Restore Your iPhone To Factory Settings
CAUTION: This may brick your iPhone!
When you restore an iPhone, it uses a SIM card to activate itself. If your iPhone cant do this, it becomes totally unusable! You should only restore your iPhone if you have a spare phone to use should it go wrong.
We suggest restoring your device using DFU mode, which is the deepest level of restore possible. You can find the instructions to enter DFU mode for every iPhone here.
Alternatively, go to Settings> General> Reset. Choose to Erase All Contents and Settings then enter your passcode and Apple ID details when prompted.
What Does No Sim Mean
If you have the “no SIM” error, it is because your iPhone or iPad is no longer detecting the SIM card inserted in the tray. This can happen for several reasons, such as a software glitch or dusty SIM card. In some cases, your SIM card or the surrounding hardware might be damaged, in which case you’ll need to take it in to your carrier or Apple Store to get it serviced.
Turn Off/on Airplane Mode
Another thing to get rid of the iPhone is saying no SIM issue, turn on the Airplane Mode at once and then turn it off again. Your iPhone not supporting SIM cards is pretty common, and almost every iOS device user faces this.
Heres the brief guide to turning on the Airplane mode.
- Open Settings and navigate to the Airplane mode option.
- You need to turn on the Airplane mode option. It will stop every operation that iPhone would be performing.
- After waiting for a few moments, you need to turn the Airplane mode option again to make things normal for your iPhone.
- Later, you need to assess whether you can find SIM on your iPhone or not. If the fuss persists, you need to look for other things as well.
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Seventh Solution: Erase Your iPhone And Restore Its Factory Defaults
The ultimate solution to complex system errors that caused persistent issues on the phone is the so-called master reset or factory reset. As the name implies, this reset wipes everything from your phone system including saved contacts, downloaded apps, customizations, and personal information. Fatal errors that could not be corrected by prior methods are also resolved by this reset unless corrupted iOS is the underlying cause. While this reset is promising conclusive solutions, it also results to permanent data loss. That being said, it should only be regarded among the last options. Should you wish to proceed with this reset, creating backups of your critical files is recommended beforehand. You can back up your iPhone files to iCloud or iTunes for that matter. Once you have secured the most recent backup, you can proceed with the reset. Heres how to factory reset an iPhone from the settings menu:
The reset will then instigate and once its done, your phone should reboot itself. As soon as it boots up, you can use the start-up wizard to set up your iPhone as new.
Your Phone Has A Hardware Problem

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How Have Sims Changed Over Time
SIMs have changed over time by decreasing in their size as the chip technology got better. The standard sim has a length of 25mm while micro and Nano have it at 15mm and 12mm respectively. The modern E-SIM is integrated into the phones circuitry.
Back in time, bulky phones were beginning to show up. Researchers were looking around for ways to connect a smartphone to the carrier. Then, Giesecke and Devrient turned over a new leaf in 1991, coming up with the plastic card-sized standard SIM card.
The sizes of SIMs continued to decrease with the introduction of mini Sim, micro-sim, and finally Nano-SIM. The latest technology is called E-SIM where there is no need for a physical SIM card.
iPhone Says No Sim Card Installed 6 Easy Ways To Fix It
Apple has always insisted that the iPhone is the most advanced, cutting edge gadget. But, guess what, just like 15 years ago and all other conventional phones today, iPhone has this SIM-card dinosaur feature.
Today well show you 6 easy ways to fix a popular issue iPhone says no SIM card installed.
SIM-card is an essential piece of hardware that is permanently plugged into your phone. And it is not related to phone memory in any way.
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Solution #: Inspect Your iPhone 13 Pro Max Sim Card
Sometimes, the SIM card may move a bit. Even if the card didnt move, reinserting the SIM card is something you should definitely try. Turn off your iPhone and remove the SIM card. If there is dust in the tray or on the card, wipe it off. Make sure the SIM card is not damaged. If it is, that is the reason why your iPhone 13 Pro Max says no sim card installed and you will have to contact your carrier for the SIM card replacement. No damages on the card? Place it back in the tray and turn your phone on. If the error message goes away, youve solved the issue! Otherwise, you will need to move to the next solution below.
Fix The Sim Card Error By Clearing The Cache
Clearing your Androids cache to try to fix the no SIM card error is extremely simple. Go to Settings -> Storage -> Clear Data. When you tap on cached data, youll get a pop-up telling you that this is going to clear the cache for all the apps on your device. Just tap on Delete to go through with it.
If there were only a way to know what is causing the no SIM card error from the very beginning, there would be no need to waste time trying different methods. Unfortunately, until the Android device shows a message telling you what the cause is, the trial-and-error method is all you have.
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Make Sure You Have An Active Cellular Plan
While it might seem obvious, it’s worth double-checking that your wireless carrier plan is still active. While you should have been given plenty of notice about this, sometimes people find they have an expired contract or you have outdated auto-payment information and haven’t been paying your cellular bill.
Can An iPhone Work Without A Physical Sim Card
An iPhone can work perfectly fine without a SIM Card. Most iPhones have eSIM embedded in them. The Sim authenticates the identity of the iPhone to the carrier using an internet connection. This eliminates the need for a physical sim card.
eSIM is the new cutting-edge technology. In essence, it is a partition in the memory of the device that stores encrypted account details of the carrier and is about 60 times smaller than the Nano sim card. You can set up eSIM using either scanning a QR code, installing a carrier app, or manually entering cellular plan credentials in the settings. Follow these instructions to subscribe to the E-SIM manually:
- Open Settings from the Home Screen
- Now tap Mobile data
- Finally, enter the plan details.
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How To Fix No Sim Card Detected iPhone Error
Your iPhone, without a working SIM card, is no longer a phone. It becomes a calendar, alarm clock, calculator, media player, and camera tool. Knowing what a SIM card is and does, will help you learn the process of diagnosing and correcting the No SIM Card Detected or Invalid SIM Card iPhone problem.
SIM stands for as it contains the authentication keys that allow your phone to use the voice, text, and data facilities offered by your service provider. It also contains tiny bits of information that separate you from all the other phones, smartphones & iPhone users over the mobile network. While older phones used SIM cards to store the list of contacts the iPhone stores contact details on iCloud, your email account, or in the internal memory of your iPhone instead. With time, the size of SIM cards has been reduced to micro & nano sizes.
First Solution: Force Restart The iPhone 12 Pro Max

A simple procedure such as restarting the device could help you enhance the phones performance and remove minor glitches that may hinder the SIM card functionality. It also prepares the phone to be more responsive should you need to perform additional procedures on the device.
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Let the phone complete the restart process and then check if the SIM card functionality has been restored.
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If You Dont Want To Use A Paperclip
If you dont feel comfortable sticking a paperclip inside of your iPhone, you can pick up a handy SIM card adapter kit from Amazon.com that includes a professional sim card ejector tool and an adapter that allows you to use the nano SIM card from an iPhone 5 or 6 in older model iPhones or other cell phones. If your iPhone is ever damaged, you can use this kit to pop out the SIM card and stick it in your old iPhone , and be making phone calls with your phone number right away.
Why Does My iPhone Say There Is No Sim
SIM cards are tiny pieces, but they hold an enormous quantity of information, as we said earlier. Therefore, some reasons can cause the No SIM card Installed or Invalid SIM error on your iPhone.
Some of the most common reasons why your iPhone keeps saying theres no SIM card include the following:
- A misplaced SIM card or tray
- Damage to the SIM card
- A system problem
- A faulty software or update
Its also worth mentioning that the No SIM error may be displayed in multiple ways, such as:
- No SIM card Installed
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Make Sure The Sim Card Is Installed
It may seem strange, but we recommend that as a first step Fix No SIM Card installed to make sure that the SIM card is installed in your iPhone. In some cases, it has been seen that the user removes the SIM card for various reasons, then forgets to reinstall the SIM card. Later he/she faces the No Sim Card installed error. Naturally, in this case, check it, please. So take a needle and open the sim card slot.
Close Every App And Restart Your Device
A good old restart might be the trick you need. Its an old favorite for a good reason. Closing every app and restarting your iPhone forces it to restart background processes which might be the cause of your problems.
Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause in the middle, or double-click the Home button, to see all your open apps. Push each app off the top of the screen to close it.
Then hold the Sleep/Wake button on the side of your iPhone. Slide to power off when you see the prompt and wait 30 seconds for your iPhone to power down completely.
Finally, press the Sleep/Wake button again to turn the iPhone back on hopefully, you dont get a message about the SIM card again!
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What To Do If Your iPhone Says No Sim Invalid Sim Card Or Sim Card Failure After An Ios Update
Every new version of iOS brings improvements in performance, security, and bug fixes. However, it may cause temporary hiccups at times, which usually disappear after a couple of hours once your device settles.
If iPhone “no sim installed, invalid card, or sim failure” messages didn’t vanish even a few hours after the update you can try the solutions we mentioned in this article:
- Toggle Airplane mode
- See if the carrier settings update is available
- Reset network settings
- Restore your device to factory defaults using iTunes or Finder on Mac.
If nothing works, contact your carrier or visit one of the Apple Stores nearby.
How To Fix Sim Card Not Working On iPhone 13
The iPhone 13 has launched and is now available at your nearest Apple Store, carrier stores and online stores. The four 13-series phones are the best iPhones Apple has created thus far, obviously, which has drawn unprecedented fanfare. Unfortunately, unboxing and setting up your device are only part of the story. You cannot enjoy your new iPhone call your favorite people if your SIM card does not work as it should.
Today, we will take a look at the reasons behind iPhone 13 SIM card issues and help you come up with a solution. Now, let us get to it.
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Change The Network Mode To Auto
Sometimes your network mode may be configured incorrectly, leading to no SIM card detected or no SIM card inserted/installed on your Android phone. To fix this issue, change the network mode to auto. Just go to Settings > Connections > Mobile networks > Network mode and choose the first option xxx . XXX is different based on your situation.
iPhone Says No Sim Card Installed Here Are The Fixes

If your iPhone is displaying a No SIM Card Installed error, it usually indicates that the phone is unable to detect a SIM card.
You can confirm if you notice your mobiles carrier name and signal bars in the upper right corner of the screen are missing, or have been replaced by messages like No SIM or Searching.
If youre able to connect your iPhone to Wi-Fi but not a cellular network, or if youre not able to make or receive calls, then there may be an issue with the SIM card.
Well go through all the possible reasons why your iPhone says No SIM card installed and how to fix the problem.
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Solution No: Reset Network Settings
What’s next? You can reset network settings. This is a handy solution for various connection-related issues.
Resetting the network settings will restore network settings to factory defaults, so you will have to enter your WiFi passwords and pair them with other Bluetooth devices.
- Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network settings.
- Enter your passcode.
- Tap Reset all settings to confirm your action.
What Is A Sim Card And What Does It Do
If youve never heard of a SIM card, youre not alone: Ideally, you should never have to worry about it. When you experience issues with your SIM card, having a little knowledge about what your iPhones SIM card does will help you to understand the process of diagnosing and fixing the No SIM error.
If you ever want to stump your techie friends with mobile phone trivia, SIM stands for Subscriber Identity Module. Your iPhones SIM card stores the tiny bits of data that distinguish you from all the other iPhone users over the cellular network, and contains the authorization keys that allow your iPhone to access the voice, text, and data services that you pay for on your cell phone bill. The SIM card is the part of your iPhone that stores your phone number and allows you to access the cellular network.
Its important to note that the role of SIM cards has changed over the years, and many older phones used to use SIM cards to store the list of contacts. The iPhone is different because it stores your contacts on iCloud, your email server, or in your iPhones internal memory, but never on your SIM card.
The other notable evolution in SIM cards came with the introduction of 4G LTE. Before the iPhone 5, carriers like Verizon and Sprint who use CDMA technology used the iPhone itself to link a persons phone number to the cellular data network, not a separate SIM card that would be placed inside. Nowadays, all networks use SIM cards to store their subscribers phone numbers.
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Fix #2 Check For A Carrier Settings Update
When a new phone is released, service providers often roll out updates to their network settings. When that mismatch happens, you can run into Invalid SIM card or No SIM error message. To make sure there are no pending updates for your device, all you have to do is go to Settings, tap on General, and open About. Updates, if available, would be installed right away.