Hi there!
I recently tried to update the software on my iPhone 4 but it could not be completed for some reason. It then prompted me to restore my phone and I began the process but it too did not work.
I currently do not have a SIM card in my phone and have been using my iPhone when I have a wifi connection.
In order to use my phone again do I need to purchase a SIM card?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!
Thanks in advance 🙂.
iPhone 4 (8GB)
You need a SIM to activate the phone after a restore. It does not have to be an active SIM, it can be an old one. If the phone is locked, it has to be one from the carrier the device is locked to. It shouldn't be necessary for you to purchase one, unless you threw away the one you had before.
Thank you so much!!! I really appreciate your help.
At the moment my phone is locked and I don't have a SIM card from my carrier on hand because I am out of the country. If I were to pop in a friends SIM card (from another country) that is deactivated do you think that would work or no? From what you said above I'm guessing not because my phone is still locked.
Am I still able to unlock my phone even though it needs to be restored? Do you know the steps to take to unlock it when the phone needs to be restored?
Sorry for all of the questions. Thanks again in advance for all of your help!!
Jerseegirl wrote:
Thank you so much!!! I really appreciate your help.
At the moment my phone is locked and I don't have a SIM card from my carrier on hand because I am out of the country. If I were to pop in a friends SIM card (from another country) that is deactivated do you think that would work or no? From what you said above I'm guessing not because my phone is still locked.
Am I still able to unlock my phone even though it needs to be restored? Do you know the steps to take to unlock it when the phone needs to be restored?
Sorry for all of the questions. Thanks again in advance for all of your help!!
If the iPhone is locked to a carrier, you need a SIM from that carrier to activate the phone. So popping in a SIM from a different carrier will not work.
Unlocking the phone has to do with the approval of the carrier the device is locked to. If they approve the unlock, you need to follow their directions to complete the unlock of the phone.
Normally, to complete the unlock process it is necessary to restore the phone via iTunes anyway.
Hope that helps.
Can you restore iPhone without a SIM card?
