looking at overall costs, call quality and other elements that can help you decide what the best way to make international calls on an iPhone device might be. Here are the topics that we’re going to cover.
- International Calls iPhone – Using FaceTime
- International Calls iPhone – Could Other Apps Be A Better Option?
- Calling With Your Regular Service
- The Costs of Using Apps to Call Internationally
- Is It Worth To Buy Extra Coverage Abroad
- Call or Text What Is The Option?
International Calls iPhone – Using FaceTime
Pretty much the native iPhone app that allows users to make international calls without using their phone line is FaceTime. This is an app that has been around for a long time. The best thing about this particular app is the fact that you don’t need to have an active wireless service connection to be able to use it. As is the case with most apps. You can call via wifi or another network connection. As we’ve mentioned FaceTime is a native app of the IOS suite. Therefore no download is actually required if you happen to have an iPhone. The way that the app operates is very similar to what you can find in apps like Zoom, or Skype. You’ll be seeing a live feed of the person on the other side of the line.
The only thing that you would have to worry about when using this app is the amount of data that you could be using up. This is a concern if you’re not on a wifi connection. If you’re on a wifi, particularly one that you’re not necessarily paying for per GB of usage you’re in the clear. As you won’t have to be dealing with the usual per minute rates and things like that. As far as we know that app works in all of the developed countries that you can visit. China, Cuba, and other countries that are known for being a bit restrictive with what their population can or can’t do may have certain restrictions on the usage of this app.
International Calls iPhone – Could Other Apps Be A Better Option?
Whenever we talk about calls through apps we always come back to the same thing. It really depends on who you want to call. The thing with FaceTime is that it’s pretty much limited to IOS users. This means that you can call other iPhone users. You’ll have the advantage of being able to call someone who is on their iPad or their iMac. If they are a full android user though, then you’re going to have to find other apps to call them up. We also have another article that talks about the different apps that you can use to make calls. That we’re going to link to here.
As far as quality and usability goes we feel that it largely comes down to what you’re used to. Most of these apps are able to provide decent quality calls provided that you have a decent connection. That’s really what it comes down to. When you’re picking the app that you want to use to call it could be a good idea to literally ask the people that you want to call what app they use. There’s typically no cross compatibility. If you want to call landlines through an app there are only a few options for that including Skype and Google Hangouts from the USA. Google Hangouts doesn’t offer this feature in the entire world.
Calling With Your Regular Service
The thing about calling with your regular service is that you’re going to have to pay a per minute fee. There are certain countries where you can get preferential rates when you’re there. If we are talking about US service providers you can have a plan that includes a certain number of calls when you’re in Mexico and Canada. Going over all of the different rates you can expect per service provider would take a long time. We have different articles on this topic that we’re going to link to here. The per minute rates are never a good idea. At least now that there are other options available. The way that we see it though, one of the biggest problems are the added costs of making these calls that sometimes people really don’t take into account.
When you want to make a call you have to open up your data to be able to make the call. You need to make sure that you deactivate said data from your different apps. What can happen is that when you make the call a lot of data is being used in the background as some of the other apps are updating. All of the dms that you get for example on social media apps could come through at this moment. That’s not inherently bad except when you are not in an area where you’re covered for unlimited data. As we mentioned you could configure your cell phone to make sure that you don’t use up data on the other apps when you make a call. If you don’t do that though, you could be looking at much higher costs than just the per minute rate.
The Costs of Using Apps to Call Internationally
We talked about some of the added costs that you could see when you make calls through your regular service provider. That would add up on top of the per minute cost that will be a fixed rate if you will. Pretty much the same concept is going to apply when we talked about the added costs of making international calls iPhone apps just as other apps take up data. If you’re not using a free data source like your hotel wifi you are going to get hit with some type of fee. There’s really no way to avoid this. There are certainly ways to mitigate the cost for sure. For example if you’re using an international day pass you’re essentially already going to be paying extra cash for data. Therefore, you can use some of that data to make calls when you’re abroad.
The good thing about using apps to make international calls, iPhone users have ways to ensure that these calls are actually “free”. You can make a call from coffee shop wifi, or hotel room wifi. We’ve actually come across some very interesting options to find wifi hotspots virtually in any place in the world. There’s an argument to be made that making important calls through mobile wifi hotspot isn’t necessarily the safest option to safeguard your data. You can take steps though to make sure that your data is protected. A VPN is one of the best ways to safeguard your data. There’s a lot of information on that online for sure!
Is It Worth To Buy Extra Coverage Abroad?
This question is virtually what this whole site is about. The answer is, it depends, and that’s basically the reason why we’ve been able to create so many articles seemingly around this same dilemma. In this case though when it comes to international calls iPhone users want to make it depends on what type of calls you need to make. Calling through apps as we’ve discussed can be a great way to avoid the per minute rates that you’re going to have to be dealing with when you make regular calls. The problem is that most apps are not going to allow you to make calls to landlines. Need to make restaurant reservations or call your hotel? What are you going to do then?
With that in mind, we typically recommend that you have at least one phone with you on your trip that has the capability of making calls to landlines. For example, if you’re traveling as a family or group of four maybe you won’t get extra coverage for all of the devices that you’re carrying on the trip. You’ll have one phone though that you’re going to essentially invest in. From there it would be a good idea to make sure the rest of the calls that you make are through apps and you don’t use your minutes or data abroad with the other phones. It’s easy to make international calls. iPhone users can just use FaceTime on the hotel wifi. Have the other phone as more of an emergency tool. Of course, this advice goes for folks who are traveling on a budget.
International Calls iPhone – Call or Text What Is The Option?
The answer to this question could heavily depend on what you chose to do in the last dilemma that we talked about. If you bought extra coverage then texting could be a better option because it’s typically going to use up less of the extra data that you bought. Texting can be a great way to get the most out of your coverage. If you want to be on full data save mode what you can do is resort to texting when you’re not connected to a wifi network. Make sure that the data is off on the phone, and only turn it on sporadically to check the texts that you got. Make calls when you’re connected to a wifi network.
If you want to save up data and you want to contact people from across the world on a shaky connection texting through apps could be the more effective option. The reason why we wouldn’t suggest calling as your main method of communication is because you need a better connection to keep a stable call. If you make regular calls you’re not going to be able to shake off the per minute rate. The most cost effective way to communicate is certainly texting. Now, make sure that you don’t leave your data on all day or just use your phone as you normally would at home. FYI all of this information applies when you’re the one abroad. If you’re at home texting or making calls through apps are equally good options. Particularly if you’re on an unlimited data plan. You won’t have extra costs.
International Calls iPhone – Conclusion
You’re going to have the native app option which is facetime. If your whole family are iPhone users that’s really something that can work out well. If you’re at home making the call there’s essentially no extra charge that you’re going to have to worry about. The same thing essentially goes for any app that allows you to make calls via the internet. What’s important as we always talk about when we bring up this subject is making sure that the people you want to call are on the app that you like to use.
Making international calls iPhone users should just forget about calling directly from their phone lines? Sometimes you’re not going to have a lot of options. There aren’t too many apps that are going to allow you to reliably call landlines. Therefore, in those moments you’re going to need to make regular calls. For the most part though if you’re the one abroad you are most likely going to want to make calls when you have a good Wi-Fi connection through an app. That way you won’t have to worry about per minute rates or anything like that.