Invalid SIM Card on iPhone 4S (5.0.1)

Seems to be a widespread problem, from what I'm seeing in the discussions:


I have an unlocked iPhone 4S (bought in France) and use it with Vodafone in Portugal. I was using the same SIM card that worked perfectly fine for over a year on my previous iPhone 4, and it also worked just fine in the 4S... until I updated to iOS 5.0.1.


The very next day I started having connections issues and invalid SIM card errors - requiring a reboot to temporarily fix it for a few minutes, until it lost connection again - the iPhone would still show it had a few bars strength, but was actually unable to make calls or use data. After a while it would go back to invalid sim message.


I replaced my old SIM card, and I though that was it... It was working fine.. until after 3 or 4 days, I find once again that I had a Invalid SIM message.



I've read reports suggesting that this might actually have to do with using other chargers than the official Apple 4S one - it sound kind of crazy, but just in case, I was also using a 3rd party charger when those issues arised for the first time. Anyway, I was now using my previous official iPhone 4 charger when I got the new error with the new SIM card.


Also, although the iPhone recommends using a non-locked SIM Card, mine has always had a PIN, and always worked through activations without a problem.



Other than being a real hardware problem with my new iPhone 4S (crossing my fingers it isn't!) my guess is that this is a software related incident - as this has just popped up after upgrading to iOS 5.0.1, and it would have been an amazing coincidence for SIM cards to go bust, or for the iPhone 4S to suddenly malfunction, afterwards.


Hope you guys can fix it soon, as well as the phone numbers not showing up the callers name in the contacts (that was a problem I was having from the very beginning, with iOS 5.0.0).

Posted on Nov 16, 2011 2:18 AM

Reply
366 replies

Feb 19, 2012 5:48 PM in response to KPChan

I have the same problem since my previous iphone 4S was returned due to volume key not working. I put new SIM and within a few hours got the SIM failure message. Have tried two further SIMS since then both micro and cut down, but got the same problem. Yesterday I did a restore, before I was on version 5.0.1 (9A405) and after 5.0.1 (9A406). This appeared to work for about 6 hours then after a period of not using the phone I picked it up and got the dreaded message. After rebooting it was back to normal and am awaiting the next occurance. I add to all the comments already made to Apple:- "This is not a small issue and certainly not a local issue as it is happening all over the world, and with different carriers and it needs sorting out NOW. It turns a very expensive phone into an Ipod touch, if we all had wanted that we would have bought one of those and paid much less. It is worse than the antenna issue on the Iphone 4 and with all Apples resources and cash mountain you can sort it out if you recognise the problem"

Feb 21, 2012 12:52 PM in response to sathyam

My theory is this....I do believe it is associated with a defective sim tray design. The ejection arm is touching the base of the sim seat and at the same time touching the little tab on the bottom of the tray shorting out the sim.


This is a serious design error if prooved correct. This would require a recall and repair of some sort.


The reason it works intermittantly is that the pin ejection arm is not touching, then a sudden movement or setting is down on a flat surface brings about the touching and resulting short.


If anyone wants to try solutions, here is a web site http://wooservers.com/20100710/fixing-iphone-4g-no-sim-installed-problem/


Pierre

Canada

Feb 22, 2012 3:10 AM in response to pmlittle

I also suspected the sim tray in the beginning... but I quickly ruled that out, because it's exactly the same as the one in the iPhone 4, and it never gave any trouble before in over 1y of operation.

(I even tried using my old iPhone 4 sim tray in the 4S, and it made absolutly no difference.)


So, I'm still inclined to believe this is firmware/software bug... and let's hope the iOS5.1 reports do hold up and that it is indeed - and finally - fixed!

Feb 22, 2012 1:41 PM in response to Krassi

This also i tried and it does not give any results. i tried the same sim tray in 4 and 4s for two days. with ip4 no problem. with ip4S the sim srror comes up.


I even left the iphone un touched in the night and noticed the Error in the morning.


therfeore it is not due to jerk or shock.it seems to be due to inactivity. long time no usage of phone gets this error.


it seems only the iOS update can solve this issue.

Feb 24, 2012 3:41 PM in response to sathyam

HelloI'm from Argentinaand I have thesame problem asall of you.This is happeningaround theworldsoclearly not alocaloperatorproblem, the problem isexclusivelyApple.it seemsa shameto passthis, they saythe bestiphoneso far, myiPhone3Gworked much better.It'sa cell phone andpretendto workas such,itseems to me ahorror.

I hopeApplesoftwareupdatetofix itand get outfastbecause it isdesperateto passthis.

Greetings.

Feb 25, 2012 4:20 AM in response to Federico.F

Hola Federico. Yo también soy de argentina y tengo el mismo problema. El teléfono que tengo lo compre por mercadolibre a una persona que lo compro en España. Nuevo, liberado, todo legal. A los pocos días ya empezó el problema de sim invalida. Hasta que encontré que mucha gente esta teniendo el mismo problema en todo El mundo. Dicen que la actualización 5.1 que saldría en marzo lo soluciona, en la versión beta el problema se solucionaba. Al parecer son los primeros equipos que se vendieron principalmente en Europa los que tienen este problema. Espero que se solucione pronto.

Feb 26, 2012 9:33 AM in response to sathyam

Hello everyone,


unfortunately my previous post has been deleted. My mistake: basically due to the confidentially policy that all developers sign, we cannot talk about products or softwares not yet released to the pubblic, or reveal details about them.


However my post was not intended to reveal the content of ios 5.1; I just want to reassure people having the invalid sim issue. I am confident that this problem will be solved soon! Along with other minor issues!


Thanks all for the attention!


Greetings!

Feb 26, 2012 1:23 PM in response to ptnik

Good afternoon. My name is Raul, I'm from Argentina. In the month of December buy a iphone 4s. It was bought in Apps Store in Barcelona, ​​Spain. A few days began to fail with the message Invalid Sim. As in Argentina do not provide technical support to mobile iphone, a friend who traveled to Miami took the phone to change it under warranty. But in the Apps Store in Miami and Orlando, not because they changed the phone was purchased in Europe, and can only be changed where they buy. Is that true? as I might not recognize the warranty? do not leave me any choice, and that Spain will not go back. no way to claim?

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Invalid SIM Card on iPhone 4S (5.0.1)

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