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

Mr. Luigi, Dabratasaurus, Wibbly, et al:

Well, it just happened for the first time. 😠 I have what could be considered a 'high' end analog radio made by Tivoli Audio and an accessory that may be purchased along with it is a doc made for iPhones so you can either listen to your music, or online radio, or whatever and it also acts as a charger while you use it.

As I unplugged it just a few minutes ago, I received the "NO SIM CARD INSTALLED" message briefly across my screen. (No ACTIVATION REQUIRED message appeared).

As I have noted on several occasions before here in this forum, the vast majority of my error messages came after unplugging my iPhone from recharging (iHome radio, MacBook AIr, wall charger). One thing that did not happen just now is I never lost my bars in the upper left hand corner NOR did the iPhone 'reboot' itself, showing the black screen with the Apple logo that you see when you restart your phone. I was able to make a call immediately after seeing this error message; so maybe it was a fluke? (I am doubting that right now).

Anyway, before I head to the Apple Store, again, I want to see this occur one more time...thinking that maybe I should have powered down the iPhone before disengaging it from the charger, but if that's the case, it'll make it a major pain to do so every time.

I'll keep you posted....and I'll also keep this forum in my Top Sites menu.....I am not quite ready to abandon this thread.

4 1/2 days since downloading updated software before this problem reoccurred. I wonder how many others out there will get it again? I am hoping not too many.......

Flummoxed in Massachusetts......

Pat

Pat,

NOOOOOOOO! I wish I could delete that joke post now.

You know...I have noticed that disconnecting my phone from an its Apple AC adaptor (I have never charged it via any other type of source) is an event that always causes some activity along the top menu bar of the phone. Yes, I am being vague because I can't exactly remember the specific symptoms. But, I am pretty sure that when I disconnect the phone after charging it loses its wifi connection to my home network for about 5 seconds and then reconnects. I haven't looked at the 3g strength bars enough to remember if I lose my 3g connection too before it auto-reconnects...or if the number of bars significantly drops. I will experiment tonight and let you know what I observe. Still, the loss of wifi (and perhaps 3g) for that brief period has not caused the SIM pop up for me. Maybe it reconnects just in time to avoid that paranoia spawning message. Different networks for you and me? I'm on Verizon. Different network strength? I usually have 4 to 5 bars where I live.

Anyway, I had a gap in the action here in good old North Carolina and wanted to get back to you regarding my own experience with disconnecting the phone from its AC adaptor.

Mr. Luigi

Jhcl,

So, I guess that means that if Tim Cook bought his iPhone in the USA and then went on an extended visit to China to oversee operations at Foxconn he would be SOL if his iPhone failed.

Someone ought to write him to make sure he is aware of the vulnerable position he is putting himself in by engaging in such travels.

Mr. Luigi

Thanks Pat!

Pat!

I guess I said thanks too soon.

I was scrolling through the threads and was responding to you earlier comments....then I come round the corner to find Mr. Luigi pulling hair and trying to retract an earlier prank he pulled about his phone status!

Only to discover, after further enquiry that...you had a near minor crush.....so after consoling Mr. Luigi....by assuring him....that it was not his fault, your slight scare....and that He was not in the 2012 episode.... season one......of...... "Heros"..... and as such did not posses such malicious powers, as we can all, those who have had the pleasure of associating with him attest to the fact that he uses his power ONLY for good!🙂.

So since your last message was May Day May Day....as you passed over the flight Control Tower at Mach One....how are you fairing? Are you maintaining altitude...whats your twenty?

Dabrat - Over!

Hi Pat,

I'm back. I plugged my iphone into its AC adaptor and waited about an hour. I didn't see why waiting a short or long time should matter with this experiment, but...

When I unplugged my 30 pin charging cable from the iphone the screen immediately came on (as is normal for me) and wifi and 3g were totally on and ready to go from the start...no lag, no delay. Nothing. Hm...

So, I tried to recall when I've seen my iPhone's wifi connection take a while to kick back in (and maybe 3g). To be honest, I really can't remember.

But, I have an idea. Maybe I only see this delay when I unplug the charger in the morning after charging overnight. But, I'm not thinking this is because of the length of the charge, but rather because the iphone has gone through an iCloud backup during the night. Does this happen every morning? I can't say. If it doesn't, it could be because I don't always leave my computer plugged in and iTunes on while my MacBook Pro sleeps at night. And I believe that for an automatic backup to take place you need to have your iPhone plugged in and your computer plugged in and iTunes on (the computer can be sleeping).

There is more conjecture here than the Yankees have good starting pitching this year. But, tonight I am going to set things up so that my iPhone does an iCloud backup and see if wifi and perhaps 3g are not on when I first unplug the AC adaptor. I'm going to turn my wife's MacBook Pro OFF tonight so her iPhone can't do an iCloud backup. Then I'll unplug her ac adaptor tomorrow morning and see if there is a difference in the initial state of affairs with her wifi and 3g compared to mine.

This still may not mean a hill of beans, but it does seem interesting that your SIM issue occured when disconnecting your phone from its AC adaptor in the morning and all this backup activity is going on with the phone if you have your computer sleeping with iTunes on. If backing up does cause a delay in connecting to wifi and your network when you unplug your ac adaptor...well, again, maybe it is a long enough delay to cause the SIM popup.

I mentioned a long time ago that my experience in the Peace Corps was life changing. That was not an underestimate although I will spare you the details. One thing that is interesting, however, is that I am a teacher today only because of my experience in the Peace Corps. My education and training is as a physicist and I can see that if I am not careful I could get carried away with all this experimenting and kill the thread with misdirection.

So, I'll try this and then give things a rest.

Cheers, Mr. Luigi

Dabrat Tower! This is SIM-ERROR Flight number 4G-S, somewhere near Boston. One minor equipment malfunction but still with ability to communicate. Will not require new backup equip unless we experience one more outage. Report will be filed with Cupertino upon landing though. Should be touching down within 48 hrs. Over!

;-)

Pat

Mr. Luigi!

No worries, my friend. Your post made me laugh.

No other NO SIM CARD INSTALLED" errors noted since yesterday.

Still cautiously optimistic. :-)

Will keep y'all posted!

Pat

Helloooooooo p-rod!

I pray daily that you receive no more SIM CARD errors. I still believe I created some kind of negative voodoo mojo curse by my joyfilled, frollicking, playful, joking post of a few days ago. Let's just say..my joking days are over.

I did the experiment and for fun pass on the data:

I used THREE iPhone 4S's in the experiment.

Two were connected to their AC adaptors. The MacBook Pros they are synced to were on (sleeping) with iTunes active so that the iCloud evening backup could take place. Result...When I disconnected the 30 pin AC adaptor from both of these phones in the morning, wifi and 3g were on IMMEDIATELY. No delay.

One iPhone 4S was connected to its AC adaptor, but the MacBook Pro it is synced to was shut down so no iCloud backup took place. Result...Identical to the other two. Wifi and 3g were active immediately on disconnecting the power cord.

So, that removes the idea that an iCould backup at night could be the cause of your recent SIM onslaught.

The question then remained...under what circumstances did I see that delay in wifi and 3g access? I was haunted by the vacuum that was my memory. Then I thought...perhaps this occurred AFTER completely shutting down my iPhone. (Holding the on/off button until the "Shut Down" slider bar appeared at the top of the screen.) So I tried that. Sure enough, that was it. When you do a complete shut down (not just let the phone sleep), when starting the phone back up there is a delay in wifi and 3g connection. In fact, your phone won't connect to your wifi network until you enter your password lock code. Nice to know, but I don't think you saw the SIM error when starting back up from a full shut down. So, no help there either.

As Thomas Edison said, no experiment is a failure as you learn what doesn't work at the very least (extreme paraphrasing). That's what happened here.

I will pass on one thing I am sure you already know. But, it did contribute to SIM errors on my daughter's phone many months ago. Some people never do a full shut down of their phones. They just put them to sleep. Apple's evening iCloud backup procedure contributes to this as you can't shut the phone down and have it do an evening backup. My daughter had not shut down her phone for over a month when her first SIM error occurred. I then, in true teacher fashion, lectured her as to the necessity of doing a full shut down AT LEAST several times a week as doing a full shut down gets rid of a lot of potentially nasty things that have accumulated in your phone. (It is somewhat similar to taking the battery out of a malfunctioning phone to return it to proper functioning. Or, unplugging certain tech equipment...waiting a minute or two...and replugging it in. Or, making sure to do a full shut down of your computer fairly regularly.) She said, "Yes, Daddy Dearest...will do." So, she then proceeded to go another 3 weeks without completely shutting down her phone...result...her second SIM attack.

So, just on the outside chance you never, or very rarely, fully shut down your phone that may explain that one time SIM experience the other day.

BTW...when you said "Flummoxed in Massachusetts......" my heart sank. Visions of a fanatic Red Sox fan danced in my head and made me want to pass out. I actually grew up in NY and am a "to the death" NY Yankee fan. I hope that does not become a problem for us. 😁

Mr. Luigi

Mr. Luigi!!!

I apologize for short answers today.

I dislike having small keypad and large digits.

I do power down my phone at least once a week as

I run my battery down to nearly zero weekly.

I am a Braves fan (or was before the strike). I live outside Atlanta

and am on a 4 month travel assignment outside Baahstun.

Hockey is my fav sport tho..NASCAR and NFL close behind.

Perhaps we need to carry this 'off-forum' do we don't bore the caca

out of everyone. I'd hate to dilute this topic..it is obvious this SIM

problem is NOT over for everyone.

Well, my case is about to start so it's time to go.

I'll check back in this evening when I have a larger keyboard to use. ;-)

Pat

p_rod50,

Let's face it...you are doing everything one can do to help your phone run at its best. Should you get that SIM message again, there is no reasonable explanation.

You are screwed and it will be time for iPhone #6.

Glad you are not a Red Sox fan. That would have been awful.

I think we are pretty dang entertaining and probably have a following of thousands on the Apple Discussion forum.

Modesty is not one of my strong points.

Mr. Luigi

Copy that on the report Pat....

Looking ahead I hope its a one off.

I know how it feels when your confidence gets jarred by an experience that reminds you of a time of unhappy memories and you shudder to think that you're being pulled back into that vortex....but bear in mind this is a sophisticated piece of machinery that you're using which sometimes will be susceptible to occassional operational disruptions and provided that they arent too frequent just like computers are sometimes prone to hung....it's...acceptable....it doesn't make it ok....but one can live with that...but should it revert to its former ********, inefficient hank of hightec artjunk then its to the shop immediately.

But I think...by the look of things....phone 5 is a fighter like the F 22 and will stick it out for the count...he was just clearing a hickup to adjust to the liberating feeling of full restoraton...is all...you wait and see...it aint over till the fat lady sings...Watch this SPACE!

In the meantime reset your wings, extract your landing gear & begin your descent....You're cleared for landing!

Best

Dabrat

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.

Hey Dabrat!

Landed a few minutes ago...no issues so far today. Hoping it was a hiccup...not a flatulent warning of things to come ;-) I see from the post above that the new firmware hasn't done it for everyone...so am trying to be patient and tolerable of all this at the same time. ALmost everyone at my workplace has iPhones and not one of them has seen this problem. Some are still with older 4, but several 4S/s too with no problems at all. I just do not get it.

But I will keep y'all posted on progress or regression with this problem. Sure wish APple would just come out and admit that there is a problem and that they are working on a solution.

And to Mr. Luigi! Your modesty is certainly "enjoyable" from where I sit! ;-) And thanks for the 'testing' you did with all your units. I am glad that this problem seems to be resolved for you and I am just hopeful mine, too, is pretty much gone. It certainly is a lot better so as I told Dabrat I'll keep you posted on it. Worst case scenario is another drive to the Apple store for yet another replacement.

One question for you two...cold there be something residing on my MacBook Air that loads itself onto my phone whenever I connect the two? Could something from the 'older' version still be in residence and it just keeps loading itself up? As you can tell, I am grabbing at straws here...... ;-)

Pat

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