Filed under: iPhone
No SIM swapping before iPhone activation
Were you planning on buying an iPhone, bringing it home and immediately swapping out the SIM card? AT&T says no. Their recently posted iPhone FAQ states that your iPhone must be activated (i.e. through iTunes, with a credit card and a two year calling plan) before the phone can be used. You can't just swap out your current SIM card and start right away. Apple's Q&A adds (rather unhelpfully) that you "should use the SIM card that came preinstalled in the iPhone", giving no hint as to whether a SIM swap is possible.
As I posted yesterday, activating the iPhone restarts the 2-year calling plan clock, regardless of whether you're an existing customer or not.
Thanks, Ryan Valle.
Update via David Pogue: "Can I use a SIM card from another phone? The iPhone comes with an installed SIM card, the tiny circuit board that stores your account information and phone number. Apple says that you should be able to replace it with any recent AT&T card, once you activate it in iTunes. No other company's SIM card works in the iPhone."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Stuart said 12:59PM on 6-27-2007
This is the one issue that I hope is answered soon. I live outside the US, and we have GSM here, and I am hoping I will be able to pop in my SIM card and go.
I find the language on the Apple Q&A page to be very vague. It says you SHOULD use the sim card that comes with the phone, not you MUST. Also, the non-answer to "Can I unlock the iPhone?" is "AT&T is the sole US carrier." What about outside the US? This is a simple yes/no question -- can I unlock it and use it outside of the US? Yes or No?
I guess I am secretly hoping that this is a hidden feature, kind of like how you can get around the DRM by burning a CD and ripping the songs again...
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Tom said 1:02PM on 6-27-2007
Just a question... Does the 2 year clock "restart" or is your contract lengthened by 2 years? For example if you were 6 months into your contract you'd end up with a 3.5 year commitment when you purchased the iPhone or any phone for that matter.
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starlightmica said 1:09PM on 6-27-2007
Could a hacked SIM card let you use the iPhone without cell service, with Wifi and iPod features intact?
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Adam Turetzky said 1:09PM on 6-27-2007
I think we're witnessing the soft handling of a major problem that is going to crop up for Apple and AT&T Friday night.
People waiting in line to buy 5, 10, 20 or 30 iPhones and then run home and auction them off on eBay for a profit.
Unless I'm missing something it appears that in order to walk out of a store with an iPhone you're required to submit to a credit check and sign up for service, which you can "activate" at home, before the item is sold to you which in turn ties that handset to you.
Managing these folks who plan on buying in bulk for others is going to be a headache for Apple when these people realize that resale of these handsets is going to be a problem and that they can't buy them without a contract already linked to the phone for activation at home.
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holo said 1:11PM on 6-27-2007
they must have changed the apple page, because i remember reading something along the lines of it saying that any current AT&T sim should work fine in the phone.
either way it's a non-issue. you have to activate the phone anyway. doesnt matter if it's your sim or the new one at that point.
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mike said 1:25PM on 6-27-2007
can't you take it home, activate it, cancel the contract, swap the sim?
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matthew said 1:32PM on 6-27-2007
I am blow away at how many people following the iPhone are either in denial or missed the fact that the iPhone is SIM-locked.
AT&T-when interviewed at the announcement of the iPhone-clearly stated that they worked with Apple to lock the iPhone. In fact, they admitted to taking unusual steps to make sure people couldn't unlock it and use it on another compatible network (read: T-Mobile).
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Charles Plater said 1:38PM on 6-27-2007
I was on the phone with an AT&T rep yesterday getting my voice plan set before the iPhone rush (I'm a current subscriber out of contract,) and she warned me to to put the other SIM on my account (my wife's phone) into the iPhone, as it would automatically add the data plan to the SIM based on the iPhone IMEI. Not sure if it's BS/FUD, but that's what she told me.
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Adam Turetzky said 1:43PM on 6-27-2007
"7. can't you take it home, activate it, cancel the contract, swap the sim?"
That'll cost you $175 and most likely get you banned for life from being an AT&T customer again.
I did that to T-Mobile 4 years ago. They still won't let me get a phone from them.
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djfred said 2:12PM on 6-27-2007
After reading Adam's comment I took another look at the activation video and verified that you don't enter your social security number for the credit check until AFTER you've purchased the iPhone.
Which still makes me wonder how they plan on handling the massive number of returns they're sure to get from people who don't meet the criteria. Either they're going to approve everybody for the monthly subscription and risk losing a few along the way with no realistic way to recoup the cancellation fee (which is admittedly a much lower risk if the phone is truly incompatible with T-Mobile SIMS) or there's a GoPhone option in the works that they're not talking about.
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danny said 2:31PM on 6-27-2007
I have not found anything about us CURRENT customers of Cingular/ATT and activation or how to purchase.
I have a Cingular SIMS in my family plan of two phones. How does a current customer activate iPhone?
It's like current customers are totally disregarded.
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Adam Turetzky said 2:49PM on 6-27-2007
I just watched the activation video again too, and noticed there's a little box below where you enter your social security number called a "pre approved credit check code". Which leads me to think they're going to do credit screening at the store.
This means the people waiting in line will be able to easily buy more than one phone and resell them. However the person buying them second hand may be in for a surprise when they find out they don't qualify and the person they bought it from won't take it back.
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Adam Turetzky said 2:59PM on 6-27-2007
Even more interesting. From the AT&T site "pre-purchase understandings" PDF...
"The credit approval for your AT&T service also happens on your computer. It’s part of activating through iTunes, but if you’d rather have your credit pre-approved before you leave the store, an AT&T store representative can help you with that."
They don't mention what happens if you don't qualify however. Then at the bottom in bold type they have this:
"You can return your iPhone within 14 days for a full refund, but there is a 10% restocking fee if the box has been opened."
So, if you buy an iPhone, forego the in-store credit check, get home, open it up, plug it in and get denied a 2 year contract based on your credit history, you've got 14 days to bring it back and loose $60 for trying.
So I guess people with less than favorable credit should check in the store and get pre-approved and those buying second hand, well, that's a whole different issue.
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Dave said 3:13PM on 6-27-2007
Does the iPhone even use a used accessable SIM? According to the review by Walt Mossberg in todays' Wall Street Journal:
"It only works with AT&T (formerly Cingular), won't come in models that use Verizon or Sprint and can't use the digital cards (called SIM cards) that would allow it to run on T-Mobile's network."
Notice he says "CAN'T" use other SIM cards. Does that mean it is a non-standard SIM, or that it is not accessable?
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Harold said 3:17PM on 6-27-2007
It's one-iphone-per-person on Friday. I just got this email from AT&T:
"With iPhone arriving June 29th at 6 p.m. in AT&T retail stores, the wait is almost over. Use our online store locator to find the closest AT&T store that sells Apple iPhone (limit one per person). We'll show you maps, directions, and everything you need to get your hands on an iPhone as quickly as possible."
Find a iphone store near you: http://wheresiphone.com
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djfred said 3:24PM on 6-27-2007
@Dave Yes, it's a non-standard SIM. I don't have a link but I know I read that someplace.
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djfred said 3:25PM on 6-27-2007
@Adam Turetzky: Nice detective work. I'm never taking issue with anything you say again. I'd be willing to bet, though, there's at least some states that would consider that a valid reason for returning it. Hence, no restocking fee penalty and a big backlog of open box iPhone returns.
I guess it depends on the particulars of this pre-purchase agreement and whether you have to sign something before you purchase it. The iPhone FAQ at AT&T is down for maintenance and if I don't get back to being productive soon I'm not going to be able to afford one.
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KPO'M said 6:34PM on 6-27-2007
There's a difference between being SIM-locked and using a non-standard SIM or having a user-non-accessible SIM. Matthew's question about being able to sign up for AT&T, and then remove the SIM and use it in another phone is a valid one. iPhone may be hardwired to accept only one specific SIM (i.e. not just an AT&T SIM, but that specific SIM that it comes with), but that doesn't necessarily mean I couldn't pull that SIM out and use it in another phone. It would be nice to know the answer to that one. For instance, some of us may use a different AT&T phone at the office (say a Treo), or might travel overseas with a cheap phone (not wanting to risk having your fancy new $600 phone swiped while going through airport security), and thus it might be appealing to be able to use the AT&T SIM in another phone. There's no logical reason why either Apple or AT&T would block that.
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Fritz Laurel said 7:33PM on 6-27-2007
@12 danny -- there's plenty of info for current ATT customers in both the Apple and ATT documentation.
Basically, you just need to add the iPhone data plan to your account, which is $20/mo and your contract "clock" will be reset and you'll now be on a 2-yr agreement.
Cheers,
FL
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MgD said 8:35AM on 6-28-2007
KPO restates my points exactly. I travel to countries where I need to be prepared for my phone to be stolen. In those instances, I need to pull my SIM and put it in one of my backup phones.
If I don't have that ability with the iPhone it makes it less attractive to me.
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