I used Android phone set to use Google Voice for all calls.
In all cases I used Google navigation to find public transport and walking, driving and even Uber. In most cases 3G data was good enough for navigation, email, whatsapp. At least 70% of the time it was good enough for phone calls. Calls to US were free. Calls to other numbers were 1cent to 8 cents per minute. Text messages worked great. Airbnb worked great. When I was at Wifi, calls were like local landline calls because Wifi was 1 to 3 MBps down and 0.2 to 1Mbps up.
I used the phone in
Copenhagen - Denmark
Oslo - Norway
Rome, Rome to Sorento - Italy including driving
Paris, Versailles, Reims (Champagne area) - France including driving
We had no charges at all for data or text. Even though we set the phones to use Google voice for all calls and when we called the call seemed to have gone through google, the incoming calls went on the voice network and for 17 days, we paid total $97 extra at 20 cents a minute. Not bad at all. Even better. I asked T Mobile about this charge and they gave me full credit for the extra $97.
Folks, if you have Google voice:
https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/voice/crhtHN-rUhU
Alternately, use Whatsapp or skype over data network. Of course, this may all change in future and international roaming for calls may be included.
I am surely impressed by the T Mobile service while in Europe and even when I asked them about the charge. Time for other carriers to follow T Mobile.
In all cases I used Google navigation to find public transport and walking, driving and even Uber. In most cases 3G data was good enough for navigation, email, whatsapp. At least 70% of the time it was good enough for phone calls. Calls to US were free. Calls to other numbers were 1cent to 8 cents per minute. Text messages worked great. Airbnb worked great. When I was at Wifi, calls were like local landline calls because Wifi was 1 to 3 MBps down and 0.2 to 1Mbps up.
I used the phone in
Copenhagen - Denmark
Oslo - Norway
Rome, Rome to Sorento - Italy including driving
Paris, Versailles, Reims (Champagne area) - France including driving
We had no charges at all for data or text. Even though we set the phones to use Google voice for all calls and when we called the call seemed to have gone through google, the incoming calls went on the voice network and for 17 days, we paid total $97 extra at 20 cents a minute. Not bad at all. Even better. I asked T Mobile about this charge and they gave me full credit for the extra $97.
Folks, if you have Google voice:
https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/voice/crhtHN-rUhU
Google voice is NOT supported outside the US.
Google voice only uses the tiniest amount of data during a call to do some stuff.
The call itself actually goes through your phone network.
Hangouts does work over the internet to make calls.
Alternately, use Whatsapp or skype over data network. Of course, this may all change in future and international roaming for calls may be included.
I am surely impressed by the T Mobile service while in Europe and even when I asked them about the charge. Time for other carriers to follow T Mobile.
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