59 thoughts on “Using The iPad in Sweden – What Works and What Doesn’t”

1. Thanks for the tip on connecting to my pc to get app store going.

2. You’re welcome! Glad to hear you’re up and running!

3. Hi Johan,

   Thanks for the info. Planning on traveling to Sweden with my iPad. If you don’t mind me asking, where can I purchase a Telenor sim card when I get to Sweden? Are they readily available?

   Thanks,

   Mercedes

4. Hello Mercedes,

   Telenor charges 99 SEK for a mobile data SIM card without subscription:
   http://www.telenor.se/privat/mobilt-bredband/mobilt-bredband-kontant/index.html

   In addition to the SIM card, you then pay either 89 SEK for one week of unlimited surfing, or 289 SEK for one month. Currently I do not know the procedure to replace the MiniSIM included in the 99 SEK starter pack with a MicroSIM card, but please feel free to give them a call at +46 708 222 222 and ask them about this. If you find out anything, please feel free to comment back in this post.

5. Hi Johan,

   I tried everything to get my 3G iPad (jailbroken of course) with telenor micro-sim (tvillingkort / twin card) to work. “no service” it says.
   APN: internet.telenor.se

   What settings to use? Called telenor “support” and they could not / want not help me.

   Do you have any tips?

6. If you are using it on your twin card you should use APN: services.telenor.se

   Try that one.

7. Hello Johan,

   I have been eagerly anticipating the release of the “pad” here in sweden and have been torturing myself with the constant configurations and shopping cart temptation of the apple store for too long now.

   I hesitate (to import the iPad) since I bought my 3GS in the states and the constant worry of updating and not being able to make calls kills me.

   My question is more on the the iPad’s power supply. Is that a simple fix at Mac-forum? Do you have any information regarding the temperature of the device? Lastly, in another area; have you experienced any DHCP client issues?

   I thank you for your time and kudos on the blog.

8. Hi Guillermo,

   Thanks for the feedback!

   The 3G in the iPad can be used with any operator, no need to worry about having to jailbreaking or unlocking the device. The iPad is completely operator-independent.

   As to your questions:
   1. Power supply. Just replace the “head piece with the plugs” of the power adapter with a 230V head from an iPod adapter and it works fine. You can also use a standard iPod adapter with it, but it will charge a bit slower (iPhone/iPod use 5W chargers but the iPad uses a 10W charger that charges it in half the time).
   2. Temperature. I played Plants vs Zombies yesterday with my 4-year-old daughter on it for two hours and it remained cool to the touch. Heat is not an issue.
   3. No DHCP issues and I use it with many WiFi networks.

   Overall I can really recommend a purchase, especially now when the App Store is working on the device with in-app purchases!

9. Hi Johan!

   I having some problems with my new iPad 3G, have received a micro-SIM card from Telenor, but still get “no service”. And a been called the Telenor so the micro-SIM works, do I need to jailbreak the iPad? for the moment it’s keep searching for 3G service.
   Any tips or ideas?

10. Hello Elliott,

    Try the following:
    1. Sync your iPad with iTunes so the mobile provisioning file is pushed to your device. Then try again.
    2. Verify that you use apn services.telenor.se

    Sincerely
    Johan

11. Hi again, well I have tried your recommendation, but still having problems with the 3G connection. It’s finds all the Swedish operators and I chose Telenor, but it keeps re-searching and dropping the connection, tips?

    And BIG thanks for your help early..;)

12. Hi,

    Same problem for me, any updates on this?

13. Very weird. Do you use twin cards? You might want to check that the 5th digit is the same on the two cards (I think it was the fifth digit – Telenor once told me that it might cause issues if one card is significantly older than the other one).

14. I’m travelling to Linkoping, Sweden on 8-12 June from Australia. Where do I purchase the microsim card for the iPad, and is it widely available in town, like in convenience stores? My first time to travel to Sweden. Thanks for your help.

15. Problem solved!

    I’m using a twincard and Telenor didn’t activate it correct. I tried the Micro sim in a Samsung Omnia (yes you can do that) to verrify that there was nothing wrong with the Ipad. One more call the Telenor, and after that it works like a charm.

16. Glad to hear Magnus!

    Also, Noel, MicroSIM’s needs to be specifically ordered from the operator. So you might want to call http://www.telenor.se and ask them how to get one.

17. Johan,
    Thanks for all the info. I’m in the US right now thinking about buying an iPad and take it back to Sweden. You said that you weren’t able to buy books or browse the App store. Someone told me that there a way to go around this buy using either an American credit card or Paypal, but haven’t gotten it confirmed. Anything you or anyone else have tried?

18. Hi Johan,

    Interesting stuff. As I am not entirely up to speed with all the technical issues referred to above, I do have a simple question: Will it be possible to buy an iPad (WiFi only) and connect it to a generic mobile phone using Bluetooth and letting the phone act as your modem to reach the Internet highway? I have unlimited data on my phone and purchasing another card service seems very unnecessary.

    Tnx
    Andreas

19. Erik: Apple removed the lock on the international iPad App Stores a few weeks ago. The iPad App Store works fine now using Swedish accounts.

    Andreas: No, you cannot tether the iPad. Your best choice now is to either buy a MiFi device and share your 3G connection from that or to share your Internet connection over WiFi from an Android phone.

20. Thanks for the tips Johan.
    You say input is slower without the dedicated ö, å and ä keys. Does that mean you have discovered a way to produce them on the iPad?

21. Odella: Yeah, just tap-and-hold on the A and O buttons and select Å, Ä, or Ö.

22. Toppen! Stort TACK!

23. one more thing, can I buy an iPad in Sweden?

24. Tnx Johan for a swift but depressing reply. Just to see if I understand it correctly; the iPad cannot connect via B-tooth to a generic cell phone and use the phone’s internet connection (that is commonly referred to as tethering?)? Tethering is a normal feature for most computers – do you know why it is not possible? Do you think it will be possible – otherwise, it is reall crappy?

    Secondly, (also because I am not up to speed) a MiFi creates a local WiFi from a cell phone and in such a way, the iPad connects as if it is a regular WiFi? Thirdly, the android can create a WiFi?

    Tnx for the help

25. @ Andreas – You can either buy an iPad on blocket or I ran across a small store in Söder the other day that gets them every day or so and sells out regularly. Your going to pay a premium for the pleasure of getting them here (as opposed to getting someone to bring them from the states).

    Also no it can’t tether, hence the reason people are getting the 3G.

    Lastly MiFi creates a mobile wifi router via a 3G data card and the iPad will read it as such plus some Android phones (I think they need to be version 2.2) can create wifi hotspots.

    @ Johan – Good info, I just reupped my Tele2 plan which offered a ‘free’ unlimited mobile broadband (which should be here this week, plus a HTC Legend for the wifey) and I plan to have the 3g data card cut so that I can put it in a 3G iPad but also swap it back into the mobile broadband if I need to use it.

26. Thanks for this info! I bought a normal size cash data SIM from telenor and cut it down to fit the micro slot on the iPad. Worked on the first try. Got mobile broadband in my summer house now. Cheers

27. Hello
    Has anything changed regarding the keyboard support part(Swedish keyboard) since the ios4 update?

28. Lintott: Glad to hear it’s working fine!

    John: Not yet, iOS 4 is still not available for the iPad. So it’s still a pain to write in Swedish on the keyboard.

29. Lintott,
    Thank you for posting that cutting the sim card works. I am planning to do just that when I travel to Stockholm.
    Cheers.

30. Hi,

    I’ve tried with the ‘tap and hold’ trick to produce Swedish characters. for example, I tap and hold ‘a’ and will then see a range of options, but i cannot select anything but the plain ‘a’. Is there a setting that is required to be able to select from the options?

31. Fredrik: Just hold “a” and when ä or å shows up, drag your finger to the desired letter, then release your finger. Selected letter will then be typed.

32. Thanks Tommy, works like a charm!
    I did some experiments with keyboards other than the English (US) one. German uses ä and ö and consequently these characters should show up on the German keyboard. Guess what? They don’t. If you tap the ‘a’ key and hold it down for a second or so, you’ll get an ‘ä’. A stupid implementation of national keyboard that does not do anything to support fluid typing. It’ll be really interesting to see how the Swedish keyboard will be implemented.

33. Thanks for the depressing news. I was thinking of importing an iPad from Germany but i’ll just wait now..

    Its a bit strange since the iPhone has a great feature for adding foreign keyboard layouts, on mine I use english, spanish and swedish in my everyday communication. I wonder if that is coming to the iPad with iOS4

34. Hello – I clicked on the Telenor link above and it cost 399:- for a 3G modem including one weeks worth of data. Are there any sim only deals in Sweden any longer?

    Thanks!

35. To follow this up – 3 (Tre) do a micro sim for 99:- skr that included 1 week unlimited data.

36. Hi there,
    I have problem using Youtube on my iPad. After 30-40 sec. it stops. It worked in the States and Canada, but not here. Do you know why?

    Best
    S

37. Hi Johan,
    Maybe you can help me!
    I bought a telenor 3G micro sim plus 1 year subscription in the telenor store and the IPAD worked like a charm the first month.. After a holiday in Portugal where the Ipad didnt work with 3G I have the same problem now back in Sweden. It is connected directly to Telenor but I keep receiving ‘could not activate cellular data network, you are not subscriped to a cellular data service’. According to Telenor there is nothing wrong with with my subscription but they can not provide further IPAD help.

38. Hi Johan:
    I’m embarrassed by the simplicity of my question but nevertheless here goes: I just bought an iPad and am traveling to Stockholm in early Oct to see the Blue Jackets beat the San Jose Sharks (twice, I hope). It is my understanding that the my 110 volt US-bought iPad is robust enough to handle the 210 volts that are outputted through your electrical sockets..right? Therefore, it seems to me that all I need do is purchase a simple ADAPTER that will allow my plug to adapt to your two-plug outlet…right? I’ll hang up the phone and wait for your answer. Thanks: JJK

39. Peter: Have you double checked that your APN is set to services.telenor.se?

    John: It will work just fine, I’m using an US adapter myself. You just need a European wall adapter got the power adapter.

40. WOW! What a fast response. THANKS.
    But you didn’t comment about the Jackets beating the Sharks. See you at the game

41. ok i really wanna buy an ipad and i recently moved to sweden 2months ago from the US. where can i buy an ipad?!?! or when will they be released here in sweden? please answer

42. Gio,

    You cannot buy the iPad in Sweden yet. What you can do however is order the iPad from one of the companies that ship from UK, like Expansys.se that will deliver an iPad within three days to you.

43. great, thanks a lot!

44. Hi ,
    What about iphone4 is it possible to buy micro sim for unlocked one? Can you still do updates ?
    I have one from 3 with 18 months plan , but i travel a lot and want to use my iphone everywhere i go . What you’ll recommend
    thx

45. Peter: To answer your first question: If you have an unlocked iPhone 4 you can use any micro sim with it. Unlocked iPhones are sold in many countries.

    To your second question: Call Tre Customer Service and ask them how you can unlock your phone. It will cost 350 kr. Most Tre personnel in the stores do not know about this option.

46. I have purchaged a iPad and it’s fantastic. It’s worth having it. God Bless Steave Jobb.

47. Thanks a lot Johan!

48. Traveling to Sweden in a few days and I have AT&T 3g service for my ipad. Will I be able to get service in Sweden?

49. Hi Johan
    I have imported an Ipad from US. It is a 16 gb 3G. My problem is that the 3g doesn´t work. I have really tried everything. I have a Telia micro sim card. And I have tried to reactivate the Ipad through Itunes and all thetime I restart it I get the answer could not activate cellular data. I use the APN online. telia.com.

    Do you have any idea what to do? It is great that you have this thread open;)

50. Tony: Will probably work with some quite expensive roaming fees (assuming you google the right APN for the roaming operator).

    Christer: Thanks! Well you probably have the incorrect APN entered. My best advice would be to upgrade to 4.2 beta 2 where you no longer have to specify APN manually – and you get a Swedish keyboard with ÅÄÖ as well.