With my iPhone16 plus, I can select the default messaging app. iMessage has a toggle on or off setting. No iPhone user is locked into iMessages.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2b193f06e.jpeg

I think mistytalon means that you can’t send an SMSs only to a single recipient (with iMessage) while keeping iMessage on in general?

There used to be an option where you pressed and held on the iMessage bubble within the first minute, and it allowed you to ‘Send as text message’. IIRC, it might have become an option which only showed up when the message was ‘Not delivered’, which would make it useless in the situation misty described…

(Not that I use iMessage anymore; WhatsApp dominates outside the US, maybe Line or WeChat for specific markets.)

Going to Greece later this month.

Supposedly Cosmote has the best coverage which may be key going to some of the islands where the attractions are beaches and cliffs which are far away from cities of any size.

I can't tell from the Cosmote site whether they offer prepaid eSIMs. They do have some pages in English but when you try to drill down for details, it's in Greek.

Has anyone been recently? Curious about which carriers they were on, what the speeds and coverage were like.

Prepaid Data Wikia lists some unlimited offers but not sure how current that is. Also, last time I went, supposedly only the store at Syntagma had people who spoke English. So I recall walking about a kilometer there and they said they run out of prepaid kits all the time.

But also want to know which carriers various eSIMs use.

for local providers / MVNOs, you can generally find out easily the network, but as you noticed supporting remote/easy eSIM purchase (or needing KYC/passport scans) is very inconsistent.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GreeceTrave...efore_leaving/
this report says need in person KYC. some countries allow online KYC (selfie of passport etc) but not Greece?


for non-local roaming/travel eSIMs, i'd say that 60% of them do NOT tell you the underlying network provider, or the exit IP (extra latency/delay in loading pages). majority don't need KYC but I know a few that do

do you truely need unlimited or more than 3GB/day?

roaming/travel eSIMs will be expensive for that (at least $1/GB, or if you commit to connectpls or Orange holiday/ESIM.net with phone number - 100GB for $40-$60, which is $0.3-$0.5/GB). and if you choose correctly, these roaming/travel eSIMs may support multiple provider (and having a Europe exit IP would minimize latency issues), and more useful if traveling across Europe.

local providers usually is cheaper? ($10-$20 for large data bucket) and su pport some Europe roaming (typically up to 23GB max, usually less)

I don't plan to use more than 3 GB a day but I have. For instance, I used over 55 GB on a recent trip on the Orange Euro eSIM.

I may just go with that, though some of the "unlimited" Cosmote prices sound good, maybe too good to be true.

Seeking advice and recommendations. I have an 8 day trip to Germany coming up in October. Will be in Munich, Regensburg with a possibility of Prague or Salzburg. Travelling with people that are not planners and probably will not have thought ahead at all. Was considering just using an Airalo data only esim, but would be interested in another option that would give me a local number to have while I'm there. I see some that will give me a UK number for a not horrible price. Any reputable companies that offer a German number, and that I can activate from the US? Or is my best play to go with my original plan and get a data only from Airalo and plan on using Whatsapp instead of regular calling and texting?

If you really need a German number, you can sign up for prepaid with any of the German networks or MVNOs. Germany requires ID verification for mobile service. Some carriers have a way to submit it online, but a couple MVNOs get around it by allowing only PayPal or or direct debit. You can sign up from the U.S. but it probably won't activate until you're in Germany. This is far easier if you speak German.

If you don't need a German number, Airalo, Vodafone Travel, etc. will be fine. You can get by just fine doing normal tourist things without a local number. WhatsApp is everywhere, so you'll be able to WhatsApp your tour guide, the guy or girl from the bar last night, etc. On the off chance that you actually have to call someone's landline, you can pay the 1-2c/min to do it on Google Voice or the VoIP provider of your choice.

If you are OK with a Spanish number - then I recommend this: https://www.esimholidays.com/en/europe.They essentially sign you up for a domestic account on Orange Spain. The prices are very good, you would pay less than 1 Euro per GB. And you can call restaurants for reservations as you get outgoing minutes.

I checked the Roamless desktop website and they list: Wind 5G, Vodafone 5G, & Cosmote 5G for Greece. Probably a little pricy when compared to some other services, but they have been good on connectivity for me in the past for Europe. 20Gb=$35/30 days. They frequently have sales that can cut your costs substantially and the customer service has been good also.

I have had a plan for a few years with them, and it is a solid service where credits never expire. They have one & done plans also, which I have quoted above.

About to leave for Greece.

Was going to get the Orange Euro eSIM but they currently say the 100 GB bundle is unavailable. Never seen that before.

I may try the Cosmote. Can't really tell from their website because it's only partly in English but they offer eSIM, though it's not clear they offer prepaid eSIMs. Also not clear if I should spend limited time going to one of their stores.


Here's an option I just found, Vodafone seems to be selling eSIMs directly online.

https://travel.vodafone.com/our-destinations/europe

Price isn't as good as the Orange eSIM and you figure you don't roam on as many different networks. Vodafone may have good networks in some countries but not clear it's good in all the countries.

Do most plans, and does Airalo in particular, allow me to purchase an eSIM but not activate it until 20 to 25 days later? Due to travel plans, it would be simpler to buy the eSIM that far in advance. (This is for an unlocked iPhone SE 2020.)

I will travel to England (10 days), France (14 days), and Germany (1 day). Since I have used Airalo before, I would just buy an Airalo eSIM unless someone advises against it, because of service issues or because I should have a voice number or something else. (In the past, I have not had voice capability. Is it more necessary today?) The front runner is Airalo's Eurolink 5 GB, 30 day, $20 eSIM. Tethering capability is a requirement.

Thanks.

Depends on provider. Some are activated immediately upon purchase, some are activated immediate after you scan qr code to load into phone, some are activated only if you connect to that countrys network. Some allow you to buy (and up to 30 -180 days to scan/activate)

(And some (very rare) will void out the esim entirely if you connect to an unsuupported network).

Its your choice if you're familiar and comfortable with Airalo (advertising dollars well spent), but s 5GB 30 day Europe esim should cost $5-10 (about $1/GB)

VALIDITY POLICY The validity period starts when the eSIM connects to a mobile network in its coverage area. If you install the eSIM outside of the coverage area, you can connect to a network when you arrive

If you visit UK first, this gets you more bang for the buck including a phone number. 25GB for £5 which includes 12GB to be used inside EU plus the UK phone number

https://www.lycamobile.co.uk/en/bundle/national-plus/

But you have to scan/activate inside UK (cannot activate outside), must be visiting UK first, and remember to disable autopay, and must activate within 30 days of purchsse

Capital, paperwastage! Yes, I will visit the UK first.

For me, it was a bit hard to find, but https://www.lycamobile.co.uk/en/data...ices-or-users/ does say that I can create a personal hotspot. (I included this paragraph in case another reader is looking for the information.)

It should not be a problem for me, but the instructions for activating the eSIM say, in part, "Scan the QR code with your device's camera." How does one do that if one has only a phone?

The page at the link you provided says, "EU Roaming (Data Cap up to 12GB)". Does that mean that I get a maximum of 12 GB after leaving England? When would it be less ("up to 12GB")? Related, https://www.lycamobile.co.uk/en/roam...untry-add-ons/ and pages linked from it imply that there is a charge for travel on the continent, but also says that France is "Roam Like Home" and the plan allowance covers it. Do you have any insight?

At a glance, I did not see how to turn off autopay. Is this obvious once I order or install the eSIM?

Thanks for the link.

I use three UK. I have had it for several years. I bought it off of eBay. iI you have money left over it never expires. You get a UK number that you can use all over Europe. I have used mine in France, Switzerland, Jordon, UK, and Austria.