Destinations
What to know before travelling to Morocco with your phone
Roaming, coverage in the Atlas, plug sockets, medina maps and calls through apps. What to have sorted before boarding.
Irene Salazar 7 min Photo by Imad Ghazal on Unsplash Morocco is a short flight from Europe and one tariff border away. It is a comfortable, inexpensive destination in almost every respect, and the phone is one of the few things worth sorting out before leaving home.
Roaming: it is not included
The roaming that travels with you by regulation is the European Union and European Economic Area one; if your line is from outside them, every country is already an international zone. Either way Morocco falls outside, and your plan treats it on its own terms.
And there is one case that catches people out: near the border and at certain points in the strait, the phone can latch onto a Moroccan mast without your having left the other shore. With data roaming on, that is international use.
How the charging works and what to check beforehand is in roaming in Morocco.
Coverage, better than expected
Morocco has broad 4G in the cities and on the main roads, and 5G rolling out in the large cities. The gaps are where you would expect them: the Atlas, the desert routes and the stretches between small villages.
On a desert excursion or in an Atlas valley you should count on being without signal for hours, so downloaded maps and saved bookings are the difference between a nuisance and a problem.
The medinas and GPS
The medinas of Fez and Marrakesh are labyrinths, and there a downloaded map does an enormous job. Two warnings that help more than any app.
- The GPS signal works without data and without coverage, so the blue dot keeps moving even with no network.
- Inside the alleys accuracy drops considerably because of the high walls: enough to get your bearings, not enough to turn blind.
- Save the riad or hotel as a marked place on the map before heading out for a walk. That is what brings you back.
Calls and messaging apps
Calls through messaging apps run over data and are the sensible way to talk to home. It is worth knowing that there are countries where local carriers have at some point limited calls over the internet, so if it matters to you, check on arrival that they work and keep a fallback plan.
To call a Moroccan number, the most practical thing is usually to ask your accommodation: most are happy to do it and it solves the language question too.
Plugs, battery and street habits
- Morocco uses the round two-pin plugs and 220 V common across continental Europe. If your plugs are a different shape, take an adaptor; most phone chargers handle 100–240 V, so a transformer is not needed.
- Take a power bank. The days are long, with the map and camera going all the time, and many riads have few accessible sockets.
- In souks and crowded places the phone is better in a front pocket than in your hand as you walk. It is the advice for any large city, and it applies here just the same.
- Ask before photographing people, especially in markets and in the countryside. It is a matter of respect and it saves awkward moments.
What to have done before take-off
- Turned off data roaming on your line.
- Downloaded the maps of the cities and the route.
- Saved the bookings and your accommodation's number in your contacts.
- Decided how you are going to have data, and sorted it before take-off.
Frequently asked questions
Does European roaming work in Morocco?
No. Morocco is in neither the European Union nor the European Economic Area, so what applies is whatever your plan says for an international zone.
Is coverage good in Morocco?
Yes in the cities and on the main roads, with broad 4G. In the Atlas and on the desert routes there are long stretches with no signal.
Does GPS work without data in the medina?
Yes, the GPS signal needs no connection. With the map downloaded beforehand the blue dot keeps moving, though accuracy drops between narrow alleys.
Do I need a plug adaptor?
Morocco uses the round two-pin plugs and 220 V common across continental Europe. If your plugs are a different shape, you will need one; most phone chargers handle 100–240 V, so no transformer.
Can I call over WhatsApp from Morocco?
Calls through the app run over data and normally work. In some countries carriers have at times limited calls over the internet, so if it is critical, check on arrival.
