Good morning. It’s まさきん.
I came across a post by another blogger with a pretty blunt title: “Reasons people say you shouldn’t use it.”
Since I recommend Rakuten Mobile myself, I figured it was worth laying out the downsides honestly at least once. Here’s what the official website actually says.
On iPhone, incoming calls are not covered by Rakuten Link
This was the point I’d pay the most attention to.
On Android, the Rakuten Link app can also handle incoming calls. On iOS, though, the app simply can’t receive them.
- Outgoing calls: free on both iOS and Android (excluding some special numbers)
- Incoming calls: free through the app on Android, while iOS switches to the standard Phone app
- Incoming SMS works the same way, so on iOS you cannot receive texts in Rakuten Link
When you get an incoming call on iOS, it comes through the standard Phone app. In that case, according to the site, calls cost 22 yen per 30 seconds and SMS costs 3.3 yen.
Clicking this opens the Rakuten login page. Once you log in, you’ll see the campaign details.
Outgoing calls are free, but incoming ones work differently. If you use an iPhone, it’s worth knowing about this lopsided setup.
Long calls may get cut off
The official website clearly mentions one more thing.
If a call runs continuously for a long time, it may be disconnected because of the load on the network equipment.
The site also says that “if there is long-duration communication within a certain period, use of the service may be restricted or suspended.” If you make long phone calls every day, this is a condition worth knowing about.
It doesn’t give an exact number of minutes before this kicks in, so that part remains unclear.
Signal can get weaker indoors or underground
The third point is about the signal itself.
The official website says data speeds may vary underground, indoors, and inside large shopping facilities.
As a fix, they suggest installing a small base station called “Rakuten Casa.” I’ve also written up what to do when your signal is weak, so take a look if you’re worried about this.
Summary
To be honest, I found three things worth noting: on iPhone, incoming calls aren’t covered by Rakuten Link; long calls may get cut off; and the signal can get weaker indoors or underground.
That said, none of these means the service is unusable. If your calls are mostly short, or you don’t use your phone much indoors, these conditions may not bother you much.
The terms and how things work may change in the future. If you’re thinking of signing up, I recommend checking the latest information on the official website first.
Even with all this in mind, I still find the low price really appealing. My household weighed everything and decided to keep using it, but knowing the downsides upfront will probably save you some regret.
Clicking this opens the Rakuten login page. Once you log in, you’ll see the campaign details.
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This article includes machine-translated content. Please check the official Rakuten Mobile multilingual page for exact terms.
If you have concerns about Rakuten Mobile coverage or signal quality, you can consult through the official signal improvement request form .
