Android guide

Exact settings may vary across different handsets but most Android phones will be similar to the process below. Check your phone's documentation if you're unsure. 'Settings' may be found in your 'Apps' menu on some versions.

1. Go to:
   Menu>Settings>Wireless & Networks>Mobile Network>Access Point Names (APN)
2. Then:
   Menu>New APN>APN      Enter the following for APN: internet

You may need to re-start your phone for these changes to take effect.

Text messaging (SMS) for Android

Click here for information on text messaging.

Voicemail for Android

Click here to go to voicemail support.

WiFi is a wireless broadband connection that may require a security password to access. You can connect to a public WiFi hotspot or just to your home broadband. The key advantage of using WiFi instead of the mobile internet network is that speeds may be quicker, there is no limit to how much you can download and you do not use valuable free data allocation.

For newer versions of Android:
Apps menu>WiFi>Switch on WiFi

...or for older versions of Android:
Settings>Wireless & Networks>WiFi Settings>Switch on WiFi

Choose a network from the available list.
Secured networks will display a padlock icon and require a password to connect.
You should now be connected to a WiFi network - your phone will automatically prefer a WiFi connection to a mobile data connection while you're connected to it.
Please be aware that unsecured networks may not be safe to send confidential data over, so where possible it is best to use a secure wireless network.

Smartphones are data-hungry devices and you may find it comforting to control their data-use to prevent running up large bills once you've used your allocated data allowance. Customers who signed up to our Smart plans prior to 29th April 2015 get unlimited data so don't need to worry too much about this, but those on our new Smart plans launched on 29th April 2015 and Pay As You Go may find the following information useful. Modern phones often use data connections in the background for updates, syncing and other functions that you may not be aware of. All of these functions will affect your data allowance unless you connect via WiFi.

If you regularly excess your data allocation and expect to continue doing so, your safest option is to upgrade your Smart plan, giving you more data for a fixed monthly price. Not too sure which plan you should choose? Use our handy tool to estimate your usage of data per month to help pick the Pay Monthly plan that's right for you.

Get unlimited data

If you regularly break-out of your monthly allocation and expect to continue doing so, your safest option is to upgrade to a Smart plan, giving you unlimited data use for a fixed monthly price.

Android 4 phones

Good news - If you're phone is running the Android v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system, you can view and control your data use directly from the 'Settings' app...

Tap 'all apps' button>tap 'settings'>Wireless & networks>tap 'data usage' (or 'Usage', may be under a button saying 'more')

From here you can view your data use over a period of time, see which apps are using the most, turn data on and off and set data limits. To do this:

• Make sure 'Set data usage limit' is ticked.
• 'Reset data count'. Your monthly allowance is renewed on the first day of the calendar month, so you may want to choose that date to reset the count.
• Slide the red tab up or down on the graph to set a maximum limit. Once your phone has determined you've reached this limit, it will automatically turn-off network data.
• Slide the green tab up or down on the graph to set a warning. This can be used to automatically alert you when you reach that threshold, allowing you to control your remain data.
• You can also turn 'Mobile network' on and off from here if you need to stop network data manually, ie. if you want to conserve your remaining allowance or if you're roaming etc).

Please note that the count is determined by your phone and not our network equipment, so the two might differ slightly. For this reason we recommend setting your limits conservatively. This method counts network data only and isn't affected by WiFi traffic.

Older Android phones

Unfortunately, older versions of Android didn't include this function as standard. No need to worry though, there are masses of apps freely available to help you control your data usage. There are too many for us to recommend one in particular, but you can easilly find one that suits your needs by searching the apps at https://play.google.com/store

How to turn off data abroad (Android)

Exact settings may vary across different handsets but most Android phones will be similar to the process below. Check your phone's documentation if you're unsure. 'Settings' may be found in your 'Apps' menu on some versions.

Switch off 'data when roaming'

Switch off data completely

Doing so may switch off your mobile network completely, leaving you unable to make or receive calls and texts, as well as data, until you turn it back on.

Use Airplane mode

Doing so will switch off your mobile network completely, leaving you unable to make or receive calls and texts, as well as data, until you turn it back on.

Switch 'Data roaming to 'on'.

then:

Apps menu>Settings>Wireless & networks>Mobile Network>Network operators>Search networks
Select your preferred network.

Click here to search our roaming destination list for valid roaming partners. 

Buying Android apps

Google do not support paid app sales in Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man and they have recently closed down the mobile route to buy apps from the Play store. Free apps remain available to download from the Play store.

We are in discussion with Google to extend full support to the islands, but we have no confirmation on when this may happen. If you wish to raise a complaint or apply for a refund for an app that you have paid for and can no longer access, you will need to raise the issue direct with Google. This can be done online at support.google.com/googleplay.

There are also other routes for accessing paid-for apps; the Amazon app store for Android is a good alternative. If you search for “Amazon Android Appstore” in your browser, you can download the app store from the Amazon website and get the benefit of a free app per day.