How to manage dual SIM Androids
GIVE YOUR ANDROID A SPLIT PERSONALITY.
AS DETAILED IN our recent article on Cheap Androids, an online search turned up a selection of very low priced Android smartphones available from non-telco suppliers. We went on eBay and bought one at around $60 and another at around $120.
No surprise, the $60 phone was not even close to the advertised specs – it ran a custom build of Android 4.2 that claimed to be 8.0 and displayed fake info in the phone settings.
Turns out you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet!
Fortunately the $120 phone was a pleasant surprise: the Umidigi A3 Pro looks a lot like an iPhone X but runs stock Android 9.0 and all specs were as advertised. We are now using it every day. A little underpowered, but great value.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
One thing the two phones had in common was dual SIM slots. 3G only in the $60 cheapy, and dual 4G in the Umidigi. We had been carrying two smartphones due to separate work and personal requirements, so it was time to check out dual SIM options.
Major suppliers in Australia have resisted providing dual SIM capability in their mainstream phones. The same applies to eSIM technology, an electronic or embedded SIM card which most new flagship phones now feature. But things are changing, with Optus the first to offer dual SIM smartphones on their post-paid mobile plans.
However, these are generally expensive top-end phones, and we had an inexpensive solution in mind. So, how do Dual SIMs work in everyday life?
DUAL SIM DUAL ACTIVE
With Dual Active SIMs you have two phone numbers available at all times. You can make and receive phone calls from either SIM at any time. If you are on a phone call using one of the SIMs, you can also receive an incoming call on the second SIM, but only if both are operating on 4G.
DUAL SIM DUAL STANDBY
Dual Active is expensive, and most Dual SIM phones are Dual Standby, which means they can make or receive calls through either SIM, but only one at a time. If you are using either phone number to make or receive a call the other number is offline and incoming calls to it will be busy or divert to voicemail.
WHY GO DUAL SIM?
* Carry one phone for both work and personal phone numbers.
* Ideal for international travel – buy a local SIM for calls and data to avoid high roaming costs, while your Australian number stays available for
incoming calls and messages.
* Take advantage of the best mobile deals – for example have one SIM for calls and the other for data.
NOT SO SIMPLE?
So, just install two SIMs and you’re good to go right? Well yes, you have two numbers on your phone, but then it gets complicated:
* When calls or texts come in, how do you know which number they are from? * When dialling out, how do you make sure you use the right number?
* How do you manage mobile data?
* How do you manage contacts?
* How do you manage messages?
Having two SIMs in one phone is not the same as having two phones. There are two numbers, but just one screen, and one of each app. Of course top-end dual SIM smartphones may have comprehensive dual SIM management built in, but we’re at the other end of the market and our Umidigi runs stock Android 9 with no custom interface. So Dual SIM apps are needed.
We researched and tested dozens of apps of questionable value...
NAME YOUR SIMS
The first thing to do is to make your two SIMs easily identifiable. We slotted in Belong and Aldi Mobile SIMs but by default they are given the name of the network provider, so both were called “Telstra Network” in the phone.
On Android 9 you go to Settings and look for SIM cards under Network & Internet, tap on each and you can set its name and colour, activate or deactivate it, and set defaults for data, calls and texts. These defaults are required, but you can override them when sending.
ASSOCIATE CALLS WITH SIMS
DUAL SIM SELECTOR / MULTI SIM SELECTOR
Dual Sim Selector/Multi Sim Selector (available at the Google Play Store) seems to work well for call management. You set rules, for example associate each contact, or groups of contacts, with one SIM or the other. When you choose that contact or dial the number the app directs the call through the correct SIM.
If you have not set a rule, buttons are displayed for a few seconds that let you choose a SIM. By default this then becomes a rule for that contact. The process is very simple and quick. You can even set rules for “number begins with” which could, for example, direct all international calls through a chosen SIM automatically.
We have found Multi Sim Selector an impressive app and the free version does not display ads. It does have a few limitations, and you have to choose only one type of rule. At $7.50 the Pro version is not cheap, but if you want to automate your dual SIM smartphone it may be the way to go. DUAL SIM DIALER AND WIDGET
If you want something more basic than Dual Sim Selector this lightweight free app (available at the Google Play Store) might do the job. It makes it simple to select SIM 1 or 2 for each call you make. It is supposed to be able to set up one tap homepage widgets for favourite calls, among other things, but we did not find that function in our testing. It was also prone to dialling out unexpectedly when our testing confused it, so while ad free, it’s not bug free. DUAL SIM REMINDER
Ideally a SIM management app would include automatically functions like setting your work number to silent after hours. We didn’t find one that does that, but this simple app gives you reminder notifications to do it manually.
CLONE YOUR APPS
DualSpace – Multiple Accounts & App Cloner (available at the Google Play Store) came preinstalled on the Umidigi. It is not a dual SIM app as such but lets you clone some apps so there are two copies running on your phone – say independent pairs of WhatsApp or Messenger apps. But it is prone to glitches, displays ads, and can’t clone everything, so it’s not for everyone.
So far we haven’t found a way of creating separate text message boxes for each SIM, but will let you know when we do.