Making calls from the EU
If you're travelling in the EU, you'll benefit from the same unlimited calls and texts as you would at home in the UK.
When doing so, it's worth being aware of something called Dial Assist (or Assisted Dialling on some Android devices).
What is Dial Assist?
Dial Assist isn't a network feature, but a phone setting that automatically adds the correct country code or local prefix when you make a call.
The idea is to save you from having to remember international dialling codes. For example, if you are in Spain and dial a UK number without the +44 prefix, Dial Assist adds it for you.
While this is often handy, it has been known to cause rare but frustrating issues on both iOS and Android devices.
What are the problems with Dial Assist?
Some users have noticed that even when they've tired to make a call back to the UK using the correct +44 from a country like Italy, Dial Assist has replaced +44 with +39 (the international dialling code in Italy).
This happens when the phone mistakenly believes a user is trying to call a local number for the country they're in - rather than intentionally dialling elsewhere. When this confusion occurs, it can become impossible to dial out of the country you're in unless you disable Dial Assist.
How to disable Dial Assist
On an iPhone:
- Open Settings
- Tap Phone
- Scroll down to Dial Assist and toggle to Off
On Android devices:
- Open the Phone app
- Select the three dot menu in the top right and tap Settings
- Look for Assisted Dialling or International Dialling Assist and toggle it to off (or set your preferred home country)
It's worth noting that the Menu options on Android operating systems an vary by device, so you may need to do some clicking around.
Updated on: 24/03/2026
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