Australian Mobile Phone Numbers Overseas?

[steveluppino]

Hi,

I am trying to phone a friend who went to Hong Kong for a trip with my brand new iphone that I recently purchased and as a first time user or novice trying to learn my way through it being of the old generation has not been a much too pleasurable experience I have to say but guess managing okay thus far.

My current problem is trying to track a friend who left for Hong Kong about a week ago and we have had no way of keeping in touch other than with our iphones and using the Whattsapp app which I accordingly managed to download and install to my device. Suddenly I am faced with the new task of knowing the exact number to dial to reach my friend's device. BwaaaHaaaa...

I have been trying to look for some examples of the phone numbers and their formats for the different countries (especially the ones for Hong Kong) on the web but not getting much wisdom. The Australian mobile numbers you will notice all have the 04XX XXX XXX format. To dial from overseas to Aus no's you would dial +61 4XX XXX XXX.

But how would you dial this number if you had to take the same phone (with this 04XX..... format) overseas from Australia? In Hong Kong the phone numbers are in the format +852 XXXX XXXX, with the mobile phone no. being only eight digits?

So instead of leaving out the one digit that is the "0" from the front of the Aussie number when calling to Australia from overseas, you need to omit two digits from the number when calling the same phone that was taken to Hong Kong from Australia to effectively turn the 10 digit number into the 8 digit one that they use in Hong Kong? Something like, 852 4XX XXXX X?

Can you see the problem? The number just doesn't look right. Is there a guide for all this? like a list with example phone numbers for all the different phone numbers for all the countries overseas that might show how to type the number from a typical Australian mobile phone number, that is the 04XX...., to the different formats for all the global locations?

 

[Annie_M]

Hello and welcome to iMore. Hopefully, someone here will be able to help you. When you get a moment, stroll on over to the new member's section and introduce yourself to the community: https://forums.imore.com/new-forums-introduce-yourself-here/

 

[EdwinG]

Hi,

Typically, on a mobile phone, the + will stand for "international call" (your phone will convert it to 011, 00, or whichever you would use to begin an international call), then followed by the country code, and then the local number (sometimes prefixed by the area code).


Since I'm Canadian, my international call signal is 011, so if I wanted to call the United Kingdom which is country code 44, I would dial:
011-44-UK Number or +44-UK Number

There is a site called "How to call abroad" to help you with that: https://www.howtocallabroad.com/results.php?callfrom=australia&callto=hong_kong

 

[steveluppino]

Thanks. I am on the lines of what if someone took your phone to UK, what would they dial? For example try Aus to HK where in Aus mobile phones (thats dial after the initial other numbers to deal with the location they're at) have 10 digits and in HK they have (after all other numbers as well) only eight.

My question is, if you took your phone with you to another country where the digit number was different to that of your home country, how possibly could you use it? And what other number would someone from your home country be expected to dial to reach you?

 

[steveluppino]

Do like this. Say my friend mobile number in Australia is: 0458 362 2xx to call local. Then it is 61458 362 2xx. What is the number if she travel to Hong Kong. Is it : 852458 362 2xxqq? Get no answer. must be 852 XXXX XXXX.

 

[steveluppino]

All good just left out the first few numbers and left the ones remaining from left and got through to talk to my friend their in HK was great. Thanks.

 

[pkcable]

Taking your phone to another country, it depends on their carrier, as to how you must dial.

My question is, if you took your phone with you to another country where the digit number was different to that of your home country, how possibly could you use it? And what other number would someone from your home country be expected to dial to reach you?

It really depends, how are they connecting to the internet or cellular. This may also depend on their carrier. Here in the US, via T-Mobile, we can use our phones in like 75 countries, data and texting free, also free calling IF connected to wifi, OR like 10 cents a minute if connected to global roaming. Other carriers may be different. Also your friend may buy a local HK SIM, which would have its own number. The Country Code for HK is +852, but you only need that if he bought a local SIM. And you need the number they provided him.

 

[Tartarus]

It doesn’t matter where the person is that you’re trying to reach.
If he or she is using the phone number you have saved on your phone, you simply dial it as you’re used to.

His or her carrier knows exactly in which country she is and will do the dialing for you. You don’t have to change anything to the number known for you.

For example, I’m Dutch.
My phone number is +3163445xxxx. Now, I if I were to be in Ouagadougou and carrying my own phone number with me, you would simply call me as you would any other time.
My carrier will then connect that phone call to me and charge me accordingly.

You’re overthinking the whole being abroad thing.

 

[Just_Me_D]

It doesn’t matter where the person is that you’re trying to reach.
If he or she is using the phone number you have saved on your phone, you simply dial it as you’re used to.

His or her carrier knows exactly in which country she is and will do the dialing for you. You don’t have to change anything to the number known for you.

For example, I’m Dutch.
My phone number is +3163445xxxx. Now, I if I were to be in Ouagadougou and carrying my own phone number with me, you would simply call me as you would any other time.
My carrier will then connect that phone call to me and charge me accordingly.

You’re overthinking the whole being abroad thing.

I thought I was missing the obvious for a moment until I read your reply, and then I was like, “Thank you. Someone else was thinking in the same manner I was”.....

 

[Lee_Bo]

You dial the number as usual.

 

[Rob Phillips]

It doesn’t matter where the person is that you’re trying to reach.
If he or she is using the phone number you have saved on your phone, you simply dial it as you’re used to.

His or her carrier knows exactly in which country she is and will do the dialing for you. You don’t have to change anything to the number known for you.

For example, I’m Dutch.
My phone number is +3163445xxxx. Now, I if I were to be in Ouagadougou and carrying my own phone number with me, you would simply call me as you would any other time.
My carrier will then connect that phone call to me and charge me accordingly.

You’re overthinking the whole being abroad thing.

Exactly this. While I don’t frequently travel abroad I have clients who do, and several who live in other countries for long stretches of time for work. I have never once had to dial their number a special way depending on where they are at the time.

 

[pkcable]

Please note roaming charges in other countries vary widely and in some cases are VERY expensive. A good option is to use a data program, such as Facetime (with or without video), Skype, Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger etc. to do the talking, or video chatting. Both parties just need to be connected to WiFi, or local cellular.

 

[kataran]

Very educational people

 

[Chuck Finley69]

It doesn’t matter where the person is that you’re trying to reach.
If he or she is using the phone number you have saved on your phone, you simply dial it as you’re used to.

His or her carrier knows exactly in which country she is and will do the dialing for you. You don’t have to change anything to the number known for you.

For example, I’m Dutch.
My phone number is +3163445xxxx. Now, I if I were to be in Ouagadougou and carrying my own phone number with me, you would simply call me as you would any other time.
My carrier will then connect that phone call to me and charge me accordingly.

You’re overthinking the whole being abroad thing.

Where exactly is Ouagadougou located? Adding to my travel bucket list ;-D

 

[Just_Me_D]

Where exactly is Ouagadougou located? Adding to my travel bucket list ;-D

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouagadougou

 

[Tartarus]

Where exactly is Ouagadougou located? Adding to my travel bucket list ;-D

I wanted to make a point and then I just lost touch with it