Level 1

1 points

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

366 replies

Mar 4, 2012 8:38 AM in response to nickstock

And i dont mean any stage of activation. just UPDATING the phone! If its a phone NOT UNLOCKED it wont work in the stage when it means activate it but it WIIL UPDATE!

Mar 4, 2012 8:39 AM in response to aaron1266

That will restore the phone, but it probably won't get the phone activated. From what he said, I don't think the phone was ever successfully activate. We need zozzahh to clarify.

Mar 5, 2012 11:17 AM in response to nickstock

I'm really tired of this problem, and what most bothers me is that Apple take so long to fix it. If this week does not go the upgrade of IOS, I sell my iPhone, iPad, MacBook. I got tired of this **** does not work, as you may not run a sim on a cell phone and that take more than 2 months to fix it? And I do not answer saying that the solution is to restore it because I did it 100 000 times!

Mar 5, 2012 4:52 PM in response to ptnik

I'm so tired of this problem.

I used restore. I changed sim cards. Nothing helps.I found thread, there are images of different types sim cards. I though I need old type sim card. So I found my old sim card and activated with my carrier. Nothing helps.

I figured out that ios makes something like image of sim card and works with it. Because if I see Invalid sim and try to eject sim card the phone still shows me carrier title and still trying to find network. But there is no sim card in the phone! iPhone do not understand it... Or maybe modem hangs up.

I do not know what to do...

I started to experience problems after update to iOS 5.0.1 (9A405). Then I updated to 9A406. Then I restored settings several times. And so on...

These are several types of sim cards.

iPhone 4s 16Gb Black

iOS 5.0.1 (9A406)

Modem FW 1.0.14

Mar 5, 2012 5:45 PM in response to ptnik

And this is the last report from iOS:

deviceId: "zzz"

isAnonymous: true

deviceConfigId: 101

triggerTime: 1330997694722

triggerId: 524310

profileId: 10129

investigationId: 0

metricsCCBasebandReset {

reason: "modem reset: Call state out of sync"

inVoiceCall: false

rat: 1

PLMN: "25002"

timestamp: 1330997694715

}

How do you like this string

reason: "modem reset: Call state out of sync"

ptnik Author

Level 1

1 points

Mar 6, 2012 2:40 AM in response to ptnik

Some more info that might help explain the dropout issues:

"The issues appear to be due to the iPhone 4S only supporting the GSM P band (885 - 915 MHz) and not the E band (880 - 890 MHz), both of which are in use by China Mobile. The P band is primarily used for outdoor use, while E is designed for indoor areas -- train stations, conventions centers, and the like. When China Mobile users move into an area without P coverage, they still see full signal strength, but the connection is dropped"

[via http://www.tuaw.com/2012/03/05/apple-addresses-issue-with-iphone-4s-on-china-mob ile/]

ankz74

Level 1

4 points

Mar 7, 2012 4:16 AM in response to ptnik

Makes sense...but still does not explain on why the issue occurs with certain iphone4S pieces and not with the others that are carrying the same baseband. If the problem is software based then it should be across all iphone4S that are there in use.

My problem has become much better as I use the phone more regularly now. 1 reboot required during the day other than the early morning reboot that I have now started accepting as a routine habit like brushing my teeth in the morning :-). One interesting observation today morning was that I did not get the invalid sim status as I had slept off with the earphones plugged in. I know the earphones act like an antennae for mobile radios so could be the earphone helped in maintaining signal through the night.

Awaiting ios5.1 with bated breath!!!

Mar 7, 2012 6:59 PM in response to ankz74

good news for my iphone that this morning i woke up and don't see the "invalid sim" anymore. I don't think it's because i plugged the earphones over the night (because the day before yesterday I also plugged earphone but still i see the invalid sim), but I notice that after i installed an app named "planner and lite: appointments, tasks, note and reminders", my iphone started having invalid sim. i after changed new sim, restore iphone in different ways (upgrade to 406) I couldn't fix the problem but my iphone start having another problem of loosing signal always and I couldn't send txt or call right away. Always it was searching first. So i removed that app, and my ip has no problem of lossing signal, and after two days i.e. today, my ip does not encounter "invalid sim". I will see if tommorrow I will have invalid sim again or not, hope not.

Mar 7, 2012 8:32 PM in response to eightbelow

Eightbelow ios 5.1 is available to

Easily available check software update u'll get ios 5.1

Mar 7, 2012 9:06 PM in response to vikunj bareja

thank you, has anyone updated to 5.1? will it really fix invalid sim? I'd rather waiting for some feedback first.

Arthok

Level 1

0 points

Mar 8, 2012 12:29 AM in response to ptnik

Guys, just upgrade to iOS 5.1. Works like a charm, and I didn't even had to change the micro SIM.

kalakov

Level 1

10 points

Mar 8, 2012 12:45 AM in response to Arthok

doing that right now. but ill have to test it for 2 days because all other methods have given results for the first 24-48 hours but then failed.

ptnik Author

Level 1

1 points

Mar 8, 2012 2:38 AM in response to ptnik

Lets us know how your experience with iOS 5.1 goes, and if it fixed your issues.

Update process (over the air) worked smoothly.

First report... network connection seems more stable, but it didn't fix my other issue of some messages/caller ids showing up as "numbers" instead of the contact name - unbelievable Apple didn't get this fixed yet!

ierror

Level 1

0 points

Mar 8, 2012 4:34 AM in response to ptnik

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

Mar 8, 2012 5:22 PM in response to ptnik

Finally 5.1 has solved the problem...! A few weeks ago I told you to be patient and confident... In fact I was testing iOS 5.1 beta 3 as a developer and I knew the issue was gone. Now you can test it yourself, and after nearly 3 months the agony is over! We all experienced the awful "invalid sim" message, restarting the iPhone several times a day, but now it's solved!

Hopefully this topic has come to an end!

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Invalid SIM Card on iPhone 4S (5.0.1)