Jump to content



Is the mandatory possession of a suitable smartphone really a prerequisite to entering Thailand these days?


Recommended Posts

When I arrived in late April, nobody asked to see the app. Or whether I even had a smart phone. Nor at any point during my stay. BKK immigration reviewed my paperwork with a microscope, but never asked to see the ThailandPlus app (I did have it). It wouldn't work at all on any of my Android phones. I could download it, but it kept crashing. Was finally able to successfully install on my Ipad Air, where it worked just fine. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For what it is worth, I entered Thailand form Germany 2 days ago. There are detailed checks on all documents you need to enter Thailand right now. I have never seen so many health professionals in one place. At no time was I asked to show the App that are required.

That said anyone that does not have smart phone even the most basis is going to have problems. It seem to me that LINE is the preferred communication method. In my quarantine hotel, everything is communicated via LINE, meal nurse, special requests.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, bbko said:

Are these just hypothetical questions or does anyone here really still have just a basic mobile phone?

My personal phone is a Nokia 2720 flip.

 

My work supplied phone is an Apple Iphone 12 Pro.... it gets turned off at 5pm when I get in my car to drive home and turned back on at 8.00am when work starts.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Nicholas222 said:

Some, like myself, are extremely sensitive to wireless technology.    And although some class this medical phenomena as a syndrome, I class it as a disability.    It would not be fair to ignore those of us who find using a smartphone damaging to ones health, and that alternatives are available.  

Abacus and smoke signals and semaphore flags?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Nicholas222 said:

Some, like myself, are extremely sensitive to wireless technology.    And although some class this medical phenomena as a syndrome, I class it as a disability.    It would not be fair to ignore those of us who find using a smartphone damaging to ones health, and that alternatives are available.  

So you have no mobile phone at all smart or dumb ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also had a Nokia for my international phone, untill 2 yrs ago working in S'pore tried to buy a Sim and none would work. Forced into a smart phone. Still only use phone for mainly talking, google map has proven useful. I only buy internet for 1 day when needed. I submit to the smart phone age but still use a home computer for most things like banking.

 

On my return trip to US soon I'll buy a Mac Daddy phone.  The one feature of the top phones is the camera. Outstanding quality pics. Samsung has a new flip phone 60K tbh.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, ramrod711 said:

I came to Thailand in 2005, I had never owned a cellphone until I bought one here. I bought it in case I got lost, and ended up losing two phones in less than two weeks. 

I came in 2015 and the first smartphone I ever owned was purchased at MBK. I had  small Nokia flip phones previously just for voice calling and not much else. Now, invaluable tool in my arsenal. Could not live with Google Maps, GRAB app, LINE, restaurant reviews, etc etc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, TerryS123 said:

They do not check at the airport.  At least they didn't when I arrived. 

They absolutely did check for Mor Chana in Phuket airport. Nobody checked or mentioned Thailand Plus.

As for the requirement to have a smart phone - boring - smart phones are so cheap and readily available these days that it's the least of your worries in the whole COE process. 99.9% of tourists who'd travel these days have one already anyway. I can't really think of anyone I know who doesn't, actually.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, bbko said:

Are these just hypothetical questions or does anyone here really still have just a basic mobile phone?

A conversation on smart phones came up the other day and a Norwegian guy produced a Nokia 3310. Not quite from the ark, but almost.

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, david555 said:
13 hours ago, sezze said:

I do have a smartphone , but i do know 1 person my age who doesn't have 1 and i do know that my parents don't have 1 also and absolutely cannot work with anything remotely more then the numbers on a standard phone ( even reading a received SMS is not possible ) .

But on the point , what do you do with your smartphone without connection ? Meaning , arriving at airport , foreign card in it , costs are very very high ( 100s of baht/MB ) so if you come off the airplane and you startup your phone it checks everything and bang , you are down several 1000s of baht on your foreign phonecard . Not very attractive ... . In the "normal" days , i arrived at airport and at arrival i did buy a high volume Thai phonecard , so i could use ( call/data) without a problem . Does this option still exist , since it is behind immigration , and if i need to go straight away in transfer , i cant reach those shops ?

Expand  

Smart remark ????????.... just landed and no Thai connection settings yet , and just in the arrival zone before immigration ...

Not really - there’s free WiFi at the Airport !!!...

 

You can leave the phone in Plane Mode, WiFi only - I see why some struggle. 

 

As soon as you leave the airport (or even at the Airport) you can buy a local SIM.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, HeijoshinCool said:
16 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Ultimately it's simple: You need a smart phone which can show a QR code. 

 

If this is too much for you, don’t come - it really doesn’t get any simpler than that. 

Expand  

Yes, we must be just like you or we are bad people....no room for individuality in your world. Maybe we should all wear uniforms, too.

You seem to be struggling and looking to blame ’someone’ on this forum for the requirement to posses a Smart Phone to enter Thailand. 

 

You have a choice...  Don’t try and enter Thailand under the current entry conditions if owning a smart phone is that much of a problem. 

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, richard_smith237 said:

You seem to be struggling and looking to blame ’someone’ on this forum for the requirement to posses a Smart Phone to enter Thailand. 

 

You have a choice...  Don’t try and enter Thailand under the current entry conditions if owning a smart phone is that much of a problem. 

 

 

.

 

Zieg heil, mein Führer!

  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, Denim said:

Imagine a crowded immigration hall at swampy with hundreds of tired travelers from all over the world queing up at immigration hoping that they have understood the app correctly. 

 

No need to imagine this.... 10’s of thousands have already entered without a problem. 

 

It is only a vocal minority who seem to have issues with the requirement to download Thailand Plus or Mor Chana and they seem to be on this forum looking to find a problem out of a solution.

 

Both Thailand Pls and Mor Chana are incredibly simple to use and work well - have you even tried them ?

 

 

Edited by richard_smith237
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, david555 said:

True...

But as you see i am not a native English one ....

 

Never learned English in my schooltime ...only the 3 other home country languages

 

I try my best to follow forum rules by trying typing English 

So accept my excuses to the language gestapo ..????

????

 

Yes my bad david555 , see I have only 3 furlung friends up here and one is David so when I see the name David I assume the name belongs to a Brit. or close.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.