About swapping the SIM card

Summary

Learn about swapping the SIM card of your iPhone.

Products Affected

iPhone

At times, you may need to change the SIM card of your iPhone. For example, this is required for iPhone repair, warranty service, or if you own an authorized unlocked phone and want to use a different network provider's SIM.

Note: This information applies to devices that use a SIM card.

When changing the SIM card, power off the device prior to opening the SIM tray. After you have changed the SIM card for your iPhone you may need to reconnect it to iTunes.

iPhone keeps a record of previously inserted SIM cards, but if the carrier name of your SIM does not show up in the status bar after you changed the SIM you will need to reconnect iPhone to iTunes. If you do not connect iPhone to iTunes after changing or reinserting the SIM, iPhone may not work as expected.

If iPhone does not work with the SIM card after connecting to iTunes, you might need to restore your iPhone. Consult the iPhone User's Guide for more information on iTunes and iPhone.

If your iPhone does not show up in iTunes (on the left hand side of the iTunes window under Devices), please see the following links for assistance:

Additional Information

For additional information on the SIM PIN click here. For information on activating iPhone click here.

Important: Information about products not manufactured by Apple is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute Apple’s recommendation or endorsement. Please contact the vendor for additional information.
Not helpful Somewhat helpful Helpful Very helpful Solved my problem
Ask other users about this article
in Apple Support Communities
See all questions on this article See all questions I have asked