How to avoid expensive roaming fees when going abroad with my Android?

Usually I like to bring my Android phone with me when going abroad. But I use it very carefully because I know that it is very expensive to consume data traffic and roaming fees, when I'm abroad.

How do I best use my Android without getting expensive bills when coming home again?

Is there any specific settings that I should do? Any good applications or other tips that can be useful when going abroad?

Topic roaming data-monitoring settings android

Category Android

1
answered at

make sure to use WiFi whenever possible. No data is consumed when you're connected via the wifi antenna.

1
answered at

It is a very simple tool, but I like apndroid to totally disable data while leaving basic phone functionality intact. It has a nice toggle widget.

There are also settings that can help with this. On my Nexus One, there are settings here: Settings -> Wireless & Network Settings -> Mobile Networks Your mileage may vary depending on your model. You can play with those settings to disable roaming or data.

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answered at

Go to: Settings > Wireless & networks > Mobile networks.

Make sure the "Data roaming" checkbox is unchecked. That will keep you from roaming accidentally, since you will have to enable it.

If you want to enable it and use roaming lightly, there are some apps in the Market that will track your data usage for you.

However, in my experience roaming abroad has been so expensive that even roaming for a few minutes of data is not worth it. I usually either try to find a public hotspot or get a prepaid SIM card with data.

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