I couldn’t figure out how to connect to the public Wi-Fi in Bax Coffee (or other places with free Wi-Fi in Turkey) as a foreigner without a Turkish phone number. These networks usually require you to log in through a TurkNet page using a code sent via SMS. I couldn’t find a clear answer online or on Reddit, but since I managed to figure it out—and saw others had the same issue—I thought I’d share the solution that worked for me.

Step-by-step (tested on iOS, might also work on Android)

I don’t think the operating system matters, but since I did this on an iPhone, I can’t guarantee whether Android behaves the same way.

1. Turn off all SIMs except the one you’ll use to receive the SMS.
   • Settings → Mobile Service → SIMs → select the SIMs you don’t want to use → Turn Off Line
2. Make sure roaming is on and that you’re connected to a Turkish telecom provider.
   • Settings → Mobile Service → SIMs → select the SIM you will use → Data Roaming [ON]
3. In the Wi-Fi settings for the network, make sure Auto-Login is turned on. This will trigger the login page. Enter your name, phone number (include country code, but skip the leading zero), accept the terms and conditions, and connect.
4. You’ll receive the SMS as a notification. Don’t exit the login screen—if you do, the login process stops. The SMS will briefly appear as a popup; just enter the code you see, and you’ll be connected.

Hopefully this helps someone else, because the Wi-Fi at these places is actually very good—and not being able to use it really sucks.