BajaNomad - Cell phones in Baja

AT&T. Get a Samsung S22 Galaxy Ultra. The Galaxy Z Flip3 is really cool too. My wife has the flip and loves it. The camera on Ultra is off the charts good. That's my go to.

iPhones are for women and children, avoid them at all cost.

[Edited on 6-2-2022 by JZ]

Since I don't have a phone, do I just go to an AT&T store and walk out with a phone that works? There's one near me.

I feel like an idiot for not knowing about these things.

JZ - 6-2-2022 at 02:18 PM

Since I don't have a phone, do I just go to an AT&T store and walk out with a phone that works? There's one near me.

I feel like an idiot for not knowing about these things.

Yes, you can buy the phone and sign up for a contract at the AT&T store. They will do a credit check. I think the bar is pretty low.

There are lots of AT&T promo's for free or discounted phones when you start a new service contract.

Make sure they put you on the North America plan which gives you free use of the phone anywhere in NA.

[Edited on 6-2-2022 by JZ]

SFandH - 6-2-2022 at 02:22 PM

OK, sounds like a plan, thanks.

Don Pisto - 6-2-2022 at 02:48 PM

just buy an iphone SE it'll do anything you need.

[Edited on 6-2-2022 by Don Pisto]

AKgringo - 6-2-2022 at 03:04 PM

I had an old ATT pre-paid plan for ten cent/min that ceased working when 3G went out the window. The local ATT sales and service center told me that there were no phones that I could transfer my plan (and phone number) to, so I would have to pick a contract and start over with a new number.

Instead of starting over, I went to a Target store and bought a Motorola Android phone that was set up for ATT pre-paid. I only paid about fifty bucks for it, and was able to take it back to the same ATT store that had nothing to sell me, and had them put in a new sim card that continued my old plan.

SFandH - 6-2-2022 at 03:17 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Don Pisto

just buy an iphone SE it'll do anything you need.

[Edited on 6-2-2022 by Don Pisto]

Apple products are forbidden by the Open Sourcerer. It's a religious thing.

mtgoat666 - 6-2-2022 at 03:19 PM

OK, I'll admit it, I'm an old retired guy who stopped using cellphones back in the Crackberry days when work required me to carry one around. I don't like telephones and communicate with email or FB messenger. I intentionally don't know anything about smart phones.

But, almost all Internet authentication systems now assume you have a SMS capable phone to receive authentication codes. OK, I give up, I'll move into the 21st century and get a smartphone, Android, I don't iAnything. I want a US number, not a Mex number.

So.....since I spend 1/2 of my time in BCS, what's your opinion of the best carrier to get. I can easily live with low data rates. Like I said, my main use will be text based. Little audio, video, photos, etc.

T-mobile? AT&T? What?

iphones are more user-friendly. get one of the older models (cheaper). the new models are more expensive and have bells/whistles it sounds like you do not need. jizzy is a samsung fan-boy and gives you biased advice.
dont buy latest/greatest model, you always pay more,... an older model is always cheaper, and perfectly adequate.

look at t-mobile, a bit cheaper than at&t.
when in store, ask for plan that covers mexico (they will have multiple plans that cover mexico, they will explain them)

talk to your neighbors in usa and find out what service has good reception in your neighborhood.

SFandH - 6-2-2022 at 03:27 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666

I'm not too concerned about cost. My main concern is that it will work in Mulege. I need a US number because US financial institutions will not send SMS authentication codes to a Mexican phone number. That's all I really need it for.

Authentication procedures have become a nightmare lately. Has anybody ran across the ID.me authentication process, it's a chore. They want to do a video conference with me while I hold my ID, like a passport, up to the camera while they see my face. Freaking nuts.

[Edited on 6-2-2022 by SFandH]

AKgringo - 6-2-2022 at 03:33 PM

In most of Baja, my ATT phone roams on Telcel, but in the La Paz area I was on ATT Mex, with no roaming penalty.

JZ - 6-2-2022 at 04:04 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666

dont buy latest/greatest model, you always pay more,... an older model is always cheaper, and perfectly adequate.

Signing up for new service he will get a huge discount on a new phone.

Post a pic of your iPhone 5 please.

[Edited on 6-2-2022 by JZ]

Ateo - 6-2-2022 at 09:32 PM

Hey SF&H,

I had to do that ID.me thingy recently so I could make an estimated tax payment.....took a while!

Good luck in Mulege and I've been happy with AT&T in Mex and just go get a cheap iPhone SE.

JZ - 6-2-2022 at 10:16 PM

I'd definitely go with T-Mobile over Verizon.

RFClark - 6-3-2022 at 12:26 AM

SF&H

Tmoble works in Mulege. I’m not sure AT&T will. Make sure you have wifi calling too.

JZ - 6-3-2022 at 12:48 AM

Quote: Originally posted by RFClark

SF&H

Tmoble works in Mulege. I’m not sure AT&T will. Make sure you have wifi calling too.

I've used AT&T in Mulege for more than 15 years. It works great there.

John Harper - 6-3-2022 at 04:54 AM

Has anybody ran across the ID.me authentication process, it's a chore. They want to do a video conference with me while I hold my ID, like a passport, up to the camera while they see my face. Freaking nuts.

Yes, I did it for my IRS account. My phone did not take the picture, so I had to have an in person video call as you say.

It was not that difficult. You can do it. Took just a couple minutes.

John

pacificobob - 6-3-2022 at 07:26 AM

I have used AT&T in Mexico for years. The data service is painfully slow.
The call and text function is ok.

BajaBlanca - 6-3-2022 at 09:35 AM

We got new Samsungs right before moving to Turkey (now renamed Turkiye) and Les thought about tossing it under a bus!

Take a deep breath. It eventually makes sense but there can be a steep learning curve.

The cameras take fantastic photos with newer models.

Just in case you one day might consider it: our phones hold two SIM cards. So, I have my Mexican one for whatsapp and my Turkish one for here. Les has my American SIM and his Turkish one in his. When I call someone, I have it set up so that it asks me which SIM I prefer to use.

And if anything goes haywire, I hand my cell phone to the closest teen, explain the problem and they hand it back, FIXED, within minutes.

Best of luck! Blanca

Don Pisto - 6-3-2022 at 10:23 AM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaBlanca

We got new Samsungs right before moving to Turkey (now renamed Turkiye) and Les thought about tossing it under a bus!

Take a deep breath. It eventually makes sense but there can be a steep learning curve.

The cameras take fantastic photos with newer models.

Just in case you one day might consider it: our phones hold two SIM cards. So, I have my Mexican one for whatsapp and my Turkish one for here. Les has my American SIM and his Turkish one in his. When I call someone, I have it set up so that it asks me which SIM I prefer to use.

And if anything goes haywire, I hand my cell phone to the closest teen, explain the problem and they hand it back, FIXED, within minutes.

Best of luck! Blanca

okay im pretty phone illiterate....whats the deal with the mexican sim for whatsapp? I thought this app was entirely internet driven?

JZ - 6-3-2022 at 11:41 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Don Pisto

okay im pretty phone illiterate....whats the deal with the mexican sim for whatsapp? I thought this app was entirely internet driven?

It is, but WhatsApp ID's are somehow associated with your phone number.

I've never tried it, but I assume WhatsApp allows you to change the phone number associated with your account. I'd do that before using two SIM cards.

SFandH - 6-3-2022 at 11:42 AM

US 41 wrote this in his recent baja trip report:

"my phone's talk and text worked, but I discovered that I don't get data in Mexico with my AT&T phone."

I'm not clear about what he means. Does "get data" mean that websites aren't / don't load with his AT&T phone?

JZ - 6-3-2022 at 11:50 AM

US 41 wrote this in his recent baja trip report:

"my phone's talk and text worked, but I discovered that I don't get data in Mexico with my AT&T phone."

I'm not clear about what he means. Does "get data" mean that websites aren't / don't load with his AT&T phone?

Some times you need to go into settings and enable "international data." Or perhaps his plan doesn't support it.

The AT&T store can set it up for you. Make sure you sign up for the North America plan or whatever they call it these days.

Alm - 6-4-2022 at 11:06 PM

But, almost all Internet authentication systems now assume you have a SMS capable phone to receive authentication codes.

My brains are slow late in the night, but, other than Google-related accounts, I can't think right now of any account - bank, taxation, healthcare, social services - that would be that picky. There is always an option of getting confirmation code by email OR by phone via regular voice.

Good advice on Wifi calling, make sure your phone has this feature and your plan allows Wifi calling while roaming in Baja.

JZ - 6-5-2022 at 12:17 AM

This is not true. I booked a flight tonight on Singapore Airlines. Two times I had to respond via text to confirm what I did on their website.

Probably 5 times a week I have to do a 2-factor authentication via text. Some times email is enough, but not often.

[Edited on 6-5-2022 by JZ]

SFandH - 6-5-2022 at 01:22 AM

It seems that more and more web procedures assume SMS messaging is available for 2-factor authentication.

SFandH - 6-5-2022 at 09:19 AM

Thanks lencho.

Alm - 6-5-2022 at 11:38 AM

I recall Google Voice were planning to stop forwarding SMS to carrier-linked numbers.

Funny, I remember my first impression when eventually switched to smartphone - man, this thing bulky

. And inconvenient - everything is onscreen, there is no tactile feedback like when pushing a button on flip phone, it needs more attention.

If you only need a smartphone for SMS, you don't need much data. People are browsing the web and watching videos on these tiny screens. If you are not going to do this away from home, you'll need very little data, less than 5 GB. At home it goes through Wifi so you don't use the phone data.

pauldavidmena - 6-5-2022 at 11:48 AM

My wife has an iPhone and AT&T as a carrier. I don't remember if it switches to AT&T Mexico or Telcel when we travel. I have an Android phone using T-Mobile as a carrier, which always switches to Telcel in Mexico. We try to use WiFi and not our cellular data plans whenever possible, but neither of us have run into any problems in BCS, although there are several dead spots between the Los Cabos airport and Todos Santos when we drive between the two locations.

JZ - 6-5-2022 at 12:13 PM

Two times I had to respond via text to confirm what I did on their website.

You actually had to transmit a text in response?

That's a first for me; I've always received a text including a verification code which I had to enter on the web page.

And if this is a trend, it's disturbing: I was wondering if I could set up a Google Voice as my primary number and have it forward SMS to a Telcel phone when I'm in Mexico, but if it requires an SMS response, that could complicate things.

They were just verification codes.

Typically the only time you have to actually respond are for fraud alerts. You respond yes or no if you attempted a transaction.

mtgoat666 - 6-5-2022 at 12:50 PM

I recall Google Voice were planning to stop forwarding SMS to carrier-linked numbers.

I've just been experimenting, and it looks like they did so; the only forwarding option I see is to Gmail.

Which is not a bad option, I suppose. Though one might want to establish a *separate* Google account and Google Voice number strictly for verification purposes; here's some interesting reading on that topic:

https://medium.com/mycrypto/what-to-do-when-sim-swapping-happens-to-you-1367f296ef4d

2 factor verification is for your protection. If you are forwarding text msgs to your email, then the thief that hacks your email will hack your account with 2 factor verification.
Doing work arounds to defeat 2 factor verification sounds risky…

Alm - 6-5-2022 at 02:14 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666

2 factor verification is for your protection. If you are forwarding text msgs to your email, then the thief that hacks your email will hack your account with 2 factor verification.

He won't if your Google account including gmail is also protected with 2FA. At least, this was the idea of the article.

The risk of getting your phone number stolen is real. When this happens, they can hack into your other accounts because they can request and receive SMS code.

surabi - 6-5-2022 at 02:43 PM

If you only need a smartphone for SMS...

If one only uses a phone for SMS, you don't need a smartphone. Old school dumbphones work just fine.

Alm - 6-5-2022 at 05:38 PM

Quote: Originally posted by surabi

If one only uses a phone for SMS, you don't need a smartphone. Old school dumbphones work just fine.

Right! I wasn't sure after many years, but now I remember - my old flip phone did receive SMS. The pain was sending SMS with 3 letters assigned to each button. But he isn't going to text anybody, only needs verification codes occasionally.

surabi - 6-5-2022 at 06:36 PM

The pain was sending SMS with 3 letters assigned to each button. But he isn't going to text anybody, only needs verification codes occasionally.

I got so fast at typing texts on my dumb phone, which I used for years after everyone started having smart phones, that people would see me do it and be amazed I could type on them so fast.

I actually still have that dumb phone and keep it charged, as some people I know still have that old number, as well as some businesses I deal with. I don't put any time on it, haven't paid a centavo for years, but incoming calls and texts can still be received, I just can't answer messages on it, or use it to call back if I miss the call.

I couldn't just switch out the SIM card when I started using a smart phone, because they don't accept the same size SIM cards. I suppose I could have gotten Telcel to put my old number on the new phone, but didn't think of it at the time.

And really the only reason I graduated to a smart phone, which I resisted for a long time, was because there are no phone lines where I live and had to connect with a hot spot to get Wifi. Now I have Wifi from a new provider who put up his own towers, but I'm hooked on the smart phone now. :-)

[Edited on 6-6-2022 by surabi]

RFClark - 6-5-2022 at 06:57 PM

We have T mobile which works anywhere in Mexico that has service and WIFI calling for the rest that don’t have service. It works for voice and SMS!

US 41 - 6-8-2022 at 12:25 PM

To clarify, I have the top AT&T prepaid plan. I'm supposed to get unlimited talk, text, and data in the US, Canada, and Mexico included with my plan. This was my first time ever leaving the US with this phone, so the talk and text worked fine when I had Telcel service, but I never did have any data to get online with. It's completely possible that I didn't have my settings adjusted correctly, since this was my first international trip with the phone. The one thing that I found annoying was that every time I lost service I had to restart my phone once I got service again, in order for the talk to work.

US 41 - 6-8-2022 at 12:32 PM

After like 3 minutes of messing around with my phone I discovered the international data roaming option in my settings and it was turned off. It's too bad my ignorant self didn't know about that a few weeks ago lol. Oh well, at least I know for next time now. :biggrin:

Also an addition to my comment above. My phone worked fine with Telcel everywhere except for the Cd Constitucion area for whatever reason. My text worked there, but I couldn't make calls no matter how many times I restarted my phone. Thankfully my hotel had wifi and I could make calls via Facebook. That was the only area I had issues in (where my phone said I had service of course).

[Edited on 6-8-2022 by US 41]

[Edited on 6-8-2022 by US 41]

HeyMulegeScott - 6-9-2022 at 08:38 AM

FYI this coverage map shows how bad ATT is in Baja. 4G only in the dark green areas of large cities. https://www.cricketwireless.com/map.html

HeyMulegeScott - 6-9-2022 at 12:52 PM

Quote: Originally posted by HeyMulegeScott

FYI this coverage map shows how bad ATT is in Baja. 4G only in the dark green areas of large cities. https://www.cricketwireless.com/map.html

That map is for Cricket, which may not have the same roaming coverage (utilizing TelCel towers where the ATT Mexico network isn't available) as a full-fledged ATT account.

Do you happen to know about that?

Cricket is owned by ATT and this seems like a more honest coverage map. Here's an example from a friend in Mulege last week on ATT. You can see he has a good signal on the speedtest but slow speeds -

mtgoat666 - 6-9-2022 at 05:23 PM

My AT&T/iPhone 11 works pretty good in baja. Only problem I have is that text messages sent to me from usa while I am in Mexico sometimes don’t come thru (I find the bunch of msgs only when back in usa). This is easily solved by telling peeps to use whatsapp, which seems to work great.

It appears that text messages only fail to reach me when they are sent in period when I am out of range or have phone turned off.

[Edited on 6-10-2022 by mtgoat666]

HeyMulegeScott - 6-10-2022 at 09:07 AM