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ptnik Author

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

Jul 10, 2012 2:31 AM in response to ptnik

I have had a black iPhone 4s 16 GB for almost 6 months now (I got it near the end of January 2012) and I've never run into any SIM card issues. Even on iOS 5.0.1, I've never had issues with my SIM card. I'm in Canada on Telus Mobility for all those wondering.

My friend just got a black iPhone 4 16GB, and as soon as he puts his Telus SIM into the iPhone 4, it says invalid SIM. His iPhone 4 is running iOS 5.0.1, and reading up on these posts makes me wonder if I should try to update his phone's firmware to see if that fixes his issues.

Jul 10, 2012 3:10 AM in response to benny.benzino

Iphone 4s Issue with IOS 5.01 doesnt happen straight away so might happen later on for you or could be that your one of the lucky one and got it all ok for you

Iphone 4 - Invalid sim - thats a different issue, I have a feeling that his phone is either locked, blocked or sim card is not 3g or something.

Check another sim card in your friends iphone4 and see if there are any other ones that work. And see how many other networks work because it could be that it wants unlocking.

Jul 10, 2012 3:14 AM in response to husham.com

I don't think it will happen to my iPhone 4s beause I'm now running iOS 5.1.1 on my 4s with no issues, although you never know.

I could always use my own SIM in his iPhone 4. We have the same carrier (Telus Mobility in Canada) and I know mine works just cause I'm using it in my 4s with no issues.

Jul 10, 2012 3:22 AM in response to benny.benzino

You can try that..... but I was talking about the iphone could be locked to a specific network.

So you need to try another network sim card

Jul 10, 2012 3:25 AM in response to husham.com

I know somebody with an iPhone 4s on a different carrier so I'll try that as well as my own SIM card.

Jul 11, 2012 6:49 AM in response to husham.com

My friend got a new Telus SIM for his iPhone 4 and we updated his software to iOS 5.1.1 and now it's working flawlessly (like my 4s is).

Invalid SIM Card on iPhone 4S (5.0.1)