International travel with Razr Maxx

[westtown8]

I will bring a copy of your post with ma. Thanks.

 

[Climb94]

Success in Thailand

@ littman - Thanks for your help. Using the info that I read on this thread I was able to successfully use my Droid Razr Maxx HD in Thailand. I simply swapped out my Verizon SIM for a prepaid from Happy/Dtac. (and followed the directions from littman) I had ample talk minutes for my trip plus unlimited data for 7 days. They even included access to their wifi hotspots which was very fast. (Total price ~$10)

It is really great to have a phone that keeps a charge and adapts overseas. Makes travel much more enjoyable. Now if they'd only improve the camera....

 

[tech_head]

I spoke with a Verizon agent last week about the update. She said that you can not remove the SIM card inside the Razr, and replace it with a local lower cost European SIM. If I want use my phone I must use Verizon's expensive plan. My other concern is that the ICS update does not go through before I need to leave.

Thank you both for your advice.

That is frankly a lie from the rep.
The Razr and all other LTE phones that support GMS are unlocked for local international SIMs once on ICS.

 

[TisMyDroid]

That is frankly a lie from the rep.
The Razr and all other LTE phones that support GMS are unlocked for local international SIMs once on ICS.

yes, verizon will usually tell you that because they want your money but foreign sims do work.

 

[beefchopper]

That is frankly a lie from the rep.
The Razr and all other LTE phones that support GMS are unlocked for local international SIMs once on ICS.

There is a BIG caution to that statement. While it is true all of the Verizon ICS phones are unlocked and have removable sims, and while it is also true that they can be used for making calls using foreign sim cards, it is not quite the whole story. As usual Verizon got very cute and with some of their phones like the Galaxy Note 2 they made it impossible to add APN information for any carrier other than Verizon which means that even if you put in a foreign sim, you can make calls but you cannot get data even on 3G when using a foreign sim. The only way to get around it is to root those phones. Once again Verizon has gone out of its way to figure out a way to squeeze more money out of their customers. By the way, the Galaxy Note 2 is carried by every single other carrier and on all, except Verizon you can add whatever APN information you want. So much for the meaning of the term "global phone" at Verizon.

 

[TisMyDroid]

There is a BIG caution to that statement. While it is true all of the Verizon ICS phones are unlocked and have removable sims, and while it is also true that they can be used for making calls using foreign sim cards, it is not quite the whole story. As usual Verizon got very cute and with some of their phones like the Galaxy Note 2 they made it impossible to add APN information for any carrier other than Verizon which means that even if you put in a foreign sim, you can make calls but you cannot get data even on 3G when using a foreign sim. The only way to get around it is to root those phones. Once again Verizon has gone out of its way to figure out a way to squeeze more money out of their customers. By the way, the Galaxy Note 2 is carried by every single other carrier and on all, except Verizon you can add whatever APN information you want. So much for the meaning of the term "global phone" at Verizon.

Wow, very sneaky of verizon. Currently you can access the apn settings in the Razr and Razr Maxx but wonder if Verizon will change that with the Jelly Bean update.

 

[beefchopper]

Wow, very sneaky of verizon. Currently you can access the apn settings in the Razr and Razr Maxx but wonder if Verizon will change that with the Jelly Bean update.

I certainly would not bet against that happening. This was no accident. It is clear Verizon went out of their way to eliminate a feature on every other carrier's phone and remember the Verizon version was the last one released.

 

[ggeinec]

There is a BIG caution to that statement. While it is true all of the Verizon ICS phones are unlocked and have removable sims, and while it is also true that they can be used for making calls using foreign sim cards, it is not quite the whole story. As usual Verizon got very cute and with some of their phones like the Galaxy Note 2 they made it impossible to add APN information for any carrier other than Verizon which means that even if you put in a foreign sim, you can make calls but you cannot get data even on 3G when using a foreign sim. The only way to get around it is to root those phones. Once again Verizon has gone out of its way to figure out a way to squeeze more money out of their customers. By the way, the Galaxy Note 2 is carried by every single other carrier and on all, except Verizon you can add whatever APN information you want. So much for the meaning of the term "global phone" at Verizon.

What about WiFi - does that still work with foreign SIM cards?

 

[TisMyDroid]

What about WiFi - does that still work with foreign SIM cards?

WiFi still works without any SIM card (foreign or domestic), without service and even in airplane mode.

Sent from my XT907 using Droid Forums

 

[Jemmyducks]

Wow, very sneaky of verizon. Currently you can access the apn settings in the Razr and Razr Maxx but wonder if Verizon will change that with the Jelly Bean update.

I'm running the leaked JB 4.1.2, and it appears to be possible to add new APNs in Settings.

 

[TisMyDroid]

I'm running the leaked JB 4.1.2, and it appears to be possible to add new APNs in Settings.

Thanks jemmy, that's good to know. It seems I read elsewhere (maybe bsweetness) where you have to be rooted to be able to access APN settings. It may depend on the phone?

Sent from my XT907 using Droid Forums

 

[bsweetness]

Thanks jemmy, that's good to know. It seems I read elsewhere (maybe bsweetness) where you have to be rooted to be able to access APN settings. It may depend on the phone?

Sent from my XT907 using Droid Forums

At this point, that's only for the Galaxy S3 and the Note 2.

 

[TisMyDroid]

Thanks bsweetness! I knew you would have good info on this.

Sent from my XT907 using Droid Forums

 

[patenlaw]

patenlaw

Hi and apologies for the dumb questions. I have a Droid Razr Maxx. I am travelling to Italy and want to buy a prepaid sim or micro-sim card when I get there to put in the phone. Question is, can I just buy one of these so-called international sim cards on Amazon before I leave and use that when I get there? Finding a place at the airport at 7:30 a.m. at Rome Fumicino airport is not likely to be an easy thing to accomplish and I do not want to spend my time driving around Rome looking for sim cards. P.S. I spoke to a so-called Verizon overseas techie on the phone last night and they said that the Razr Maxx is unlocked and compatible with Sim cards in Europe and should work. Thanks in advance. If you could copy your reply to my email that would be great.

 

[beefchopper]

Hi and apologies for the dumb questions. I have a Droid Razr Maxx. I am travelling to Italy and want to buy a prepaid sim or micro-sim card when I get there to put in the phone. Question is, can I just buy one of these so-called international sim cards on Amazon before I leave and use that when I get there? Finding a place at the airport at 7:30 a.m. at Rome Fumicino airport is not likely to be an easy thing to accomplish and I do not want to spend my time driving around Rome looking for sim cards. P.S. I spoke to a so-called Verizon overseas techie on the phone last night and they said that the Razr Maxx is unlocked and compatible with Sim cards in Europe and should work. Thanks in advance. If you could copy your reply to my email that would be great.

An "international" sim card will work and is a good solution if you travel to a lot of countries. If you stay in one country for a long time it is usually cheaper to use a local sim card. If you use either just to make and receive calls, all you need to do is put it in. You may also need to change a setting on the phone directing the phone to look for GSM instead of CDMA (I'm not sure on the Razr). If you want to use data it is another story. The phone has to be directed where to receive the data and you will need to enter the APN information for the carrier in Italy you will be connecting to. You can find APN information if you look around on Google as long as you know what carrier your international sim card needs to connect to when in Italy. Check, but you may find that getting data on an international sim card is much more expensive than on a local one. I spent a moth in a time in Italy last year so got a Wind Italy sim and used that in my phone. They have a data plan that works perfectly for me so I looked around for a shop that had one when I got there.