iPhone incurs unnecessary charges for inserting SIM cards

For those of us who travel and switch SIM cards very often, iPhones create recurrent problems:

1. When activating iMessage and FaceTime, the iPhone communicates with Apple's servers via IP and SMS. Apple's servers send back an SMS message to the iPhone to confirm the registration for the two services and the iPhone hides the message from the user. The problem is that the iPhone communicates the SIM card's mobile number to Apple's servers, not via IP, but by unnecessarily sending a chargeable hidden SMS message to +44 7786 205094 and/or +44 7537 4102X1 (X can be any digit). This incurs an unnecessary and wasteful charge for the user every time the SIM card is changed, which results in plenty of charges for frequent travellers who often change SIM cards. Of course if the mobile number on the SIM card is incorrect or cannot be read, then the mobile number could be optionally communicated via outgoing SMS, but this should not be the first option. Although some carriers suppress charges for these SMS messages, most do not.
2. The chargeable hidden SMS message is unnecessarily sent even if the SIM card's mobile number has been verified in this way on a previous occasion but another SIM card has been used in the interim.
3. Starting with iOS 7, this chargeable hidden SMS message is sent even if iMessage and FaceTime are turned off. Sometimes the user is warned about an impending charge, sometimes not.
4. iMessage and FaceTime often fail to activate on the first attempt because of intermittent problems connecting to some of Apple's servers outside the United States. One impact of this is that multiple chargeable hidden SMS messages are sent to activate iMessage and FaceTime. When this happens, a workaround is to change the wifi connection's DNS server temporarily to Google's US-based DNS server, 8.8.8.8, following which iMessage and FaceTime activate successfully via Apple's servers in the United States.
5. When changing SIM cards in iOS 5, Apple's servers immediately deactivated iMessage and FaceTime for the previous SIM's number when a new SIM was activated for these services on the same device. With iOS 6, it became necessary to turn off iMessage and FaceTime before switching SIM cards in order to prevent messages sent to the previous SIM's number from being lost in a black hole. With iOS 7, there is no way to fully deactivate iMessage on the previous SIM's mobile number, in that iPhones that have previously sent iMessages to the previous SIM's number will continue to send messages as iMessage rather than SMS and these messages are lost in a black hole. There have been suggestions to log out of one's Apple ID on iMessage and FaceTime before turning off these services, but this makes no difference and still leaves iMessage active on the previous SIM's mobile number. The impact of this is both on frequent travellers who regularly change SIM cards and on users who move their main SIM card and/or mobile number to a non-iOS device (e.g. consumers who permanently switch to Android).

As well as advertising iMessage and FaceTime as features of the iPhone, Apple openly advertises that the iPhone is suitable for using local SIM cards when travelling. For example on its UK web site Apple states:

Can I use my iPhone outside my home country?

Yes. iPhone is enabled to work on networks using GSM around the world. Because the iPhone sold by the Apple Online Store is unlocked, you can purchase a SIM card and service from a local carrier at your destination. Or check with your home carrier regarding international roaming charges.

I first reported these bugs and design flaws to Apple two years ago (the case reference even starts with a 3), but Apple seems reluctant to rectify them because not enough people have complained. I have submitted feedback many times at http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html but nothing has changed.

Full list of numbers used to activate iMessage and FaceTime: +447786205094, +447537410201, +447537410211, +447537410221, +447537410231, +447537410241, +447537410251, +447537410261, +447537410271, +447537410281, +447537410291