FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We are here to help you get answers to your questions about OneSimCard phones and services.

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21. Troubleshooting Questions
    • I have a Samsung phone. When I dial following your instructions it does not work. What's wrong?

      Some phones such as Samsung and some other brands require dialing a specific prefix 146 in front of the dialed string when used with a OneSimCard.

      For example, calling to USA: Dial *146*0016175551212# and press the TALK (or SEND) button
      * is a star character located on the keypad 
      • To check your balance dial  *146*099 and press the TALK (or SEND) button
      • To add funds dial *146*098XXXX*ZZ and press the TALK (or SEND) button,
        where XXXX - 4 last digit of your credit card on file, ZZ - Recharge amount
      • You need to press * on your phone in the above dialing sequences
      • Activation of voice mail *146*091 and press the TALK (or SEND) button
      • Deactivation of voice mail *146*090 and press the TALK (or SEND) button
      • Check number of messages in Voice Mail *146*094 and press the TALK (or SEND) button
      • To listen to voice mail *146*095 and press the TALK (or SEND) button

      The sequence *146* can be used from any phone. However, most phones do not require it.

      It is possible to make almost any phone entirely compatible, so you can call directly without using OneSimCard menu or *146* by following these simple programming instructions below.

      How to activate compatibility mode:

        1. Locate and Open "OneSimCard" Menu. ( It could  be displayed as STK Menu)

              2. Select "Settings"

        Newer SIM Cards: Select "Compatibility" and make sure "On" is selected
        Older SIM Cards: After selecting Settings:
        1. Agree with message by pressing "Yes"
        2. Dial digits "1101" and select "OK" (Screen will show "CC OptionX: ON" message)

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

      22. Troubleshooting Questions
        • When I try to make a call, I get a message 'Call is modified and cannot be made'. What does that mean?

          Some phone models do not allow direct dialing with older OneSimCard SIMs sold before January 1, 2017.

          To get around this problem, you should try either of these methods:

          • Locate the OneSimCard menu on your phone. (Some phones have it in Applications.)
            Make a call using menu 'Call'.
          • You can also make a call by dialing directly *146*00 Country Code Number#
            For example, to make a call to the USA, you would dial *146*0018574440686# (do not forget to hit pound at the end of the number)

          * is a star character located on the keypad

          Other examples of how to use the *146* dialing prefix if necessary:

          • To check your balance dial  *146*099# and press the TALK (or SEND) button
          • To add funds dial *146*098XXXX*ZZ# and press the TALK (or SEND) button,
            where XXXX - 4 last digit of your credit card on file, ZZ - Recharge amount
          • You need to press * on your phone in the above dialing sequences (it is a star character located on the keypad)
          • Activation of voice mail *146*091# and press the TALK (or SEND) button
          • Deactivation of voice mail *146*090# and press the TALK (or SEND) button
          • Check number of messages in Voice Mail *146*094# and press the TALK (or SEND) button
          • To listen to voice mail *146*095# and press the TALK (or SEND) button


          The prefix *146* and # at the end can be used from any phone. However, newer OneSimCard SIM do not require it and you should be able to dial codes directly, 091, 094, 095, 099 or 098XXXX*XX Talk.

          If you have an older SIM and the dialing does not work without entering *146*, please follow these simple instructions to remove the need to dial *146*:

          How to activate compatibility mode:

           

           1. Locate OneSimCard Menu.

           On iPhones it is called SIM Applications menu and is located under Settings- Phone menu

                   On Androids it is called SIM Toolkit app and it looks like one of the apps

          1. Open "OneSimCard" menu ( SIM Applications, SIM Toolkit, STK)
          2. Select "Settings

          Newer SIM Cards: Select Compatibility option and make sure "On" is selected

          Older SIM Cards: After selecting Settings:

          1. Agree with message by pressing "Yes"
          2. Dial digits "1101" and select "OK" (Screen will show "CC OptionX: ON" message)

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

          When dialed directly, some Nokia and other phones can display message: "Call is not allowed" or "Call is barred". Just ignore this message and wait for the ring-back for 10 seconds or so.


      23. Rates and Cost Questions
        • How much does it cost to receive a call with OneSimCard?

          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.


           

           

      24. Troubleshooting Questions
        • I am traveling in Saudi Arabia and can receive calls, but I can't make an outgoing call. What should I do?

          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:

          1. Open "OneSimCard" menu
          2. Select "Settings"
          3. Agree with message by pressing "Yes"
          4. 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:

          1. Open "OneSimCard" menu
          2. Select "Settings"
          3. Agree with message by pressing "Yes"
          4. 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.

          To: 9146
          Message: 00 + Country Code + Number + 
          * is a star character located on the keypad

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

          To: 9146
          Message: 0018574440686
          After your SMS is sent wait 3-10 seconds. You will get a callback as usual and your call will be connected to the destination number.

          Note 1: You can't send this SMS from the SMS OneSimCard menu of the phone.

          Note 2: If you see on the screen that the message has not been sent, make sure that SMS settings of your phone is complete and the SMS Center number is set to: +3725099000

           

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

      25. Troubleshooting Questions
        • The battery in my phone does not last long? It got fully drained during the flight to Europe. Why?

          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.

           

      26. Troubleshooting Questions
        • I can't send SMS from my iPhone

          There is a known bug with iPhone phone book. If you are trying to text to a contact that is entered in the phone book, and the contact is not entered in proper international number format, the SMS will not go through even if you just enter the number in the SMS menu directly and properly. 
          Please edit the record in the phone book to be +CountryCode_Number. It needs to have the + character in front, which is an equivalent of 00.

          You will also need to delete all recent attempts to send SMS to this number from the Messaging menu. It should be no conversation or attempts to send SMS left in the phone to this number.


          We understand that this is very frustrating, but do not know why Apple will not fix it. This problem affects only Apple phones.

          Example: for US Number 1-617-600-8250 you should have entered in the address book: +16176008250
          Delete existing text conversation after fixing the phone book record. 
          You can always test your SMS by sending SMS to OneSimCard Support number +16176008250 from your OneSimCard phone. This will create an automated ticket in the system and you will know if the message was delivered or not. You will be charged regular SMS rate for this message.
      27. OneSim VoIP
        • What is required to use the OneSim VoIP mobile application?

          OneSimCard VoIP requires you to order a compatible Personal Extra Number (PEN). Most of the PENs we offer are OneSim VoIP enabled. You also need to have an Android phone with software version 8 or higher, or Apple device (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) with iOS 6.1 or higher.

          Once you have an active OneSim VoIP enabled PEN, you will be able to see the option to create a OneSim VoIP account in the My SIM Cards menu of your online account. NB: YOU MUST create the 1SIM VoIP account in your account online on the "My SIM Cards" menu. Simply purchasing a PEN and  downloading the mobile app DOES NOT create the VoIP account.

      28. OneSim VoIP
        • Is there any additional cost to create a OneSim VoIP account?

          There is no additional cost except for the fact that you need to have a compatible Personal Extra Number (PEN) active on your SIM card.
      29. OneSim VoIP
        • How does OneSim VoIP work when the call is received?

          When someone dials your OneSim VoIP enabled Personal Extra Number (PEN), the system will first check if your OneSimCard phone is registered with the OneSim VoIP app on a Wi-Fi network. If it is registered, the call will be sent using VoIP. If the OneSim VoIP app is not running or it is not registered on a Wi-Fi network, then the call will be sent using the standard OneSimCard roaming network and charged our standard roaming rates.
      30. OneSim VoIP
        • Can I use OneSim VoIP over the Internet Data offered by OneSimCard SIM? Will it save me anything?

          In countries where the cost of using mobile Internet Data is below 20 c/MB, the cost of using SIM VoIP over the data is comparable or less than the actual calling rate from the country.

          As a rule of thumb, the SIM VoIP will use 1MB /Min of talk time. So, if the cost of Data in the country is 10 c/MB, then 1 minute SIM VoIP call will cost you 12 cents /minute. You need to have a 3G connection in order for SIM VoIP to work this way. 

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