I just arrived to Italy this morning from the US and my phone is not connecting to cell service. I have an iPhone 14 pro. It’s only functional if I’m connected to Wi-Fi. Customer service hasn’t been able to figure it out. Here are some things I’ve observed and tried:
I have full bars, but that doesn’t seem to mean much. Without wifi, I can’t connect to the internet, calls and texts won’t go through on cell service alone. It’s particularly frustrating when I need maps.
I’ve tried switching networks. Only one out of 5 networks that are showing is giving me bars, but again, that doesn’t appear to mean anything.
I read that switching to 2G and back to 4G will kick start it, but that’s not an option on my phone (it looks like iPhone is phasing out 2G)
I’ve tried turning it off and turning it back on. Tried airplane mode, then turning off airplane mode.
I turned on roaming.
The only thing I haven’t tried is deleting my eSIM and reinstalling it. I’m scared that I won’t be able to get it to reinstall, then I’ll really be screwed. Should I try it anyway?
ETA: The international plan I’m on is Unlimited plus
Anything else I’m not thinking of? Thanks so much!
Make sure you have your coverage outside the US toggled on in your google fi app, there’s a slider under your plan settings. I’m sure it goes without saying but also verify that your data roaming is switched on under cellular. Set your network selection to automatic and reboot your phone. Should definitely work after a couple of minutes…
I don’t feel like it’s the eSIM that’s the issue since it was probably working fine stateside
Not iphone but had an issue with my Fold 4 while overseas. I ended up pausing the service and restarting the service while connecting to wifi after 5min and it started to work.
Not a complete fix, but can you download offline maps for your area while you have a WiFi connection? That’s what I do in Google Maps when I travel as a backup, in case I’m out of cell range.
Odd, I’ve traveled to Italy 6 times now over the past 4 years with Fi. Never had issues in northern and mid Italy. I had a Pixel 3XL and Pixel 6 pro between those trips. Maybe it’s one of the IPhone settings you have to manually set?
Also make sure you change your settings to use 5G if you haven’t yet:
Settings > Cellular Data Options > Voice and Data, then select “5G Auto.”
If you have a VPN on, it may be blocking your cell service. It happened to me when I was in the US with the PIA VPN. I deleted the app and cell service worked. Now I have Proton VPN. No issues
Are you sure its an unlocked iphone, next time carry a cheap android and a physical google fi sim card, had the same issue with an iphone not working in Mexico but android connected fine.
Sorry to hear about this, we don’t want to cause any issues on your trip! If you’re still facing this issue, could you start a Reddit chat with us and share your case ID from support?
I’m in Italy now with my daughter, who has an iPhone (12 I believe) that will not connect.
We’re on Unlimited Plus
Worked perfectly in Switzerland, so the settings are fine
She spent a full hour with Fi support and they tried all the things…no love
Ultimately she was told, “Sorry, no guarantees that it’ll work”, which pisses me off royally. The iPhone seems to be the common denominator with OP, though.
We’re in Florence, heading to Rome tomorrow. We need this to work as she’s continuing to travel after we head home.
This is unacceptable. Why do I pay for this plan if it’s not guaranteed to work? Any thoughts, lovely redditors?
