I am changing cell phone provider, do I need to back up my contact info and photos before placing the new SIM card
iPhone 5c, iOS 10
No user data (including no Contacts and no photos) is stored on the SIM.
Having a backup or having the data synced to iCloud is a good idea all of the time; an iPhone can easily be lost, stolen, broken, etc at any time.
See: Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support
Set up and use iCloud Contacts - Apple Support
How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support
No user data (including no Contacts and no photos) is stored on the SIM.
Having a backup or having the data synced to iCloud is a good idea all of the time; an iPhone can easily be lost, stolen, broken, etc at any time.
See: Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support
Set up and use iCloud Contacts - Apple Support
How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support
Above reply is correct. One detail that can confuse here is that an iPhone can import contact data from a SIM. But as correctly stated above, iPhone does not store data on the SIM.
Additionally for this transition, the iPhone will need to be carrier-unlocked for the new SIM to work. Details at the following link:
… How to unlock your iPhone for use with a different carrier - Apple Support
I am changing my mobile phone provider so need to replace the SIM card for the new provider. Do I need to back up all my contacts and photos
