Sim Card Failure No Sim with iPhone 4S Anyone Else?

This is my cross-post to this topic from other one.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3481455?start=195&tstart=0

"

5.1 doesn't help.

Changed my sim.. Almost all the same, only finds network a little bit faster. But SIM Failure 3-4 time a day is normal.

See it again - it's 5.1 (!!!) with f/w 1.4.0.

I have no more clues what to do. Just swipe it again and see if a cleared one will do the same."

And yes. We also confirm that modem f/w 1.14.0 of 5.0.1/406 does nothing good.

THis other threat on "invald sim" seems to have a hack around mobile data and resetting the sim pin number

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3497527?start=120&tstart=0

by the way, having a proper micro sim doesn't seem to make a difference - and the tape hack posted above does not seem to work - at least it had no effect from me running the 406 update.

am trying the sim pin hack from the above link.

cygn

Here are some observations and a suggestion.

1) I mentioned before, that the number of views of this discussion forum is fast approaching 100,000. I suppose relative to all iPhones sold that is not a great percentage, but 100,000 still sounds pretty impressive to me. Consider also that many people probably have this same Sim problem and are not viewing this discussion forum because thay do not know it exists. How many people are REALLY experiencing this problem? Who knows. But I suspect it is more that 100,000.

2) To the best of my knowledge, Apple does not consult these forums as a guide to awareness of product performance. It may be company policy, but most of the time when I speak to an Apple employee they seem remarkably unaware of the "Top Stories" in the Apple Discussion Forum. This, despite the fact that my personal experience with customer service at Apple is excellent. So, as much as we of this discussion forum are confident SOMEONE important at Apple is reading all our posts and taking them to heart...I am not so sure.

3) I have been told over and over that the best way to gain Apple's attention regarding a problem is to post a comment on their Feedback Site. One comment about a problem is pretty worthless. 100,000 comments on the same issue, I'm guessing, will really get their attention.

4) Some folks have mentioned a recall to address this problem. Although such a thing is always a possibility, I don't see it happening. Why? When the brakes on a Toyota don't work, or that Toyata starts to accelerate without driver intention...well, that involves human life and the stakes are quite high. For many reasons you would see the automotive industry eventually be forced into a recall program under such a situation. But, a phone APPEARS to not nearly be such a life and death device. Or is it? My daughter's iPhone 4S developed a "SIM FAILURE" on the same day her car broke down in the middle of the very rural area we live at around 10:00 pm. She is 17 years old and was coming home from high school play practice. You can imagine the anxiety I and her mother felt when she did not arrive home on time. She eventually walked about a quarter mile to a house of a stranger and had to ask to use their phone to call us. Now, I am not saying that strangers where I live are not to be trusted. But, in addition to being worried out of my mind, I was not happy that an inoperative iPhone 4S caused my daughter to be put in this situation. My biggest concern now is...when will my daughter's iPhone become inoperative again due to SIM FAILURE?

5) The more folks in this discussion forum who post a comment about this issue in Apple's feedback site the more pressing this issue is going to be perceived by Apple. So, I like others, encourage all of you to do so. If this seems like a lot of effort, I offer you these few sentences below that you could just copy and paste into the feedback site.

The link to feedback site is: http://www.apple.com/feedback/

Feel free to use copy/amend/whatever the following as you wish:

Dear Apple,

I wish to register a strong concern about my iPhone's unpredictable inoperability due to failures somehow associated with it's SIM technology. For me, I do not consider this just a significant lack of convenience, but a significant safety issue. Should I need my phone in an emergency situation where it is experiencing a SIM FAILURE, I believe the iPhone will have put me at risk. I would ask you to please give fixing this problem your greatest priority and effort.

Sincerely, XXXX

I agree it is a security issue. Experienced the "no sim error" while riding my bike in the forest yesterday night, nothing serious happened, just wanted to tell my wife that I will be late. BUT if I had a problem...

Agree to give feedback to Apple directly, the link to feedback site is: http://www.apple.com/feedback/

Feel free to use copy/amend/whatever the following as you wish:

Dear Apple,

I wish to register a strong concern about my iPhone's unpredictable inoperability due to failures somehow associated with it's SIM technology. For me, I do not consider this just a significant lack of convenience, but a significant safety issue. Should I need my phone in an emergency situation where it is experiencing a SIM FAILURE, I believe the iPhone will have put me at risk. I would ask you to please give fixing this problem your greatest priority and effort.

Sincerely, XXXX

Another update: talked to Apple and they recommended to update to 5.0.1, tried, with the following error: "..your iphone cannot be updated because your firmware is not compatible..." (not exact wording).

Talked to Apple again and restored my iPhone (see Placing your device into recovery modehttp://support.apple.com/kb/HT1808 ).

Now I have 5.0.1 (9A406).

Still working. Since 5 minutes. Keeping the fingers crossed.

This is definitelly my most expensive phone ever :-(

Hi mrflbuyer and others,

Just a reminder...Please copy and paste your comment into Apple's Feedback site. In addition to the very important support all of us offer each other on this Discussion Forum, we need to influence Apple's corporate decisions regarding this SIM problem by letting them hear directly from as many of us as possible.

The link to the feedback site is: http://www.apple.com/feedback/

I am sorry to hear that you have fallen prey to this snarly dilemma.

Mr. Luigi

Hello joembaguio,

I believe you have a good pointhere, I'm in Mexico and also facing this SIM issue, I followed the instructionson this document:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4148

But the phone is still givingme problems.

I looked at your previous postand ask around the firmware in all the iphones that are working fine and all ofthem are using other firmware rather than 1.0.14

Do you know if there is any wayto change it?

Hi All,

As I'm sure most of you know, iOS 5.1 (the first big update to iOS 5.0) is in beta and I believe being tested by developers. So, it is not yet a done deal. I'm sure everyone in this discussion forum hopes that iOS 5.1 will contain a substantive fix for this SIM issue.

Until the actual release of iOS 5.1, I think it is still prudent to keep sending feedback to Apple about the problems you have had with your iPhone. As I mentioned earlier in this discussion, Apple needs accurate feedback to guide its decisions as to what issues are significant problems needing aggressive attention and which are not.

I am copying part of my old post here as this discussion has become so large it is getting hard to read it all and perhaps many viewers did not read the original post. Remember, this Forum is for Apple customers to share questions and answers. It is not a way to let Apple know what functionalities of its products are not performing up to spec. That's what its Feedback site is for. Let's help Apple (and US!) out and send them the feedback they need so that hopefully they will decide that this SIM issue is of significant importance. The more feedback, the better chance iOS 5.1 will offer many of us in this disussion relief from our SIM problems. Here is the relevant part of my old post...

...If writing your own feedback comment seems like a lot of effort, I offer you these few sentences below that you could just copy and paste into the feedback site.

The link to feedback site is: http://www.apple.com/feedback/

Feel free to use copy/amend/whatever the following as you wish:

Dear Apple,

I wish to register a strong concern about my iPhone's unpredictable inoperability due to failures somehow associated with it's SIM technology. For me, I do not consider this just a significant lack of convenience, but a significant safety issue. Should I need my phone in an emergency situation where it is experiencing a SIM FAILURE, I believe the iPhone will have put me at risk. I would ask you to please give fixing this problem your greatest priority and effort.

Sincerely, XXXX

Thanks a lot, ashok1975 and of course spesial thanks to Scott Dickson!

Vielen Dank!

Щиро дякую!

I have followed that brilliant instruction and now I have iPhone 4S instead of iPod Touch 4S!!!

The solution of my "SIM failure" and "dropping network" problems is on the page:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3400145?start=135&tstart=0

P.S. It is really nice device... . I mean iPhone 4S. 🙂)

Fixed!!! iPhone 4S displays 'No Service' or 'No SIM Card Installed'

Update/Restore your iOS 5.0.1 (9A405) to (9A406)

Having same issue. And Quite disappointing with Apple - Since just switched from Nokia.

But at last I can solve it. Now I've not seen that error for more than 24hrs.

Follow the instruction from Apple Support below:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4148

🙂 I'm now enjoying new phone with no regret!

HI,

iOS 5.1 installed. First view i see 2 new features: The camara shortcut now always visible on Lock Screen for a easier access; now is possible to desable the 3G, like IP4.

Here (http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1504) apple describe the new featrures and they claim the correction of battery live but they dont say anothing about the "Invalid SIM" and network problems. Let us see.

Hi jhcl,

You are NOT crazy, but this situation could drive anyone crazy. I am so sorry you are having to go through this.

You mentioned that your iPhone 4S is slightly under 3 months old. That is significant as there is a free 90 day support service that Apple provides. I have used it in the past for other products and have found the service courteous and very helpful. I should add that on occasion the initial contact person you speak with may not be able to handle your issue...either because of its technical difficulties or because the solution requires approval from someone higher up the ladder. I have never had to ask for this "bigger dog." The initial contact person always realized he/she couldn't solve the problem and solicited the help of a senior person. However, if you don't get satisfaction from the person you talk to, then please ask to speak to their supervisor. Also, I wouldn't call on a vacation day or even a weekend if possible. My experience has been that the expertise of the phone help on those days (vacations especially) is not up Apple's normal standards.

Here is the link:

http://www.apple.com/support/iphone/contact

It will ask you to input the serial number of your phone. But, then you should be able to make the call under the 90 day free policy. I think the link also has the number you can call straight away. They will probably ask you for the serial number first to verify the 90 or less issue. It's 6 of one, half dozen of another.

I hope you come out of this with a new phone being mailed to you as you have already tried all the suggestions from this forum...most importantly getting a new 128k SIM card (is was 128k right?). My personal experience with Apple products that fail to work correctly after I have tried EVERYTHING Apple has suggested to rectify a situation and still nothing works is that the "90 day support line" is your best option to get a replacement for your product.

I am assuming that you do not have access to an Apple Store and a Genius Bar. This would also be another very viable option for you. But, I would take advantage of your 90 days of free phone service if it were me.

Last thing...when I've called this 90 day service before I have also had my computer next to m, online. Why? Because sometimes giving them, or sending them via e-mail while on the phone, the link to these discussions can help the Apple Support person realize the extent of the problem. I suspect that most Apple personal do not read these forums on their free time for pleasure!

I believe this link will get someone straight to this particular GINORMOUS discussion thread:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3390945?start=1200&tstart=0

Let us know how things turn out.

Best, Mr. Luigi

It seems there are people still suffering even with 5.1

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3425746?start=495&tstart=0#17789699

And even others who started to suffer with 5.1

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/ios-apps/269160-no-sim-card-message-after-ios-5 -1-update.html

I'm gonna wait 2 weeks more before updating. A replaced iphone still works fine on 5.0.1, just started to eat battery and self-heat like a crazy recently. 40% power at evening after it was charging whole night :-/ Is it an Apple way to insist on the update I wonder.

Pat,

Let me ask around regarding your MacBook Air question. You never know.

Hm...just for fun you could uninstall iTunes completely from your MacBook Air. Then reinstall iTunes. Maybe there is something in iTunes on your Air that is a bit corrupted and it is not removed when you perform the delta updates via "Software Update" (they don't replace the whole program...just the parts that have changed). Perhaps this bit of corruption is affecting your iPhone in a way that caused that SIM event a couple days ago. Of course, if the corruption is in one of your apps, songs, videos, etc. this won't catch it as removing the iTunes application does not remove the material that populates your iTunes library.

That's a big stretch, but stranger things have happened.

http://www.apple.com/itunes/

Mr. L

Hi ntilly,

I have read over your comments and the replies to them from my Very Good Buddy Pat. Not surprising, being that Pat is a Level 4 SIM Forum Grand Master 🙂, his recommendations are, IMHO, prudent and sound.

I have a couple follow-up questions. Perhaps you already answered these. If so, I apologize for missing them when reading your comments.

1. Are you using a new 128K SIM card in your iPhone 4S? Or, are you using a SIM card that was used in a former phone? I mention this as there is quite a bit of empirical evidence that the iPhone 4S, coupled with the iOS 5.1 update, REALLY "WANTS" a 128K SIM card. Even if you do have a 128 SIM card and it came new with the phone, I would get it replaced with a totally new 128 SIM card as it may have been corrupted. Replacing the SIM, as Pat said, is relatively painless and free. So it is a wise first step in this next phase of your problem solving.

2. If replacing the SIM does not work, ABANDON SHIP! Pat is right, after trying a new 128K SIM and meeting failure...get your phone replaced. Pat is an expert at this. In fact, he may hold the Guiness Book of World Records on replacing iPhone 4S's. 😁 If replacing the SIM does not work you have pretty much exhausted all reasonable tactics at getting your phone back to working order. Pat is right again, if you live relatively near an Apple Store that would be the place to go to get a replacement phone.

If you go to the Genius Bar at your Apple Store, you may find that the Genius is not as up to speed about this SIM issue as you would hope. If that is the case, you can refer him to this link:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4148

It is an Apple Support document stating that iOS 5.1 is the recommended solution for these SIM problems. Since you have iOS 5.1 installed, you could refer the Genius to this link as a way to convince him/her that you have already followed through on the Apple recommended solution and it failed. Thus, it is time for them to give you a new phone and not waste any more of anyone's time.

You could also refer them to the link to this forum. 85 pages filled with complaints and stories of SIM suffering should further convince them that their best course of action is to get you a new phone. You can also mention to them that this discussion forum is not the only forum about SIM problems on the Apple Discussion site. There are quite a number of other discussion forums centered on this same problem.

Of course, maybe replacing the SIM will work. That would be nice.

Lastly, the fact that your SIM worked in a different phone does not guarantee it is not the source of your problem. Was the other phone an iPhone 4S? As I mentioned, the 4S seems particularly sensitive to what SIM you are using.

OK, good luck. We are all pulling for you and hope that you can report back with good news.

Best regards, Mr. Luigi