Can't switch on roaming on ipad 2 with giffgaff SIM

Question

Can't switch on roaming on ipad 2 with giffgaff SIM

I have a giffgaff sim in my ipad2, which is working in the UK. Roaming is enabled on the SIM and roaming can be switched on when the SIM is put into an iphone. However, in the ipad2, even with cellular data switched on and roaming switched on in settings "roaming off" is still displayed and greyed out. I have done the following to try and rectify the situation with no success. Has anyone had a similar experience or does anyone know of a fix ?

1) APN settings are set to those recommended by giffgaff, however carrier comes up as o2 on the ipad2 and not giffgaff as on the iphone. The giffgaff profile was also downloaded from the website as an additional check

2) a second working giffgaff SIM has been tried in the ipad but the result was the same.

3) The ipad has been powered off and on numerous times, a hard reset has been done, the cache in Safari has been emptied, cellular data has been switched on and off and aeroplane mode also toggled. I have also tried manual selection of carrier. None of this has had any effect.

I have noted that in the settings / general section, "mobile data number" is given as "unknown"

I was intending to take the ipad2 with me to Italy in a few weeks but there won't be much point if I can't get roaming set up. If the SIM appears to work correctly in an iphone 7 am I right in thinking that the problem must lie with the settings in the ipad2 ? I am running the latest update of IOS on the ipad 9.3.5.

Any thoughts would be gratefully received.

iPad 2 Wi-Fi + Cellular, iOS 9.3.5, Giffgaff SIM card

Posted on Jan 27, 2018 2:25 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Jan 29, 2018 6:34 AM in response to alysonfromaberdeen

Try resetting the networks settings and see what happens. It can't hurt.

Best of luck.

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Answer 2

Jan 29, 2018 12:12 AM in response to alysonfromaberdeen

It sounds pretty much as if they didn't answer the actual question about what they do or don't support. Do they have actual stores? If so, try there.

No, I don't expect anything to change miraculously if you leave your home country.

One thing you might try is resetting your network settings with the GiffGaff SIM installed. Settings>General>Reset>Reset Network Settings. You'll lose any saved WiFi passcodes but nothing else.

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Answer 3

Jan 27, 2018 11:35 PM in response to IdrisSeabright

Hi Idris,

I specifically asked them whether there was a compatibility issue with ipad2 since both SIMs gave the same problem and the SIMs worked in another device. I did not get a specific response to this although this was my first thought. (See the short message trail below) Am I correct in assuming that if roaming is not showing as "on" while still in the UK it is unlikely to spring into life on leaving the UK ?

I am currently in the UK and am unable to get roaming enabled on my ipad2. (I want to get this set up prior to a trip to Italy in a few weeks) I have two giffgaff SIM cards, both of which now show roaming "on" in my giffgaff profile /settings. I have tried both SIMs in my ipad and both give the same result. I have changed the APN settings to the giffgaff ones on my ipad. Data works fine on both SIM cards currently but roaming is still greyed out even when data roaming is switched on on the ipad. I have switched data on and off, powered down the ipad on a number of occasions and done a hard reset on my ipad in addition to trying two different giffgaff SIM cards. Please can you advise what the problem is ? Is my ipad2 too old to be supported ?

The response was :

No need to worry. Your SIM is all set to roam with goodybags already so it will definitely work in Italy and as long as your iPad doesn't have any restrictions via the manufacturer hardware or through the software installed it should work too.The greyed out 'roaming' option should light up once the device is no longer in the UK.
Please see the following page for more roaming information:
https://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Using-giffgaff/Using-your-mobile-abroad/ta-p/3 522931#faq_no_2 (copy and paste)
Hope this helps. Have a great evening Alyson!

I then sent the following reply :

With an EE SIM in my ipad2, roaming was enabled before leaving the UK. On a friend's iphone roaming is shown as enabled while in the UK. Is there a reason why Giffgaff would be different ?

The reply was :

SIM roaming settings and device roaming settings are different. It sounds like your friends devices have been set up differently to your own. We can only change the SIM settings in your giffgaff account and this is already ON.

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Answer 4

Jan 27, 2018 2:31 PM in response to alysonfromaberdeen

What did GiffGaff tell you when you contacted them? It's possible they don't support roaming on iPads. Or, it's possible they don't support roaming on an iPad that old.

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Answer 5

Jan 29, 2018 6:37 AM in response to IdrisSeabright

I did a reset on the networks settings as suggested, with fingers crossed, but unfortunately it did not resolve the problem. It was worth a try though. Thanks again for your help. Sorry I couldn't report a successful outcome.

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Answer 6

Jan 29, 2018 12:19 AM in response to IdrisSeabright

Thanks for the reply Idris. I will try your suggestion as I hadn't done this specifically.

Unfortunately Giffgaff is an online service so there are no stores. Given my experience with staff in the stores of other carriers I suspect a visit to a store would be a waste of time in any case !!! It just frustrates me when things don't work as they are supposed to and I can't get to the bottom of it !!! Arggggggghhhhhh !!!!!

At least the SIM works in the UK and is PAYG, a good service and cheap. Hopefully my iphone, which shows roaming enabled, will provide the functionality I require for my Italy trip.

Thanks again for your assistance.

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Can't switch on roaming on ipad 2 with giffgaff SIM

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