Hi Bridgarw2,
I had a look at the SIM last night. Do you mean that the gold contacts on the SIM card are touching the metal SIM tray? If so, I think you're right - the contacts are VERY close if not touching the metal SIM tray...
If this is causing the problem I will ask Orange for an alternative SIM card. I can't change networks because I'm signed up for 24 months now and I get a good loyalty discount.
Let me know your thoughts cheers
Matt
Yes Matt, I think that is the problem. I think this because of other people's comments on other threads and on a Virgin Cable Forum, which led me to get the T Mobile Sim and the Tesco Sim to test. They are very different - the gold area doesn't touch the sides of the sim tray at all. The T Mobile gold area is a small square in the centre of the card, even when cut down to micro sim size it is well away from the edges. The Tesco one comes close to the edge at the top of the card, but still with card all around it. Both the Orange and Virgin gold parts are much larger and almost circular in shape, and touch the sides of the sim tray.
So whether it is because the gold part is touching, or if it is because not enough of the gold part is in contact because some of it is hidden by the metal of the sim tray, I have no idea. I just know that the two cards with the large gold parts drop off and show invalid sim just as you describe (even when sitting on desk for example), and the two with the much smaller gold parts, which do not touch the edges and must be contacting properly, work faultlessly. No signal drop at all, and today is the sixth day with the Tesco sim.
My iPhone is unlocked, bought in an Apple Store, so I was lucky in that I could experiment with other cards and move to a new network. Maybe you can speak to Orange and ask them if they can do something about the card - as they sell the iPhone 4S they should be able to do something to make it work. By the way, it seems to be an iPhone 4S problem - we also have an iPhone 4 which has worked faultlessly for a year with a Virgin Sim (same gold bit size and shape as an Orange regular Sim) which I cut with the same cutter as all those I tried in this new iPhone 4S. Both our original iPhone 4S and the new one it was exchanged for at the Apple Store last week behaved in exactly the same way with the Orange and Virgin sims.
Good luck.
Thanks for that Bridgarw2.
I am going to assume that it is the SIM Card and I will see if Orange do any alternatives. If not maybe a bit of DIY Mirco Insulation will be required... 😕
Matt
I just read further up on this thread that a guy put a tiny strip of tape down the side of the SIM (where it meets the tray) and it seems to have solved the problem.
I might try that.
Matt
It appears this problem is connected to the iOS 5.0.1 update. I understand that Apple has tweeked the software to correct the problem as it affects the iPhone 4S, issuing a new build of the iOS, 9A406.
Unfortunately, the iPhone 4 didn't get a software "tweek," as our latest build is 9A405.
I didn't have this "no valid sim" problem until after iOS 5, and now my phone, bought new a little over a year ago from ATT, is now working despite a reset, etc. etc. etc.
Apple? Where are you? Are you going to leave iPhone 4 users out in the cold?
EDIT: "noW working" should read "NOT working."
HI, I used to have the problem of 'invalid sim' error that my new Iphone 4s was showing randomly and with different sim cards (I immediately bought another sim as i was not sure whether the problem is caused by my provider (I live in Croatia although I bought the phone in Italy). Sometimes the phone would work for full 48 hours and only then would report invalid sim, and sometimes it was only the matter of minutes before it reported the error. Now, the retail store where I bought it said it had nothing to do with Iphones (this I did not know so it might be important for some people who might think they will get repairs done in the store where they bought the phone), instead they told me to call the apples support in Italy or to go to one of the Apple stores. I tried to call and explain my problem bt this did not prove useful at all, they just made comments in circles, finally I decided to go to Bologne (the nearest for me Apple store) and there to resolve my problem. When you go to Apple store you first have to fix the appontment with the guy who carries around pink Ipad. I was lucky I could fix the appintment the same day (two hours later than I arrived). I heard in times of ;crisis; you have to wait for one week before you can get your appointment. Once I arrived at scheduled time, they ushered me to sit at one of thos bar stools where I waited for another 20 mins. However, I must say when I started to receive servoce, i.e when the IT guy showed up and heard my problem, everything was resolved quickly and smoothely! He decided my problem is such that I need immediate replacement of the phoen (and I mean immediate), He turned around came back with the black box , opened it and gave me the brand new (although probably refurbished) Iphones, exact model as ine. So yes, it is true, it comes in specific black box, it has plastic around it so looks like completely new (no scratches) and he immediately initiates your phone so that it works with sim you brought along. Once you go back home, you need to register it again with Itunes as you did when you just bought the phone. Of course, you need to do all backup activities prior to bringing the phone to the store because they delete all content right in front of you for security purposes.
Here goes my iPhone experience..similar to Intercultural's:
I have my iPhone 4s for almost 3 months. Since the second week into owning it, it has the no sim card error intermittently - for minutes it worked and minutes later the error comes. For days, shutting it off and restarting or reset network helps, then days later, the no sim error came and decided to stick around for a week or two. Now 5.1 came, the cycle is starting at the minutes on and off stage. During all these time, I had to: restore no less than 30 times; tried at least 6 new sim cards with multiple major phone service carriers; Upgrade after upgrade of ios; phoned online supports one after one; AND here I am still with no solution ..and no help from apple!
Tried to get at least an exchange and to my great dissappointment, apple is not willing, but supposingly my phone came with a one year warranty?! The Apple store in Canada where I purchased from, leaves me with either dropping my work to fly to Canada to get an exchange or beg the local apple support team to exchange it for me in China?!! The online tech supports say to go for a mail in service with Canada.. And still I am being kicked around.
I brought an unlocked (unmodified) npbrand new phone and am using an apple recognized phone service company in china..now all I have is a NO EXCHANGE and no phone iPhone!
Is there something not making sense or I have gone crazy?
What would you advices be for me?
Dear Jhcl,
I am so sorry to hear you did not manage to solve your proble yet, as it is obviously exactly the same like mine.
The way I see it, and from my experience, you need to go to the proper Apple store and they HAVE TO exchange your phone. It is undoubtedly in the warranty year still therefore there is absolutely nothing that they can say to refuse exchange. The policy of exchange for phone with valid warranty is the same in the world, just go and instist.
I am completely relaxed now and never had a problem again. It is firmware that is problematic thus no software update will solve the problem.
Good luck!
Thank you for your reply and sharing.
I have insisted and insisted and yet being pushed aroun. now the final words from the manager at a headquarters of Apple China says - no they can't help. There are others in my shoes and they had said the same thing to those customers; namely, deal with a no phone iPhone yourselves!
Apple where are your service standards? Anyone listening to people like me?!
This story has a happy ending and a few solutions.
This morning, when I put my week-old bumper-protected iPhone 4s with iOS 5.1 down on a hard counter, it rattled it a bit. The "NO SIM" message appeared immediately. I found various solutions on line and tried some. I also tried gently wiping the circuit side of the SIM card with a micro-fiber cloth. Nothing helped.
I scheduled a Genius Bar appointment at the Palo Alto Apple Store for later in the afternoon. While waiting, I backed up my data using iTunes. Knowing I might have to put my MicroSIM into an old Nokia candybar until I got the iPhone back, I stopped at a local repair shop (MobileKangaroo) to pick up a (free) MicroSIM-to-SIM adapter.
The Apple Store Genius who helped me took all of three minutes to fix the problem. He popped out the SIM tray, wiped the circuit side of the card not-so-gently on his shirt, and shot some compressed air into the tray and the slot. When he put the card and tray back in, it worked. He said if it had failed, he would have installed a different SIM to see if that one failed or worked.
It's been five hours since El Genius repaired it. No problems so far. He said if it happens again, go to AT&T. The phone may just need a new SIM.
I think what happened is that the rattling of the iPhone shook loose a tiny particle of conductive dust that had worked its way into the device during manufacturing. The shaking landed on the conductive side and caused a tiny short circuit.
I m having iPhone 4 on 5.1.1.. I m facing a weird problem dont what is it? My sim card works perfectly the whole day. But as I plug to charge it and after it gets charged i remove the plug.. Till that it works perfectly but after 15-20 minutes of removing the plug the network goes and NO SERVICE is displayed.. Airplane, restart, reset, etc nothing works then.. And after 2-3 hours the network comes automatically.. I have almost changed 3 sims till now faced problem in every sim.. Dont know what is this can anyone help me? 😟
My jailbroken iPhone 4G has just been unlocked by AT&T (they said that I was eligible for the unlock). They sent me an email about completing the unlock by doing back up and restore thru itunes, which I did. After reboot, I was able to see the springboard even without the AT&T sim, but when I tried a Globe sim (I'm in the Philippines), I get "Invalid Sim" or "Sim Failure". Could the issue be the previous jailbreak? Or could it be my baseband, 4.11.8? Thank you in advance! 🙂
Since upgrading to isO6, I've been having this problem. I've decided it has to be a software issue. I've been using the same sim and iPhone for nearly 2 years with no issues. After the update I started getting no sim and sim not inserted etc. I've watched in the settings screen when flicking to and from aeroplane mode and noticed the network is still displayed in the corner and then suddenly on the carrier section the carrier option disappears. I tried switching from automatic to manual network selection and it seems to have done the trick. I've not seen the message for 3 days now since I switched to manual. I'm using Orange in the uk and like I say I've never had a problem with ip4 for the nearly 2 years I've had it till that upgrade. Might be worth giving it a try? I've also noticed that the issue becomes more apparent in poor network strength areas. I used to work with Orange and know my area signal black spots pretty well.
Well after 4yrs of having NO problems with my iPhone 4 I am now getting "no sim card installed" error every 2mins approx. This only happened when I upgraded to iOS7 but Apple are saying they know nothing about this issue even though I directed them to several forums all saying the same.
I got so fed up with this I changed to an android phone but decided to try and get it sorted and took it into and Apple store to get the latest flash and iOS7 version installed to see if it was a software issue.
My daughter wanted the phone so I got a new sim from o2 and put it in. To my amazement it worked! 10hrs with no error, a first in 4 months! I was chuffed so contacted o2 to transfer my daughters old number to the sim.
Having done that I am now getting the "no sim card installed" error again everytime I get a text message or use the phone. What the **** is that about? Was working with brand new sim and with old number transferred over, it stops.
Is it carrier or Apples fault?
SIM Card issues with iPhone 4
