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Make sure to add a plus (+1) symbol in front of everyone’s number (you get the + symbol by holding down the “0”).Or just iMessage your contact first, and they will be replying to your email address. If someone texts you and they don’t have your email address in their contacts with your cell phone number, it may not go through, so tell people back home to add your email address to your contacts.
In Settings > Messages > Send & Receive, make sure your Apple ID and an email address is added then make sure that email is chosen for START NEW CONVERSATIONS FROM (when you change SIM cards, you have a new mobile number, so you have to send iMessages from your email). If you plan to use iMessage while you’re abroad and you replace your SIM card, make sure you follow these steps: If you have a cellular plan, iPhone users can use the iPhone Message app to send SMS messages to non-iPhone users, but they will get charged their carrier’s text messaging rates. Similarly, iPhone users can only send iMessages to other iPhone users over wifi or cellular. So, FaceTime will only be the best international calling app for you if most of the people you need to talk to are also Apple users. You just need someone’s mobile number or Apple ID if they don’t have a mobile number. Is FaceTime/iMessage the best international calling app?įaceTime audio and video calling is only available to iPhone users and can only be used to call other iPhone users over wifi or cellular. The quality of Facebook audio and video calls has always been hit or miss but Facebook is working hard to improve their quality. If you have an iPhone, your texts are sent using wifi or cellular data. So to protect yourself from high roaming fees, Android users should check your Facebook Messenger app settings to turn SMS off (the steps will vary by phone). International voice and audio calls are free (not counting the cost of data) because they are made using wifi or cellular data.Īndroid users can now send SMS and MMS texts using Facebook Messenger, so carrier text messaging rates would apply and Android users could get hit with high roaming charges for sending texts while abroad.
The person you’re contacting needs either a phone number or a Facebook account. The Best International Calling Apps Is Facebook Messenger the best international calling app?įacebook Messenger offers video and audio calls and messaging so long as you download the app or message people through Facebook. We’ll also give you the pros and cons of each (including a handy comparison chart), so you can find the best international calling app for you!
This article will compare the top contenders: FaceTime/iMessage, WhatsApp, Skype, Google Voice and Facebook Messenger.
You’re traveling abroad and want to make sure you’re using the best international calling app for your needs.