Are you getting SIM-related errors on your iPhone and you don’t see cellular signal bars? Are you unable to make calls, use mobile data, send or receive text messages as a result?
This is usually due to problems with the SIM card you are trying to use. Your iPhone will display error messages such as “Invalid SIM Card”, “No SIM Card”, “SIM Card Not Installed”, “SIM Card Invalid”, “SIM Card Not Supported”, and “SIM Failed -cards”.
In other cases, the problem may be related to your iPhone, due to which it cannot recognize the SIM card. Let’s tell you more and show you how to fix SIM card issues on your iPhone or cellular iPad.
Is your iPhone bought from a carrier and locked?
There are two types of iPhones – locked and unlocked. Carrier-bound iPhones can only be used with one carrier (usually the one where you bought the iPhone). On the other hand, you can use any company’s SIM card on an unlocked iPhone.
To check if your iPhone is carrier locked or not, go to Settings > General > About. Here, if you see “No SIM restrictions”next to “Carrier Lock”, it means your iPhone is unlocked. Please skip all of the following and move on to the next heading.
If your iPhone is carrier-locked and you are trying to use another company’s SIM card, an “SIM card is invalid”error message will appear on the screen with the following text:
The SIM card you currently have installed in this iPhone is from a service provider that is not supported by the activation policy currently assigned by the activation server. This is not a hardware issue with the iPhone. Please insert another SIM card from a supported service provider or have this iPhone unlocked by our service provider. Please contact Apple for more information.
Luckily, unlocking a carrier-locked iPhone isn’t difficult. Read this post by Sebastian and also visit this Apple Support page.
A few words about eSIM on iPhone
Are you using an eSIM on your iPhone? Usually with an eSIM (which is built into your iPhone), you don’t see SIM error or invalid SIM errors.
If the eSIM isn’t working on your iPhone, it’s most likely because you haven’t paid your pending bill or topped up your prepaid SIM card. Pay the bill and your cellular services should work as before.
In rare cases, it is possible that your carrier has deactivated your account by mistake. In this case, you need to contact them and ask for clarification. In the worst case, you may have to set up the eSIM on your iPhone again. Your operator will provide the necessary instructions, QR code, one-time password, etc., if applicable. The process is slightly different for different companies around the world.
Activating iPhone via SIM
Previously, you needed a working SIM card to activate a new or refurbished iPhone. But this is no longer required and you can set up your new or refurbished iPhone using Wi-Fi. After setting up, if your iPhone does not recognize the SIM card, the following solutions will help.
How to Fix SIM Card Issues on Your iPhone and Cellular iPad
Follow these solutions to fix invalid SIM card, no SIM card, or other related issues.
1. Enable and disable Airplane mode
First, go to iPhone Settings or Control Center and enable Airplane Mode. After waiting about 15 seconds, turn it off. For a few seconds, you’ll see Search, where you usually see cell bars. If you see your carrier’s name in the Control Center, it means the SIM card is working. And if it says “No service”, it means that the SIM card is working, but there is no cellular connection. In this situation, make sure you are within cellular coverage (your carrier).
Advice. Go to iPhone Settings > Cellular > Network Selection and turn off the Automatic switch. Your iPhone will now manually search for all available carrier signals in that area. Tap your carrier’s name when it appears. If it doesn’t show up, your carrier won’t be operating in this area as they don’t have cell towers (or partnerships with other carriers) here.
2. Turn on the SIM line
If you’re using dual SIM and it says “No SIM card”, go to iPhone Settings > Cellular > tap the SIM card and turn on the “Enable this line”switch. Repeat this for another SIM card.
3. Restart your iPhone
Sometimes the most annoying problems are solved with a simple restart. If you’re getting SIM error messages on your iPhone, turn it off and wait a minute before turning it back on. Don’t skip this solution, especially if you removed and inserted a new SIM card while iPhone was on.
4. Gently wipe and reinsert the SIM card.
Sometimes after rebooting my four year old iPhone, I would get “SIM card invalid”or “No SIM card”message even though a working card was inserted. To solve this problem:
- Use the SIM eject tool or the appropriate pin to remove the SIM tray. On iPhone 12 and later, the SIM tray is on the left. On iPhone 4 to iPhone 11, the SIM tray is on the right side. And on the iPhone 3GS, 3G, and the original iPhone, the SIM tray is on top.
- Then gently wipe the SIM card with a soft and dry cloth. Do not use liquids.
- Clean out the SIM tray.
- Then blow some air into your iPhone’s SIM card slot (don’t accidentally spit or introduce moisture).
- Finally, place the SIM card in the tray and insert it correctly into your iPhone. Press firmly.
After a few seconds, you should see the carrier name and cell bands in the Control Center. If that doesn’t work, repeat the above process a few times.
5. Remove the case, cover, or laminate from your iPhone.
Are you using a thick or fancy case for your iPhone? Or have you laminated the sides of the iPhone with thin plastic or leather that sticks to the SIM tray? If so, remove such obstructions and then reinsert the SIM card. Do not close the lid or case until you receive a cellular signal.
6. Check if your SIM card is active.
You will only see the carrier name and cellular strength if the SIM card you are trying to use is active. And a SIM card is considered active if you use it regularly (on any phone) or top up/pay your bills on time.
If you are trying to use an abandoned SIM card, it will most likely not work because it is inactive. In my country, if you don’t charge your SIM card for three months, most carriers can render it inoperable. And if you don’t top up for six months or more, they might even assign that phone number to someone else!
So, if you’re trying to use an old SIM in your iPhone, either recharge it first (if it’s prepaid) or pay its bills and ask your carrier to reactivate it. This is usually an easy process.
7. Remove the SIM PIN using another phone and reinsert it into your iPhone.
You can protect your SIM card with a PIN. This feature has been available for several years on almost all phones, including regular ones.
Let’s assume that the PIN code is set on the SIM card. If you try to use this SIM on any phone, you will have to enter the correct PIN first.
When you insert a locked SIM card into your iPhone, it will show you a screen to enter the SIM PIN and unlock it. However, in rare cases, you may not see this PIN entry screen due to software bugs. In this case, go to iPhone Settings > Cellular and you may see an option to enter a PIN. If you don’t, restart your iPhone and then you will.
In rare cases, your iPhone may not recognize a PIN-locked SIM card. This may be due to unexplained bugs in iOS. To solve this problem, insert this SIM card into another iPhone, Android phone, or regular phone and turn off the SIM PIN. You usually see this option in your SIM or Cellular settings. Once done, insert the SIM card back into your iPhone and it should recognize it.
8. Try another SIM card
Follow these steps to determine if the problem is with your iPhone or with the SIM card:
- Try the failed SIM card on another phone and see if it works or not.
- Try using a different SIM card on your iPhone and see if it works or not.
Tip: Don’t click Allow or OK on pop-ups asking you to activate iMessage and FaceTime using this temporary SIM.
9. Contact your carrier to replace the SIM card.
You should visit your nearest carrier store and ask for a replacement SIM card if:
- Your iPhone has a different SIM card, and
- The SIM card you are trying to use on your iPhone doesn’t even work on other phones.
In most cases, your carrier will replace the card free of charge or charge a minimum amount. After all, they want you to have an active SIM so you can use it and pay them a monthly fee!
If you are hesitant to go to the carrier’s store, visit their website and see if your carrier delivers SIM cards at home or not.
Helpful: Apple support page with links to wireless carrier websites.
10. Update your iPhone
It’s possible that your iPhone won’t accept another SIM card due to bugs. To fix this problem, go to Settings > General > Software Update and update your iPhone.
11. Try updating carrier settings
Your carrier sends updates that may add new features and ensure correct operation. Before moving on to the rest of the solutions, learn what a carrier settings update is and how to check for it.
12. Reset network settings
Still can’t get the SIM card to work? Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
13. Reset all iPhone settings
If resetting the network didn’t work for you, consider resetting all settings and we hope this fixes your SIM issues.
14. Erase and set up your iPhone again
If all else fails and your SIM card is OK, but the problem is your iPhone, the only solution is to check it in an Apple Store.
However, before you do that, there is one final solution you can try: Erase your iPhone and set it up again. This should fix the problem if your iPhone won’t recognize SIM cards due to software issues. Here are all the tutorials you will need:
- Backing up iPhone to iTunes or iCloud and why it’s important
- How to Erase Everything on Your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch
- How to set up iPhone from iCloud backup
- How to set up an iPhone from an iTunes backup
15. Contact Apple Support to make an appointment.
Finally, if even completely erasing your iPhone didn’t work (or you didn’t because of the difficulty), talk to Apple Support and ask them to set up an appointment at your nearest Apple Store or Authorized Service Center. On the appointed day and time, check your iPhone. Presumably it won’t recognize the SIM due to hardware issues and the Apple Store will fix that for you.
Fixed: SIM card errors on iPhone.
I hope by now your SIM card issues have been resolved and you can enjoy calls, texts and mobile data again. If another solution worked for you, please share it in the comments section so that your experience will help other iPhone users facing this annoying issue.