jwitkin wrote:Our family has a mobile share 10GB plan. My son is going to France soon, and I have placed a Global Text Messaging plan on his phone. AT&T rep has confirmed that 1. If I text from my phone in US to his phone in France, there is no charge because I have unlimited international text sending under the mobile share plan, and receiving texts overseas for him is charged at his domestic rate, which is free unlimited; and 2. Up to the Global Text package limit, he can send texts from France to US free, and I can receive them free. MY QUESTION IS: (assuming no WiFi available, which will be the case at times) what iPhone settings will allow him to send and receive text messages in France while avoiding the risk of any other data charges? With "cellular data" off, and no WiFi, texting will not work. With "data roaming" off, will it work? Must he turn off cellular data for all apps individually, and is that a guarantee that something else won't still use data? The Global Text plan seems pretty worthless if there is no way to use it without risking unsuspected and extreme overseas data charges. AT&T? Thanks, JW
Regular SMS texting will work fine with no wifi and either cellular data or data roaming turned off. Picture messages, however, won't work if data is off. The only thing he needs to do to avoid data charges is to turn data roaming off. He should also make sure the iPhone message app has "send as SMS" turned on. By the way, the unlimited international texting has no bearing on this. That only applies to texting an international number. Your son's number is still a US number, even when he is roaming overseas. Any text you send him is free, it's just not an international text.