Blue Sky - image courtesy flickr
There have been many horror stories shared in online forums about enormous data roaming fees being amassed through smartphone automatic data syncing or apps automatically running in the background. Often without the phone owner having any idea it’s happening.
Map - image courtesy flickr
People travelling with their smartphones are particularly susceptible to these problems, which can add a substantial amount to their total holiday spending without getting much back in return. How can you stop this from happening? There are some basic prevention measures to consider.
Whether it’s for business or pleasure, you should always check that your smartphone will work in the country you’re visiting. The best way to do this is to conduct some online research on your smartphone service provider’s website and then contact their customer service team to clarify any obscure areas. In particular, check that your smartphone is set up for international roaming.
Some smartphones require an international roaming service add-on to be downloaded and activated first. Check with your service provider what the rates will be in the country you’re visiting, as this will help you decide whether to keep your international roaming feature activated or disabled for your trip.
Rates vary from country to country. If they seem too high, you should ask yourself whether you need your smartphone to receive and make calls during your vacation or business trip and most importantly whether you need to use your data services.
You should consider the fact that most hotels and many cafes have WiFi available for you to use. This means services like Skype, Gmail chat and even Facebook chat are available at all times, meaning you can remain connected to family, friends or business contacts throughout your trip.
Power button - image courtesy flickr
If you decide the rates are too high for the country you’re visiting, or simply want to avoid the possibility of racking up unwanted fees through data syncing and data roaming features, then you should turn them off.
To do this, you will have to follow the procedure for your specific type of smartphone, which again can be found on your service provider’s website. Your ‘Data Roaming’ feature is usually in your main ‘Settings’, under ‘Wireless Controls’ and ‘Mobile Networks’.
Google - image courtesy flickr
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to turn Google Sync off without losing any data from calendars and contacts, which understandingly may put you off. Should you decide to turn Google Sync off, it will usually be under ‘Settings’, ‘Google Sync’ and ‘Background Data Auto-Sync’.
However, there is a further complication to the data roaming and data sync conundrum in the form of third-party apps you may have downloaded on to your smartphone. The cause of many people’s unpleasant data roaming fees surprises, some third-party apps can actually automatically turn data roaming back on to update and run in the background.
Motorola screenshot - image courtesy flickr
Short of going through all your apps and learning exactly how each will behave, there is an option that will enable you to take your smartphone abroad while avoiding all data roaming and data sync charges, albeit at the cost of not being able to receive or make calls. Simply put your phone into Airplane Mode.
As you may already know, Airplane Mode disables your smartphone’s cellular and data radio capabilities, but will still allow WiFi to be used on most models. This means you can utilise wireless internet access while abroad without any chance of data roaming fees mounting up during your trip.
Needless to say, while extremely useful on home ground, data roaming and data syncing can be a headache while you’re travelling. Sometimes smartphones are simply too smart for their own good. However, make the aforementioned considerations before contacting your service provider for advice and you’ll be able to steer clear of excessive data roaming charges on your business trip or vacation.
This article was written by Ally a tech, gadget and design fan.
