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iMessage vs SMS in Canada

I will be in Canada for a few weeks and would like to be able to use my iphone5 occasionally. I got info from someone at Verizon yesterday about a plan I can get, $15 for 100mb, 100 voice minutes, 100 sent messages (or a little more money for 250 of each), but would like clarification on how iMessages are accounted for.

When in the US I text Canadian friends through iMessage (they all have iPhones). The person at Verizon said I could still send them iMessages (as well as to people in the US) while in Canada and that those messages will count as the 100 sent messages rather than eat into the 100mb data. I just want to confirm that, before getting surprised by a big bill. I am taking care of friends' kids while they're away and want to be able to text them (to their Canadian numbers) if needed while out and about and not only when I'm on their home wifi. The reason I want to send them as iMessages is that it will cost my friends money if we text as SMS.

Thanks for any help anyone can provide.

Comments

Momma23dogs

imessage will use wifi if you are connected to their home wifi, so it will use neither data or text.

imessage uses data, not text, unless it sends as SMS (green bubble)

TO be sure, turn airplane mode on, then wifi on.

Verizon_Support

collenc6, How nice that you'll be taking a trip to Canada, soon! I applaud you for being proactive in understanding your plan and messaging options prior to your trip. Your iMessages sent and received will pull from your 100mb data allowance unless your phone is connected to Wifi. If you send an iMessage http://www.verizonwireless.com/support/knowledge-base-63089/ and no data is being delivered the the phone; the message will then be sent/received as a regular SMS to count against your sent message allowance (incoming messages is unlimited with these plan options) If you'd like you can set your phone to not send the imessages as SMS if iMessage is not available (Settings > Messages > iMessage > Send as SMS) I hope this informaiton proves helpful. Please let us know if you have further questions.

TanishaS_VZW Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport If my response answered your question please click the "Correct Answer" button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

Weth

Sending SMS texts from Canada is included in your More Everything plan. You are not limited to the 100 texts in Canada. (Thus is the only non-US country where texting is included on the base plan).

colleenc6

Thanks for the responses. To the Verizon response, that's what I suspected, that the iMessages would go against data (when not on wifi). However, when I asked that question on the phone yesterday with Verizon I was told they would count as the 100 texts and not data. This surprised me, so I asked multiple times, rewording for clarity, and kept being told it would not use data...I can't remember the name of the person I talked to, she was very friendly, but apparently needs to be updated on how it works.

Is there any way to know how much data an iMessage uses? Or roughly how many iMessages (just text, no pictures or videos) I could send/receive before hitting 10mb? Also, how can I monitor my usage? And will it update in real time or is there a delay?

Lastly, are there any settings I can change to ensure nothing accesses data other than iMessages? For example, instead of totally turning off cellular data (which I think would not allow iMessaging), it looks like I could toggle off everything individually under "use cellular data for:". Would that do it? But I don't see messaging under "use cellular data for", so how would I know if other things/apps would use data?

I understand I should use wifi whenever possible, but I will need to be able to text my friends on their Canadian cells when I am babysitting their kids and away from wifi. And if I do this through SMS (green), it costs them money (getting a text from an American number as opposed to iMessage).

Sorry if theses are basic questions, I just want to be 100% sure so I don't end up with big charges.

Thanks

Momma23dogs

AN average text is 10 KB of data. So roughly 100 texts will add up to 1 MB of data. Since you can text free in Canada, use SMS when not on wifi.

Weth

IT is very little, but when I was in Canada, I just turned iMessage off and used SMS texts since they were all included. If data is on, there will be other system uses of data. Turn data off and use all SMS as I stated.

colleenc6

Hi Weth,

Did not know that, I could have benefitted from knowing that on many occasions! Ok, here are a couple of probably stupid questions.

1-say a friend and I are both in Canada (with our American Verizon iPhones), if we turn off iMessaging, could we text each other and have it cost us nothing?

2-if I am in Canada (with iMessaging turned OFF) and I text an iphone in the US, when they reply to me with their iMessaging turned ON, do their responses come to me as data or does the whole conversation go as SMS if my iMessaging is off?

Thanks again.

Weth

From the Canada travel info

Incoming messages received in Mexico are unlimited. Messages sent and received while in Canada count toward your domestic (i.e., standard) messaging allowance.

bizzareone

Here is the deal and what is affected by what, where. (imessage always uses mobile data or wifi (blue speach bubble)) (with imessage off the speach bubbles are green and do NOT use data with the standard messenger app)
You go to Canada with your iphone 5...

The Talk/Text/Data : $15 = 100/100/100 With unlimited incomming text

$30 = 250/250/250 With unlimited incomming text

****************************************************************************************

The DATA w/ Pay as you go Talk and Text :

$10 for 100 MB - phone time = $0.99 a min and Text use your regular plan as if you were back home (FREE)

$20 for 250 MB - (Same as above)

****************************************************************************************

Pay as you go = $0.99 a min for talk, text still is domestic use (FREE), Data is $2.05 per MB

Weth

colleenc6 wrote:

Hi Weth,

Did not know that, I could have benefitted from knowing that on many occasions! Ok, here are a couple of probably stupid questions.

1-say a friend and I are both in Canada (with our American Verizon iPhones), if we turn off iMessaging, could we text each other and have it cost us nothing?

Thanks again.

1. Yes, texting in Canada is just like texting in U.S. There is no cost in your example.

2. Since your data is off, the iPhone with iMessage turned on can tell you are not on iMessage and will send the message via SMS.

I Assume you are on More Everything plan.

imc2

Weth- perhaps another person on this forum can confirm this, because I, too, was not aware of this fact (More Everything plans include texting FROM Canada). The quote in your message, above, is from the Travel page IF you have the "Canada/Mexico" travel package, I believe. Clarification is much appreciated.

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