Speeds are slower than expected

Check first

Open My plans in the app. On an unlimited plan, if today's full-speed allowance is used up, the speed you're seeing is the reduced speed until it resets. On an unlimited plan, you get 5 GB at full speed every 24 hours. After that, you stay connected at a reduced speed until the allowance resets.

Causes, in order

Low Data Mode or Data Saver is on

iPhone's Low Data Mode, set per line under Settings > Cellular, and Android's Data Saver both throttle background traffic and sometimes the app you're using. Turn them off for the KnowRoaming line and test again.

The network is busy

Airports at peak hours, stadiums, festivals, and city centers at rush hour slow everyone on that network. Move a few streets away or wait a while.

The signal is weak indoors

Hotel rooms, basements, and trains cut speed long before they cut the connection. Step outside or near a window.

A VPN is on

VPNs add their own routing and overhead. Turn it off briefly to see whether the underlying connection is fast.

The phone picked a slow network

In many destinations more than one network accepts your plan, and the strongest signal isn't always the least congested. See Switch networks manually when the automatic pick is weak. Consistently slow in one spot on every network? That's the local network, not your plan.

5G isn't the fix. LTE handles maps, messaging, and video calls comfortably; see 5G vs LTE: What changes for you.

Video calls, streaming, and downloads

Video calls drop or freeze

Video needs more bandwidth, and steadier bandwidth, than anything else on your phone, so it suffers first on a marginal signal. Move outdoors or near a window, switch the call to audio only, or use Wi-Fi for scheduled calls. A one-hour video call can use well over a gigabyte, which matters on a fixed plan. In mainland China, FaceTime and WhatsApp video may be restricted at the network level regardless of provider.

Streaming quality drops

Most video and music apps lower quality on a weaker connection so they keep playing; that's the app coping, not a fault. Check the app's own mobile-data quality setting if it's stuck low with a good signal. Many streaming catalogs are region-locked abroad, and in mainland China many services are blocked at the network level.

App Store or Play Store downloads stall

Both stores hold back large downloads over mobile data unless you allow them. iPhone: Settings > App Store > App Downloads. Android: Play Store > Settings > Network preferences > App download preference. A stalled download with everything else working usually clears with a pause and resume. App stores follow your account's home country, not where you're standing, so a local app may not be available to you; that isn't connectivity. In mainland China, Google Play and Google services are blocked at the network level.

Good to know

• On a fixed plan, data doesn't slow down as it runs out; it stops. A gradual slowdown isn't a plan issue. See Data stopped mid-trip with no warning if it stopped.
• Streaming and video calls are the fastest way through a fixed plan. If they're part of your trip, unlimited is the plan to pick.

Still not working?

Still not working? Message us on WhatsApp at +1-888-357-7347 and include four things: your ICCID, your order number, your phone model and OS version, and what you've already tried.