Making phone calls and using mobile data in Germany

[earlybird1]

A couple of years ago I went to Germany and beforehand I checked at my local O2 shop that everything was working properly on my phone (OPPO A5 2020 Samsung Android) and that I would be able to use mobile data and make calls. Unfortunately when I got to Germany there were problems.  It was okay when I was using the hotel Wi-Fi but away from the hotel I couldn't use mobile data and even worse I couldn't even phone people.  It was very inconvenient.  Does anybody have any ideas why that happened and what can I do to prevent it happening next time I travel in the autumn?

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

@earlybird1 

Some generic things to try:

Check data roaming is on in phone settings.

Manually search for and try other networks - even if flagged as forbidden.

Turn off 5g

Enable 4g calling (if on contract)

Change your data APN to "mobile.o2.co.uk" if not data is being received.

Check with O2 whether you have a roaming bar on your account. Do this via social media

If you message O2 on Facebook ( https://o2uk.co/O2CFB) or Instagram (https://o2uk.co/O2CIG) , they should be able to help.

If you are PAYG, calls will be difficult as you will need to switch phone to 2g or find an illusive 3g network.

[jonsie]

These are some tips to try :

•   Reboot phone.
•   Manually search for a different network
•   If using an iPhone, change data APN to  mobile.o2.co.uk
•   Call customer service to check for any roaming bars
•   Or if you message O2 using the social media links below, they should be able to help you with this

[earlybird1]

Yes, I am on PAYG so that probably made it more difficult. Thanks for your help.

[earlybird1]

Thank you for replying and your helpful suggestions.

[MI5]

You're welcome @earlybird1 and good luck.