My Truphone: eSIM travel data 4+

V1 and first app I know thus far

For a first release, days after 12.1 availability on a new iPhone I believe they did well. Some items I found:
- can only connect via 3G in DC and CA area
- activation took a few hours after signing up
- signal strength inside was weak
- when active and outside it worked well at 3G speeds

I do have a wishlist that I do want to share:
- ability to get info and sign up for other regions without being there. If I'm traveling somewhere I want the device ready upon landing. Today I need to either pay roaming from my main provider or wait till Wi-Fi until I can sign up outside the US
- ability to get sms and voice but after up and getting LTE data support

I don't know if it's possible to sign up for multiple locations at a time if I'm traveling between countries?

Developer Response ,

Hi there. Thank you for your feedback. We will be releasing Browse and Buy in our 1.10 update which will mean you can buy your plan in advance of your trip. 4G service will be also available to use in the US in Q3 2019. Keep an eye out for updates!

Works, but not as functional as your local number

I noticed the prices were raised for a United States data plan. When I first got this app, I paid $5 for 1 GB of data for 30 days. That price was competitive with my local cell service carrier, so I tried it out to save some money. It was a deal at the time! Now, you have to buy 2 GB for $10 if you want it to last 30 days. No thanks; I only need 1 GB, so I guess I will just use my local carrier (physical SIM) instead.

The service itself is fine, but the functionality is not the same as one would expect. For instance, it doesn’t work with iMessage unless you change a bunch of settings, including using your UK Truphone number. My contacts aren’t going to know to send iMessages to that, so it’s not worth switching the settings. It’s nice that there’s an option to switch networks, but only in some cases. I guess it’s up to Apple to make it more customizable.

I guess I’m just upset that the price model was changed. The functionality is disappointing, but I can see the value in having the service when traveling internationally.

Not Good in Switzerland

Data plan is okay, not great. We traveled to major cities along Lac Leman. The plan worked pretty well in Geneva but there were a few dead spots in Lausanne on Montreux even though we stayed in busy/populated areas. The data plan was basically unusable (not enough data or no service at all) in Vevey and Lavaux/Espess outside of Lausanne. The app seemed to really struggle with cell tower changes. I installed the eSIM before my trip and then turned the cellular plan “on” when my plane landed in Geneva airport. The service did not actually begin to work for probably 20-25 minutes which caused me a lot of anxiety. The service also went out many more times while we traveling place to place and I couldn’t tell if there was truly no service or if the app was just lagging. Either way, I would not recommend if you are traveling to Switzerland and going outside Geneva.