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 29, 2012 11:35 PM in response to ituhin

latest update.... i wrote too soon last time.... restore to 9A406 did not work after all.... this morning i woke up and got the invalid sim message.... and since then its giving me dead signal periodically....


planning to downgrade to 5.0.0 .... people says that is impossible....

but i found something here....


http://www.redmondpie.com/downgrade-5.0.1-to-4.3.3-4.3.5-5.0-ios-on-iphone-4-3gs -ipad-2-ipad-1-ipod-touch-guide/


http://www.redmondpie.com/download-ios-5-for-iphone-4s-iphone-4-3gs-ipad-2-1-ipo d-touch-final-version-direct-download-links/


anyone tried it yet ?

Mar 1, 2012 12:20 AM in response to ituhin

Why? Why on earth we, the users, we who are paying for a device should asume all the costs of a DEFECTIVE PRODUCT?, WHY APPLE won't acknoledge his responsability? Why use tape, paper, chewing gum for a product that is sold as world quality class with a premium tag? I know these forums should be for exchange for tips to make a better experience from a product but, come on! we are talking about a phone that should work as a phone with no excuses! (even Apple should and MUST allow to install previous versions of its OS but there is the word PRIDE before customer satisfaction).

Mar 1, 2012 12:32 AM in response to ptnik

I am on the latest software (5.0.1 9A406) White 4S 16 GB- No fix for me 😟


My phone only seems to go "Invalid Sim" when it gets hot at the sim card bay (Jumping between cell towers, using the GPS, playing games, Charging etc) I presume there is a link. I need to turn off my phone and wait for it to cool down before I can get signal again. Very annoying! Seems like there was the issue before the software update which is a different issue to the phone getting hot causing the sim to fail. Maybe a short circut?

Mar 1, 2012 6:15 PM in response to Stonebat

Same experience here...

Purchased factory unlocked 4S in November in Singapore and have been using it in Indonesia with Telkomsel

Worked OK until middle of February (except for battery life) ... even with 5.01 upgrade

Then I started waking up every morning to INVALID SIM message and ever more frequent NO SERVICE and locked up phone during the day ... only fix is to power down then restart the phone

Thought it was the charger (always iphone original) so tried leaving it off the charger overnight ... still INVALID SIM in the morning

Tried turning off everything ... data... location services .. wifi etc .... everything except the phone ... no difference

Tried updating to 9A406 ... not easy downloading 800+MB in one go in Indonesia ... 4 tries over 3 days at 4 hours each .. but finally got it done... phone seemed to behave a little differently (maybe my imagination) but still same basic problems

Last weekend .. travelled 3 hours each way to nearest phone shop to replace SIM

Got INVALID SIM error again about 4 hours after installing new SIM

I am finding that the phone locks up and needs restarting at least 4 or 5 times each day

So now I have resorted to using my office phone during the day to call my iphone sitting on my desk beside me to see if is still active ... ***...

PLUS the battery will not last 24 hours with everything off and minimal calls .. the battery life has always been bad

My first iphone and so far I am less than impressed .... and I doubt that all this can be fixed by a software update ... but I live in hope ...

Mar 1, 2012 10:08 PM in response to eightbelow

same problem with me. restoring it to 9A406 made the problem worse. However, I read somewhere that if you put the phone on airplane mode, switch it off, switch it back on and turn off the airplane mode it will fix the problem. Tried that and although it isn't a permanent fix but i've seen that the frequency of the invalid sim has reduced a bit. So I suggest you guys try it. At first I would get the error after every few hours but now it's like after a day or sometimes even after 2 days. Hope this helps.

Mar 3, 2012 6:27 PM in response to ptnik

AT&T did something that solved the problem for me. AT&T techs unregistered, then re-registered the SIM on their end. I've been problem-free since then.

What makes this problem especially aggravating is it seems to have a great number of causes. My 4S started doing this a couple days ago. It would drop a call anywhere from 4-11 minutes into the call and pop up the "Invalid SIM" message. Only thing that solved it was powering on/off. Voice calls were the only thing that triggered it. If I didn't make a call all day it was fine.

It's been OK ever since AT&T reregistered the SIM on their end. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Mar 3, 2012 9:34 PM in response to ptnik

I have had my iPhone for two weeks now, and have had a sim card for the same amount of time. I am currently unable to even set up the phone, because it says that it is not a vaild sim.

"Only compatible SIM cards from a supported Carrier may be used to activate iPhone. Please insert the SIM card that came with your iPhone or visit a supported Carrier's store to receive a replacement SIM card."


The sim card is valid for iPhones, I have checked. The comany it was from is called "Live connected".


I can't even connect to iTunes, so I cannot update it to the newer iOS.

Mar 3, 2012 9:43 PM in response to zozzahh

Zozzahh, you may have a different issue. Has your phone ever been set up successfully?

If this is the first time you are setting it up, you must use the SIM that came with the phone. If you use a different SIM assigned to a different number, it will not work.

There also is a possibility your wireless carrier did not authorize your SIM.

Another possibility is that you have a defective SIM. It happens.

Mar 4, 2012 5:40 AM in response to nickstock

Did you even read what zozzahhwrote? zozzahh if you download the recent update (ios 5.0.1) use alt and click update on itunes (ctl click update on windows) and select the update for the phone. If you can't manage to do that *that is possible even if you dont hace a sim installed but you'll need one when you have to activate the phone), simply you are out of luck and I mean all luck.

Mar 4, 2012 8:20 AM in response to aaron1266

Yes, I DID read what zozzahh wrote. You get that error if the phone is new out of the box and you try to activate the phone with a SIM other than the SIM that came with the phone. You also get that error if the SIM was bad to begin with. Zozzahh said he got this error on setup: "Only compatible SIM cards from a supported Carrier may be used to activate iPhone. Please insert the SIM card that came with your iPhone or visit a supported Carrier's store to receive a replacement SIM card."

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Invalid SIM Card on iPhone 4S (5.0.1)

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