Iphone for US and Europe

Hi,
I live half the year in the US and half the year in France, and I want to have an iphone. What would be the best way to go about buying it and the best US phone service to have so I could have my iphone unlocked after a while and then use it in France (and have a French sim card put in).

Hi, Catherine
I live half the year in New York City and the other half in Spain.  I chose to buy my iPhone 5 (unlocked of course) from Apple in the US because the LTE networks in Spain do not yet work well in the city in the south of Spain where I live when in Spain. Therefore I thought I would be better off by being able to use ATT's LTE in NYC where I am more out and around and accept I would only get 3G data while in Spain, where I have wifi both at home and where I work.
In 2014, though, my Spanish carrier will start LTE services in my area.  When that happens, I will most probably buy the 5S in Spain (again unlocked from Apple) and then keep two iPhones, one for NYC and one for Spain both with fast cellular data. 
If you think 2 phones is too much, I suggest that you keep in mind when making your decision of where to buy the only one, the quality of LTE or 4G service in your area of both France and the US and buy it where you believe you want faster data when out and about.  Usually you can find free wifi networks more easily in big cities but some times LTE is faster than a crowded public wifi network.
Also remember that in case of needing service, you will need to take your iPhone in for repair or replacement in the country where you bought it.
I hope this helps you in making your decision.

Similar Messages

  • I gave the iphone for servis and they gave me back another one used. Is that legal, I gave the iphone for servis and they gave me back another one used. Is that legal

    I gave my iphone for servis and the sailman return to me another one that has been used, without giving more details, telling me that this is the way apple does business. IS THAT TRUE?

    A refurbished until should appear identical to a new unit...you should not be able to tell the difference. If your unit is truly "used"...scratches, signs of use, etc., then Apple's warranty terms were not followed.
    All refurbished units receive new cases & batteries, at a minimum...that's why you can't tell the difference.

  • I sended my iphone for repair, and im being sent a replacement phone what exactly does that mean?

    I sended my iphone for repair, and im being sent a replacement phone what exactly does that mean?

    It means you will get a refurbished iPhone in exchange for the faulty one you sent in.

  • HT203128 Preparing iphone for restore and nothing happends

    Preparing iphone for restore and nothing happends, and my iphone doesnt work( just shows image that i should connect it to itunes). How to fix it ?
    P.S Eror 2003

    P.S Eror 2003
    Resolve iOS update and restore errors - Apple Support

  • I got this iphone for xmas and i want to get service for it without having a contract can i do thhat

    I got this iphone for xmas and I want to get it acctivated. But I dont wanna have a contract. can I do that?

    It many places, including the US, Yes.
    Here is a list of supported carriers: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1937
    Talk to one in your country and see what's available.
    In the US, AT&T is the only supported GSM carrier. They will not allow you to use pre-paid plans on the iPhone, but they do have post paid plans that are strictly month to month and can be cancelled at any time.

  • 2 iphone5s for us and europe?

    I need to get new phones for my bosses who travel the world and currently have numerous separate phones.  For complex reasons, they don't want to have one device with everything on it for the world so I need to get the new iphones for the US while their other iphones (and ipads and airbooks) are all filled with European styled data (contacts etc).  I thus cannot use iCloud to sync the new phones, as this will either bring in the Euro content or it will wipe it out on their other existing Euro devices.
    I am thinking (hoping) I can sync the new phones once to get the basic import of contacts, and then just not sync it with iCloud so the contacts in the US phones will remain styled as US , etc.  yes?   or can I keep the contacts syncing with iCloud and set the US iPhone to display them as US-styled on the US phone while still having their Euro iPhones display as Int'l dialing?  or will the iCloud syncing change the numbers display to be identical (ie. 011-44-xxx-xxxx vs +1 (44) xxx-xxxx)
    Mail:
    I'm not sure exactly what to do about mail.  I am assuming that whether I sync it or just create the mail accounts on the iphone as stand alone, they will still end up with a zillion "unread" emails on the phones that they will have already read during the months they were ex-US.  If there's a work around this, please suggest.
    I know logic dictates they should just have one iPhone and swap sim cards for the different territories, but I'm dealing with people who have been trained to keep all their devices separate and are "PC" based people (with PC IT people in Europe driving this train) who I am trying to segue into trusting Mac products.  Therefore right now, they want only a "US phone" which will remain in the US.
    Hope I'm making sense.
    Thanks!

    For contacts, you can use iCloud to create groups, & then decide what group is visible on what phone:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH2667
    For mail, if Exchange or IMAP accounts(I suspect Exchange), mail will be kept in sync.

  • Purchase US iphone for use in Europe

    I'm from Germany. Can I purchase an iPhone in USA and then activate on T-Mobile network in Germany?

    The iPhone is sold in the U.S. as carrier locked with at&t only - just as the iPhone is sold in the UK as carrier locked with O2 only, and in Germany as carrier locked with T-Mobile only.
    I'm not sure about the exchange rate, but keep in mind the advertised sales price for an iPhone sold in the U.S. does not include local sales tax. Where I live, the sales tax rate is 8.25%. In some areas, the sales tax rate is higher, and some lower.

  • I am using exchange on my iphone for gmail and they are dissapearing..

    I am using exchange on Iphone for my gmail account. This way my gmail, contacts and calendar all sync.
    When I open mac mail my iphone inbox, sent and deleted all clear out and into my mac in mail inbox.
    I need these emails on my iphone for reference purposes but lose them because they flow into my mac.
    How can I have my inbox on my iphone mirror my mac?
    is it a fetch or push setting?
    Thanks all!

    Do you have both your phone number and email in"send and receive" on both?

  • Using Iphone for calls and Wifi only for emails and safari

    I have a new iphone which is uk based and have a pay as you go card inside
    what i want is for it too only use pay as you go for calls and wifi (free in my house and office!) for collecting my emails and going online -
    i have set - fetch new data to off but my pay as you go card took 5uk pounds in one day.
    Now if i take my sim out is works perfect - they way i want it for now but I cannot be contacted on the phone!!! opps
    Please assist this novice iphone owner

    One of the problems you're up against is that the iphone is designed to always have a data connection. There is no way, currently, to completely eliminate that data connection & still use the iphone as a phone. OS 4.0, when released this summer, will add the capability to completely turn that connection off, but OS 4.0 has not been released yet. When the iphone goes into sleep mode, it will disconnect from WiFi(to save battery) and connect to the cellular data network for any application that might need data. Again, a design feature that cannot be currently overridden.

  • Difference iphone 5 usa and europ

    I have an iphone 5 under warranty that i bought from canada and the start botton is broken i went to apple store in barcelona and they told me that i can replace it only in usa or canada because they arr different so what should i do???

    Go back to Canada and get the phone replaced there.  You bought the phone in Canada originally, so the warranty is only valid for Canada and nowehre else.  The iPhone warranty is NOT international.  Go back to Canada.

  • Is iphone 5 the same for Asia and Europe?

    I want to buy an iphone 5 from the Apple Store in Bangkok. Will it work in Greece? Is there something I have to say to the people from Apple in order to give me the correct type?
    Thank you,
    Kostas
    PS I'm living tomorow!

    Hi Kostas,
    I like your PS
    You need GSM version (not sure if CDMA are sold in Asia, but if yes - avoid these).
    The other GSM models may differ in LTE bands. Check somewhere on Internet what bands providers use in Greece and ask what models are available in Apple Store.
    GSM model A1428*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 4 and 17)
    GSM model A1429*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 3, 5)

  • Using 1st Gen iPhone for calls in Europe (Spain)

    I have the original iPhone and I'll be travelling in Spain for a week, where I would like to buy a SIM card with a modest amount of voice minutes, say 200. I do NOT need data (although if I could easily get it I would of course take it.) I do not want to jail-break my phone. Any suggestions from people that have actually done this in Europe?

    Unless your phone is unlocked, what you want to do won't work.

  • How to libertae my mexican iphone for musing in Europe

    How can I obtain a liberation frpm Telcel for usinmg the product in Europe _

    You have to contact Telcel to find out if they are willing to unlock your iPhone so that it can be used with local Sim cards in Europe.  When an iPhone is locked to a carrier, it is because the carrier has subsidized the purchase price so that the purchaser pays a price lower than an unlocked phone goes for.
    Therefore, only the carrier that subsidized the phone will be able to ask Apple to unlock it.  Under no circumstances will Apple unlock an iPhone from a carrier, unless that carrier asks Apple to do it.
    You must contact Telcel and see what their policy is with respect to unlocking iPhones.

  • Can you use one iMac with two iphones for updates and itunes? It erased my husband's apps on his phone when I tried to sync.

    I am sure there is a way to sync both my iphone and my husband's iphone on our one iMac...when I connected my husband's for the first time it recognized it as a different phone, but would let me save his apps to itunes like it saved mine earlier...  can we have both of our iphone's info on our one itunes account?

    When you connected his iphone did you click File>Transfer Purchases?
    This would transfer any ituens purchases from iphone to computer.
    You can sync as many iphones as you like to one computer/account/library.

  • MacBookPro power adapter for UK and Europe

    I am going to be spending a semester in the UK and was wondering where I could find a adapter for my power cable.

    Apple sells a World Travel Adapter Kit for many countries, and a less expensive Kensington adapter kit. But you could also use any cheap UK plug adapter you find. You should make sure you have a grounded UK adapter as well as ungrounded.
    You only need a plug adapter. You don't need a transformer, because the MacBook Pro power supply is compatible from 100V (USA) all the way to 240V (Europe). It should say "100-240V" in the tiny print on your power supply.

Maybe you are looking for