Using a iPhone without a Wireless Service Plan

Shichimi wrote:

The iPhone may need to think it is sending an international text message, but the conversation most definitely travels via WiFi or iTunes. I have used dummy SIM cards, whose sole purpose is for activation, to activate many iPhones.

I didn't say that iMessages were sent over international text. I said that, in order to activate the service, an international SMS must be sent.

If you get an error when trying to activate iMessage or FaceTime - Apple Support

Is your iPhone SIM free? If so, I would recommend getting the cheapest prepaid SIM plan you can find in your country and put that into your iPhone. Set all your apps never to use cellular for communication (if you wish), and keep enjoying your iPhone.

I don't believe that the SIM card problem is a show stopper. There are millions of non-cellular iPads (including several in my family), iPods and Macintoshes in the world that survive just fine with Facetime and without a SIM card. Likewise, iPhones.

I have an old iPhone without cell service whose only function is to connect via Bluetooth to my home telephone system so that friends and family can call our home for free.

As LACAllen said, though, make sure that the phone remains active. Your old dead SIM should be able to perform this service for you.

It's not a showstopper but there are often problems. In order to activate iMessage and FaceTime on an iPhone, the device needs to be able to send an international text message. You can do that while the SIM is in the phone and then remove it. However, if, for some reason, the connection gets disrupted, once the SIM is gone, the phone has no way of sending that SMS again.

iPods, iPads and Macs are not required to send that SMS.

The bottom line is that it may work fine, or, it may work for a while and stop. There's just no way to tell .

The iPhone may need to think it is sending an international text message, but the conversation most definitely travels via WiFi or iTunes. I have used dummy SIM cards, whose sole purpose is for activation, to activate many iPhones. These dummy cards most certainly cannot communicate via any cellular network, as there is no customer to pay for the connection.

Think about it. The activation process teaches the unactivated iPhone how to communicate with its home network, and to ask its home network for permission to communicate. A SIM card inserted into an iPhone can't ask for this permission over the air; it must connect via WiFi (or iTunes) to get this permission.

After successful activation iMessage and FaceTime periodically re-verify that the phone is still working (roughly once a day). So you need a working SIM in the phone for these services to continue to work.

Your highlighted text gives the answer. You need SMS to activate your phone number, not to activate the iPhone with reference only to the Apple ID. There is no requirement in activation to associate a phone number with an activation.

I just set up an iPhone for my father, who will be visiting from overseas next week. I set it up with a data-only SIM, which can only communicate via 4G or LTE. No voice service; no SMS or MMS service. No problem with Facetime and iMessage, since the Apple ID was created via my PC's browser, and I entered a non-iPhone phone number for the reference phone number. Dad will be keeping in touch with me and my wife [and everyone else in his phone book] via Facetime while he is here, and will put a home country SIM in the phone when he returns home.

Shichimi wrote:

Your highlighted text gives the answer. You need SMS to activate your phone number, not to activate the iPhone with reference only to the Apple ID. There is no requirement in activation to associate a phone number with an activation.

Did you not actually read the whole sentence I highlighted? It sounds as if you didn't read the words I've bolded below.

In addition to knowing what Apple says is required (and I'm inclined to believe they understand how iMessage works), I've also spent a lot of time on these forums answering questions from people who'd iMessage and FaceTiime doesn't work.

 If you're using an iPhone, you need SMS messaging to activate your phone number with iMessage and FaceTime.

We are saying exactly the same thing. If your phone has a phone number, and if you wish to use that phone number as a directory entry in Apple’s FaceTime lookup database, then you must validate with an active SIM in place.

If, on the other hand, you do not have an active SIM, you can still activate, but you will only be reachable by email address. As I said above, this is precisely the current configuration of my father’s iPhone.

Keep in mind, you must either keep it activated or activate it with a valid SIM before taking the SIM out.

Without cellular service it becomes an iPod which is what you are asking. If it connects to WiFi then you should be okay.

you are welcome.

Also note that you may have problems using iMessage and FaceTime without a SIM installed.