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To turn off roaming on iPhone, open Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options and switch off Data Roaming. In the UK and some other regions, the menu is called Mobile Data. With two lines, tap your home line under SIMs first. The change is immediate: that line stops using mobile data on foreign networks.
Key takeaways
- Settings > Cellular (or Mobile Data) > Cellular Data Options > Data Roaming off; with two lines, tap the home line first
- Data Roaming covers mobile data only: calls and texts on your home number can still be billed at roaming rates
- Keep Data Roaming on for a travel eSIM line, which connects abroad as a visitor and is prepaid
- On ships and planes, mobile service by satellite falls outside EU roaming rules and price caps: use flight mode
- Wi-Fi Assist is gone: its replacement, Connectivity Assist, sits in Wi-Fi settings and is not used while you roam
The Data Roaming switch, step by step
The path below matches the current iPhone User Guide for iOS 26 and iOS 27, and has barely moved in years.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Cellular, or Mobile Data depending on your region.
- Tap Cellular Data Options (Mobile Data Options).
- Turn off Data Roaming. The switch turns gray.
Apple's own advice on that page is the same: turn off Data Roaming while traveling to avoid roaming charges, and add a travel eSIM or ask your carrier about an international plan to stay connected. If you cannot find the menu, type roaming in the search field at the top of Settings.
Two lines: roaming off on one, on for the other
On a Dual SIM iPhone, roaming is set per line. Go to Settings > Cellular, tap a line under SIMs, and set its options there, as Apple explains on its Dual SIM page.
- Home line: Data Roaming off.
- Travel eSIM line: Data Roaming on. It connects to local networks as a visitor, and its data is prepaid.
- Cellular Data: set to the travel line, so apps use the eSIM.
- Allow Cellular Data Switching: off, so data does not fall back to your home line.
If you use the iOS 26 Turn On Travel eSIM prompt and choose Travel eSIM and Current eSIM, the travel line carries your data, but Apple's travel eSIM guide warns that you might still incur roaming fees from your home line. Check its Data Roaming after you tap Continue. Apple also notes that with data roaming on for the data line, the voice-only line loses Visual Voicemail and MMS.
What keeps working with roaming off
- Wi-Fi: iMessage, FaceTime, WhatsApp and every other app work normally on hotel or café Wi-Fi.
- Wi-Fi Calling: if your carrier offers it abroad, calls on your normal number go over Wi-Fi. Turn it on in Settings > Cellular > Wi-Fi Calling, choosing the line on a Dual SIM iPhone, per the iPhone User Guide.
- Calls and SMS on your home number: they can still arrive, and your carrier may bill them at roaming rates. Check its price list before you assume they are free.
- Offline content: downloaded maps, music and books keep working without any connection.
For no cellular activity at all on a line, go further: turn off Cellular Data for it, switch it off entirely with Turn On This Line, or use Airplane Mode with Wi-Fi on.
Ships, planes and border areas
Roaming charges do not need a foreign country. The EU's Your Europe roaming page explains that on ships and planes, mobile service provided through satellite systems is not covered by EU roaming rules and has no price caps; its advice is to deactivate roaming or turn on flight mode on board. Near a border, a phone can also attach to a network across the line, which is another reason to keep roaming off on your home line.
If your SIM is from the EU, roaming inside the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Moldova and Ukraine is charged at domestic prices under the roam-like-at-home rules, within a fair-use policy. Outside that zone, data roaming can get expensive.
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Data that still slips through
- Wi-Fi Assist has been replaced by Connectivity Assist, now in Settings > Wi-Fi rather than in Cellular. Apple's Connectivity Assist page says it is not used when your iPhone is roaming internationally or in Low Data Mode.
- Low Data Mode: Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Data Mode > Low Data Mode pauses automatic updates and background tasks off Wi-Fi.
- Per-app control: at the bottom of Settings > Cellular, switch off cellular data for apps you do not need on the road, such as photo backup.
- The second line: turning roaming off on one line does nothing for the other. Check both.
Turning roaming back on at home
On iOS 26 and later, if you used a travel eSIM, the iPhone can turn it off and your home line back on automatically when you return, depending on your country, according to Apple. If that does not happen, open Settings > Cellular, make sure Turn On This Line is enabled for your home line, and switch off the travel line.
Data Roaming only needs to be on at home if your carrier uses partner networks in some areas. Most people leave it as their carrier set it and only change it before a trip abroad.
Frequently Asked Questions
On any iPhone that runs a recent version of iOS, the path is the same: Settings > Cellular (or Mobile Data) > Cellular Data Options > Data Roaming. Older models that no longer get updates may use slightly different wording, but the switch still sits in the Cellular or Mobile Data menu; type roaming in the Settings search field if your version has one.
No. Data Roaming only controls mobile data on foreign networks. Your home number can still receive calls and texts, and your carrier may bill them abroad. To stop all cellular activity on that line, turn the line off or use Airplane Mode with Wi-Fi on.
On your home line, yes. With two lines active, the home line can still connect to a foreign network and bill you. Turn its Data Roaming off, set the travel eSIM as your Cellular Data line, and leave roaming on for the eSIM.
Cellular Data turns mobile data on or off everywhere, at home and abroad. Data Roaming is narrower: it only allows or blocks mobile data on networks outside your carrier's own, such as abroad.
The most common reason is a second line that still has roaming on, or a data line set to the wrong SIM. Check each line under Settings > Cellular, then the per-app list at the bottom of that screen.
Data roaming is your phone using mobile data on a network that is not your own carrier's, which happens automatically abroad. The foreign operator bills your carrier, which passes the cost to you unless your plan includes that country.
On a Pixel, open Settings > Network & internet > SIMs, select your home SIM and switch Roaming off; [Google's mobile network help page](https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/2926415?hl=en) lists the setting. Other Android brands use similar menus. If you add a travel eSIM, turn Roaming on for that SIM only.
How dual SIM works on iPhone — A complete walkthrough of using two lines at once and switching between them on the road
eSIM for international travel — Why a travel eSIM has become the default way to stay connected abroad without using roaming
Browse Simsima travel eSIMs — Pick a data plan for your destination and install it in one tap before you fly
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Dimitri MorvanFounder
Founder of Simsima. A passionate traveler based in Barcelona, he helps travelers stay connected without breaking the bank on roaming fees.
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