OneSimCard FAQ

Local carriers in Saudi Arabia sometimes block standard OneSimCard outgoing calls. If this happens you need to either (a) enter a compatibility code into the settings of your phone or (b) initiate your call by sending an SMS message from the regular SMS menu (not the OneSimCard menu) of your phone.

How To Activate Compatibility Mode:

0. Open "OneSimCard" menu
0. Select "Settings"
0. Agree with message by pressing "Yes"
0. Dial digits "802" and select "OK" (screen will show message "output channel is SMS")

Bear in mind that if you have powered your telephone down and removed and reinstalled the battery, you will need to follow the programming steps outlined above again.

How To Deactivate Compatibility Mode:

0. Open "OneSimCard" menu
0. Select "Settings"
0. Agree with message by pressing "Yes"
0. Dial digits "801" and select "OK" (screen will show message "output channel is USSD")

How To Dial Without Activating Compatibility Mode:

Initiate your call by sending an SMS message from the regular SMS menu (not the OneSimCard menu) of your phone.

For example, to call from Saudi Arabia to Boston USA you should go to the SMS menu of the phone and send a message:

There are no special instructions to receive calls in these countries.

OneSimCard will work with almost any unlocked GSM tri-band or quad-band cell phone. A partial list of compatible cell phones that we have tested can be viewed here.

If you need to unlock the phone, we suggest contacting your carrier or phone manufacturer for unlocking information or services.

If your phone is not a quad-band phone, please make sure that the bands of your phone are those required in the country of your travel. You can look it up here.

If you are still unsure whether your cell phone is compatible, contact support or purchase an international cell phone and SIM card bundle from us, which all come preloaded with our international SIM card, $10 balance  and OneSimCard Apps Installed.

There can be a number of reasons why a battery does not hold a charge. Excluding the possibility of it being a faulty battery, there is another important factor to consider. If your phone is not registered on a roaming network, the battery will drain very quickly as the phone is constantly searching for a network to register on. So, if you get on a 6 hour flight and do not turn the phone off, or put it into airplane mode, by the time you land at the airport your battery will be drained and you will not be able to call back home.

The same thing will happen in those areas with spotty or weak signal network coverage - the battery will drain very fast. It is always a good idea to have an extra battery with you when you travel abroad.

SMS messaging usually works without any additional setup of the phone.
In rare cases when there are issues sending or receiving text messages, please look at the following:

Problem with Sending SMS:

• Incorrect SMSC number (SMS Service Center Address) in handset settings.

SMSC number should be set as follows:

1. For Standard  and Plus OneSimCard SIM: +3725099000 for all countries except:

a. China:  +85290296747

2. For the Expedition (former Data & Roam) SIM as well as for Europe & More SIM: +37256100041

Special instructions for Apple Phones:

With Apple iPhones to check SMSC:

From the phone dialer Dial *#5005*7672# 

You will see the SMSC set currently on the phone. 

To change the SMSC on Iphone dial: 

Plus and Standard SIMs: **5005*7672*+3725099000# for all countries except China and **5005*7672*+85290296747# if in China.

Expedition (formerly Data & Roam) and Europe & More SIMs in any country: **5005*7672*+37256100041#

• NOTE: It is important to have the "+" symbol entered in front of the SMSC number.
• You can find locations of the Message Settings menus for different phone models here.

If your phone requires the name of Message Center Name enter: SMSC
SMS lifetime is short - must be at least 2 hours or set to Maximum settings.
Try sending SMS from OneSimCard menu

 Problem with Receiving SMS:

• Receiving Handset does not have enough free memory for incoming SMS.
• Receiving Handset was turned off or out of the coverage area during SMS lifetime set on the sending phone - usually 2 hours.
• Sender's SMS provider does not have an agreement with the receiving network.

For Universal, Expedition, and eSIM World SIM cards, receiving calls is free in over 150 countries when received on your primary European phone number, including in most of Europe. To receive a call on your U.S. number or other Personal Extra Number, there is an additional per minute rate added. View all international cell phone rates.

If you receive a call through a Common Access Number or Personal Extra Number (such as a U.S. number) there is an additional charge of 20c/min. In countries with free incoming calls this would be your only charge per call.

For DataMax and DataMax eSIM card types, you can make and complete calls for a fraction of the cost of traditional cellular roaming (including on tablets) using the 1SIM VoIP App available on Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store:

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.onesimvoip&hl=en_US&pcampaignid=pcampaignidMKT-Other-global-all-co-prtnr-py-PartBadge-Mar2515-1

Apple App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/onesim-voip/id510371587

For Universal, Expedition, and eSIM World SIM cards,  all incoming SMS text messages are free to receive when received on your primary European number. Add 9 cent per SMS when receiving text on US or Canada PEN.

For DataMax and DataMax eSIM SMS messages are sent and received using the 1SIM VoIP App. The cost to receive SMS using the 1SIM VoIP App is $0.05 in most countries, The cost to send an SMS using 1SIM Voip App is $0.10 in most countries. See all rates on our international cell phone rates page.