Q: There is no SIM card ?

@faeling

Try either solution:

settings>cellular>turn off cellular data or settings>then enable airplane mode on

Just remember you would need to connect via wifi for internet.

Cheers!

faeling wrote:

 

Hey there, I have an iPhone 4 that I got from Verizon a few years ago. I don';t use Verizon anymore and just use my iPhone as an ebook reader and mp3 player. For some reason I was having issues syncing one of my audiobooks and some music so I decided it was time to restore to factory settings. I did that and now both the phone and iTunes is telling me "There is no SIM card on the phone you are trying to activate." As far as I know I have never touched the SIM card in this phone. There isn't even a place to remove it that I can see. I have no idea what I should be doing about this. Please help me get my phone back!

This is a known problem with the Verizon iPhone 4. It is the result of a mistake in Apple's activation database. If you call Apple and tell them you have this problem they should know how to fix it; the problem is on Apple's end, not your phone. See this thread for more information: Re: iPhone 4 Message:SIM Required (in phone that has no SIM card slot)

Your advice would be reasonable in most circumstances, but this is a problem in Apple's activation database, and only Apple can fix it.

Very true @Lawrence Finch 

Using your landline phone, please dial 1-800-MyApple and speak with an Apple Advisor @faeling

faeling wrote:

 

I have to call Apple? I don't even have a phone right now!

And you don't know anyone that has a phone you can borrow?

Then go to your Verizon store, tell them you need to use one of their phones.  They should have no problem letting you call Apple.

This is the Apple article that you'll want to reference: If you see 'No SIM' alert on iPhone - Apple Support

If you take all the steps listed in that article (that are relevant to your situation, of course), and then call Apple, your call to Apple should be very short.  You'll need to get to a Senior Advisor, though.  They are the ones that have the ability to submit cases up to the Apple Engineers.

Lawrence Finch wrote:

 

faeling wrote:

 

Hey there, I have an iPhone 4 that I got from Verizon a few years ago. I don';t use Verizon anymore and just use my iPhone as an ebook reader and mp3 player. For some reason I was having issues syncing one of my audiobooks and some music so I decided it was time to restore to factory settings. I did that and now both the phone and iTunes is telling me "There is no SIM card on the phone you are trying to activate." As far as I know I have never touched the SIM card in this phone. There isn't even a place to remove it that I can see. I have no idea what I should be doing about this. Please help me get my phone back!

This is a known problem with the Verizon iPhone 4. It is the result of a mistake in Apple's activation database. If you call Apple and tell them you have this problem they should know how to fix it; the problem is on Apple's end, not your phone. See this thread for more information: Re: iPhone 4 Message:SIM Required (in phone that has no SIM card slot)

You're almost exactly right, so this is just a very minor correction I'm adding.  Apple's Activation Database received a mass update from Verizon that provided incorrect activation information.  Basically, it was a 'false unlock' request.  All the Apple servers usually do is process that input, but now Apple's engineers are working with Verizon to 1)Make sure that doesn't happen again and 2)Fix it from both sides as soon as possible.  When you call in, they 'prioritize' your particular device so that it's in the first batch, so to speak.

They'll eventually get them all fixed, but calling in is like getting a Disney FastPass.

TJBUSMC1973Good Stuff!!!!!

I'm glad to see this thread. This happened to me Monday night, Feb 9. Long story short, I ended up buying the iPhone 6, because I wanted one, but I also wanted to keep the 4 for backup.  I went to the Genius Bar in Pasadena CA on Wed Feb 11.  The Genius took it in the back to open it up, returned seconds later to tell me that the Tech guys said it had water damage, and that water damage caused the problem. I knew there'd been no water damage on the phone. Genius said: "Maybe if you took it into the shower." No lie, that's what he said. I asked him to open it up and show me the water damage the "Tech" guys saw. He backpedaled. I knew then that the tech guys had never opened it up; they were just talking out of their backsides. In the end they told me to go to Verizon, deactivate new phone, reactivate old phone, and see if that would solve it. I've been a Mac believer since 1993, but I'm really starting to lose faith.