I am unable to activate my used iPhone XR

Hello there! I am having problems with my used iPhone XR that a family member give me and I'm having a hard time activating it I try the best that I can do but it won't work. First, it says on the iPhone that "Unable to activate, an update is required" so what I did was I connected to a computer and I put it in recovery mode, and I clicked restore and update after that a message pop up saying "The iPhone "iPhone" could not be activated because the activation information could not be obtained from this device" so my guesses is that it's having sim card issues. So after that, I took it down to Metro where the phone was originally bought and they say I have takedown to Apple to see if they can help or use a computer to update it, so after that, I try again a couple of days later and I tried again and it was no hope. My guesses on fixing it are that it's having some hardware issues with the sim card, take down to a phone repair store, and the nearby Apple Store. If there any tips it would be very helpful before I have to throw in the towels.