How do I force my Android phone to roam?

What is roaming on Android phones?

Roaming on cell phones refers to the ability to use your phone outside of your mobile carrier’s coverage area.[1] When you roam, your phone connects to another available cellular network using their cell towers so you can make calls, send texts, and access data.[2]

Normally when you are in your carrier’s coverage zone, your phone connects to their cellular towers. But when you travel outside of their network area, your phone scans for signals from any available network and connects to that network temporarily to maintain service. This is called roaming.

The carrier whose towers you connect to when roaming typically charges your mobile provider a roaming fee. In turn, your provider may pass on charges to you for roaming usage depending on your plan. So be aware of potential extra roaming charges when traveling internationally or using your phone extensively outside your carrier’s coverage area.

Why would you want to force roaming?

There are a few main reasons why you may want to force your Android phone into roaming mode:

Using roaming when traveling internationally – When traveling overseas, you’ll likely want to enable roaming on your phone so you can access voice, text, and data services on local carrier networks. Forcing roaming mode can help ensure your phone connects to foreign networks.

Getting better coverage in areas with poor reception on your carrier – If you frequently experience spotty coverage or dropped calls on your regular carrier’s network, you could try manually forcing roaming to connect to another available network with better reception in that area. This may improve call quality and data speeds.

Testing out other carrier networks – Some people force roaming just to check out the coverage and speed of other carrier networks that their phone can see. This allows you to compare networks and may help you decide if switching carriers could improve your overall service.

Sources:
How to Force Roam

Checking if your phone supports manual roaming

Before attempting to force roaming on your Android phone, it’s important to check if your device actually supports manual roaming. The ability to force roaming is dependent on the cellular bands and frequencies supported by your phone’s hardware and software.

Here are the steps to determine if your Android phone can support manually forced roaming:

Find your phone’s model number. This is usually located under Settings > About phone. Alternatively, you can find it printed on the back of your device or its packaging.
Look up a frequency band compatibility chart for your phone model. Resources like Kimovil make this easy by showing which cellular bands each phone supports.

Check if your phone’s supported bands include the bands used by the network you want to force roam to. For example, if you want to roam to AT&T, your phone needs to support AT&T’s primary LTE bands like 2, 4, 5, 12, 29, 30, and 66.
Confirm with your carrier if manual roaming is allowed. Some carriers like Verizon and AT&T have disabled the ability to force roaming on their networks.

If your phone’s hardware supports the necessary bands and your carrier permits it, you should be able to force roaming on your Android device. Proceed with caution though – forced roaming can still incur unintended charges if not done properly.

There are a few steps you can take to enable roaming directly in your phone’s network settings. This allows your phone to connect to the strongest cellular network, even if it’s not your home carrier.

Enabling roaming in your network settings

To enable roaming on Android via your network settings:

Open your Settings app and tap Connections or Network & Internet (varies by device).

Select Mobile Network, Cellular Data, or Mobile Data Options.
Find and turn on the Roaming or Automatic Network Selection option (wording varies). This allows your device to connect to the strongest available network.
You may need to contact your carrier directly to request roaming be enabled if the option is unavailable in your settings. Some providers require contacting support before enabling roaming.

Once enabled, your Android can connect to partner networks when traveling domestically or internationally. Confirm with your carrier that roaming is included on your plan before enabling to avoid unexpected charges.

Using dialer codes to force roaming

One way to force your Android phone to roam is by using manual dialer codes. Here are some common codes that can initiate roaming:

*228 – This code prompts your device to reset the Preferred Roaming List (PRL). After dialing *228, your phone will scan for the strongest available network rather than just your home carrier’s network. This essentially forces roaming mode. See this Reddit thread for more details.

#777# – Inputting #777# opens a menu where you can enable/disable specific network bands. By disabling certain bands like 25, 26, and 41, you can prevent connecting to your home carrier’s network and instead roam on another available network. Refer to this XDA post for step-by-step instructions.

To use these dialer codes, you may need to first acquire your device’s roaming code from your carrier. There are a couple ways to do this:

Insert a different carrier’s SIM card into your device. This will automatically generate a roaming code without having to contact your carrier.

Contact your carrier’s customer support to request the roaming code for your device. Provide them your account details and device ID.

Once you have the roaming code, you can input it when prompted after dialing the *228 or #777# codes above to enable forced roaming on your Android phone.

Trying roaming enhancer apps

One option for forcing roaming on Android is to use a dedicated roaming enhancer app like Roaming Control, Roaming Enabler, and others. These apps are designed specifically to enable roaming capabilities on your device.

Many roaming enhancer apps work by modifying your phone’s preferred roaming list to include more networks. This allows your device to connect to a wider range of roaming partners when traveling. The apps essentially trick your phone into thinking roaming access is authorized.

However, some carriers actively block these types of apps, so you may find they do not work properly or at all on your device. Most roaming enhancer apps require root access as well, since modifying the roaming list requires deep system permissions.

While roaming enhancer apps provide an easy way to force roaming, success will depend on your specific phone, carrier policies, and root status. Proceed with caution and research whether others have successfully used these apps on your phone model and network.

Using airplane mode to force roaming

One method to try forcing your Android phone to roam is to leverage airplane mode. Airplane mode disables all wireless connections, including cellular data and WiFi. By turning on airplane mode, you essentially force your device to lose connection to any networks it’s currently connected to.

After enabling airplane mode, wait about 10-15 seconds before turning it off. When you disable airplane mode, your Android device will search for cellular networks and try to reconnect. During this process, it may grab onto a different carrier signal and force a roam.

The key is that airplane mode forces your device to drop its existing connection. Upon reconnecting, it may pick a different carrier than what you were originally connected to. This essentially simulates roaming between networks. However, there is no guarantee it will actually force a roam, as your device may simply reconnect to the same carrier as before.

According to user reports, this airplane mode trick has mixed success in terms of forcing a roam on Android phones. It seems to work better on some devices and carriers compared to others.^[1] Still, it’s one of the simpler options to attempt if you need to urgently roam on your Android.

Potential challenges with forced roaming

Forcing roaming on your Android device is not always guaranteed to work and may come with some challenges:

Carriers often restrict manual roaming capabilities, as pointed out on Android Stack Exchange (source). If your carrier locks the roaming options, you may not be able to force roaming through your network settings.

Roaming on another carrier’s network typically incurs charges. According to Reddit users (source), manually enabling roaming could lead to expensive roaming fees if you are not careful.

Forcing roaming may connect your device to a weaker signal or coverage if there is limited roaming network availability in your area. As mentioned on AndroidCentral forums (source), this can result in poorer service.

Some Android devices have limited compatibility with manual roaming, as the feature may not be enabled by the manufacturer. Attempting forced roaming on an incompatible device likely will not work.

When to avoid forcing roaming

There are certain situations where you may want to avoid forcing your Android phone to roam, even if you have enabled the option to do so:

If traveling in same country as carrier – If you are still within the coverage area of your home carrier’s network, forcing roaming is usually unnecessary. Allow your phone to connect to your carrier’s towers normally unless you have an issue.

On unsupported networks – Your carrier may not have roaming agreements with all networks, so forcing roaming could result in no service. Check coverage maps to ensure your carrier supports roaming in that location.

On capped data plans – If you have a limited data allowance, roaming data usage may count against your cap or incur overage charges. Avoid forcing roaming in that scenario.

If charges would be excessive – International and especially maritime or airborne roaming can be very expensive. Verify rates and avoid forcing roaming if the charges would be more than you want to pay.

Roaming tips and best practices

Here are some tips for getting the most out of roaming on your Android device:

Update carrier roaming settings periodically – Carriers may change their roaming agreements, so it’s good to check your carrier’s roaming settings occasionally to ensure you have the most up-to-date options enabled. This maximizes your chances of getting service when traveling internationally. See this guide on updating roaming settings.

Use eSIM for easier roaming – eSIM allows you to digitally download SIM profiles instead of using physical SIM cards. This makes it easier to get connected when traveling abroad across multiple countries. See this eSIM overview to learn more.

Check coverage maps before traveling – Research your carrier’s international roaming partners and coverage maps for the countries you’ll be visiting. This allows you to set accurate expectations for service quality. Resources like this coverage overview can help.

Monitor data usage – Be cautious about data roaming charges which can add up quickly. Monitor your usage closely or configure caps to control costs. Refer to your carrier’s roaming policies to understand rates and settings for controlling data usage.