Should I allow cellular data switching when travelling?

cropped-krista.jpg

By Krista

Travel & Tech Writer

allow-cellular-data-switching

There’s always so much to think about when embarking on any kind of travel. Most of us need to monitor our home base (pets, kids, homes) while away, as well as monitor every aspect of our lives on the road (reservations, budgets, gear).

Carefully and thoughtfully managing your mobile data usage when travelling is a crucial task to avoid unexpected charges (and hopefully ensure seamless connectivity).

One feature that can assist with this monitoring is to “Allow Cellular Data Switching” on your phone or device. Here are a few points to consider what that means and if you need it. 

What exactly does “allow cellular data switching” mean?

Many devices these days come equipped with dual SIM capabilities. On these smartphones and other devices, “Allow Cellular Data Switching” is a setting that allows your phone to hop between two different cellular data plans based on availability and coverage.

With this setting, if your primary phone line has weak signal (or no signal at all), your device will automatically hop over to an alternative line to maintain a stronger internet connection. 

When should you allow cellular data switching?

If you’re in a situation where it’s essential to maintain an uninterrupted internet connection (think: travel navigation, engaging in a serious conversation, meeting a professional deadline), then toggling on this feature allows your device to switch over to an available network seamlessly without the need for your manual intervention or troubleshooting.  

If you’re travelling and depending on an eSIM data plan, enabling data switching means transitioning between your primary SIM and the local eSIM plan when needed to optimize data coverage and cost.

When should you disable cellular data switching?

If you’re using a SIM with a limited data allowance and want to be mindful to prevent accidental overages, it’s probably in your best interest to disable data switching.

When Cellular Data Switching is disabled, your device will only use data from the selected SIM, allowing you to maintain control over your usage. 

In such situations in which one SIM might incur a higher data cost, keeping this option toggled off prevents your smartphone from switching to the unwanted SIM, thereby keeping you protected from unexpected expenses.

How to manage the “allow cellular data switching” setting

To take advantage of the Cellular Data Switching setting on your smartphone, follow these steps:

  1. Access your settings by opening the Settings app on your smartphone.
  2. Tap on either Cellular or Mobile Data (depending on your device).
  3. Toggle the setting Allow Cellular Data Switching on or off based on your needs. 

If you’re hoping to make the most of this feature, ensure that both of your SIMs are compatible with the local network you intend to use while travelling.

Remember to keep track of your data roaming settings for each of your individual SIMs so that you do not incur any unintended charges (especially while travelling internationally). Note that frequent switching between networks might drain your battery faster than usual. 

Go ahead … travel the world, never pay roaming charges

Shop aloSIM in the app or online

iPhone15ProMax