It is important to note that Voice/SMS capabilities are in Beta and your FlexiFone number is intended to be used as your Secondary / Backup number. Voice/SMS service is just an add-on to our Data-Only plans and you must not use this SIM as a replacement to your Primary mobile number (where you would regularly make or receive Calls/Texts on a daily basis) in order to comply with permanent Roaming regulations.
You are free to use the SIM as a Primary SIM for Data-Only, but not for Voice/SMS. Many of our enterprise customers including public sector use our SIMs as their Primary Data SIM in their Smartphones, tablets, WiFi routers etc..
Things to Keep in Mind
No Voicemail or WiFi Calling: These features are not supported due to the nature of the SIM being Multi-Network and not linked to one specific carrier.
No Shortcode, Premium Numbers or Special Numbers: Calls and SMS to shortcodes, premium-rate numbers, and special numbers (NHS 111, etc.) may not be supported or blocked as the called party will view this SIM as a Virtual Number on a Roaming SIM. Freephone numbers (e.g., 0800) will be deducted from your allowance. This is because your SIM technically operates as roaming within the UK.
VoLTE is currently in Beta and is available on EE, O2, Three but not Vodafone. As this is a Roaming SIM, the Voice Quality and overall reliability will not be as great as what you get from a local UK SIM card.
2FA Authentication OTP Codes from certain banks and other providers may be delayed or blocked in rare cases. For delayed SMSs, this may resolved by switching between networks manually (in order to trigger a new network registration).
Limited Destinations: Voice/SMS capabilities are currently supported in the UK, EU and a very few ROW destinations to comply with local Roaming regulations. In all other destinations, your SIM will function as a Data-Only SIM but you may be able to receive incoming SMS.
Device-Related Compatibility: While almost all devices (Apple, Samsung, Huawei, etc.) support 5G and VoLTE with FlexiFone SIM, certain devices like older Google Pixel 4,5,6,7 and Motorola devices do not support VoLTE on our SIMs.
Important Note: In rare occasions, if your Incoming calls or SMS are not being received, you may need to manually switch between networks to trigger a new network registration, which will resolve any errors. Please refer to the manual network selection guide here
Honest Advice from the Founders:
In short, we advise customers not to bother with Voice/SMS unless you really need it and just get a Data-Only SIM, as you will get better value for money and will have a better experience.
If you have a spare number you don't usually use daily, feel free to port that in but not your Primary number.
Should you still want to use this as your Primary Voice/SMS SIM, you may be able to do so but we will not provide any warranties or guarantees that your incoming calls and SMS will work as intended. Treat Voice/SMS as a 'Beta' product, not something you will want to rely on for incoming calls/SMS.