I bought a cellular iPad Air 2 directly from Apple. I would like to (also) use it with Verizon. I went to a Verizon store and asked if I could get a Verizon SIM card, but the they claimed that is not possible. You can only use the iPad Air 2 on Verizon if you buy directly from Verizon. Is that true? I asked in the Apple store, but did not get a clear answer.
I am posting this to hopefully help out future iPad Air 2 Verizon customers. Last night via Apple's online store I purchased an iPad air 2 wifi-cellular model. One of the options in the ordering process was to purchase a Verizon nano sim card (free) the text said the iPad air 2 would come with the default card and would just have to swapped it out with the Verizon one myself. I picked up my iPad air 2 today, and received an email stating my Verizon nano sim card has been shipped to my house and that I will get it tomorrow.
According to this blog: http://the-real-mrbeefy.tumblr.com/post/100924393607/getting-my-ipad-air-2-on-ve rizon#notes, it should be possible to get it on Verizon by getting a SIM. But, as I experienced, the store people don't know this. I might just get AT & T - an extra Apple SIM is only $4.
From Apple's web site:
iPad can also connect to the Internet using a fast cellular connection when Wi-Fi isn’t available. So you can stay connected on the train, at the park, or on a road trip. You can buy an iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular model without a contract and purchase cellular service separately. The Wi-Fi + Cellular model comes with an Apple SIM card preinstalled. The Apple SIM lets you choose from a selection of short-term cellular data plans — from carriers like AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile* — that can be turned on for a day, week, or month. If you’re a Verizon customer, you’ll need to visit an Apple Retail Store or a Verizon store to get your SIM. You can activate the Apple SIM whenever you want so that you have cellular data service when you need it for the length of time you need it. And if you’re traveling to countries where there are carriers that support the Apple SIM, such as the UK, you may have the option to connect to a local carrier while you’re there. Contact your carrier for more information.
Thanks. I will try to bring this to a Verizon or Apple store. It seems they are just uninformed. However, one detail is not clear. What I want from Verizon is a pre-paid plan, and the Verizon store person said specifically that a pre-paid plan is only possible if you buy the iPad from Verizon. But that doesn't make a lot of sense. A SIM card is a SIM card. I will try again. I prefer the Verizon plans to AT & T, but I can live with AT & T if Verizon is too stubborn.
Just wanted to chime in and let everyone interested know that I too bought the Air 2 a couple days ago not realizing that the Apple SIM from the iPad doesn't include Verizon. I already have a VZW prepaid SIM on my old iPad (3rd gen) but the the SIM from the old iPad won't fit the Air 2 (micro vs nano). When I called the Apple store they recommended that I come to the store and replace the whole iPad for another one with a VZW SIM. I didn't want to do that as I already setup/restored my new iPad and didn't feel like having have to do that again. So I called the VZW store and they told me that it should be no problem. Hence, I took both iPads to the store where they took a new micro SIM card and reprogrammed it with my existing prepaid plan and made sure the the new iPad works, all right in front of me...
Using that logic, they should have no problems setting you up with a new (i.e new prepaid account) SIM for the new iPad even if you haven't purchased it from VZW.
I'm in NYC. VZW store @ Bryant Park.
Today (November 2, 2014) I visited the Verizon store in the West Farms Mall in Connecticut and attempted to get a Verizon SIM for my apple iPad Air 2. The clerk went in the back, talked to his manager, and came out and explained to me that since I purchased my iPad direct from Apple, Verizon cannot support it.
I had been using Verizon for several years on my iPad 3. As I wanted to retire that machine, and I was told I was unable to continue using Verizon on my new hardware, I cancelled my $20 per month data plan. I came home and signed up for T-Mobile on the iPad itself.
Later, I google searched and found this thread. It seemed inconceivable that Verizon could not provide a SIM for the iPad Air 2 unless they had sold it. The iPad is unlocked; it should work with any carrier as long as the carrier provides the SIM and wants it to work. I understand this, but I am not an expert and I did not want to argue with the staff at Verizon, so I just switched.
Verizon needs to do a better job educating its sales staff or they are going to lose a lot of business. They have the best network, but it is of little help if they turn away customers when they show up in their store looking to buy.
efb-westhartford wrote:
Later, I google searched and found this thread. It seemed inconceivable that Verizon could not provide a SIM for the iPad Air 2 unless they had sold it. The iPad is unlocked; it should work with any carrier as long as the carrier provides the SIM and wants it to work. I understand this, but I am not an expert and I did not want to argue with the staff at Verizon, so I just switched.
Verizon needs to do a better job educating its sales staff or they are going to lose a lot of business. They have the best network, but it is of little help if they turn away customers when they show up in their store looking to buy.
The Verizon staff gave you correct information. The iPad 2 is a 3G device. Verizon 3G devices do not use SIM cards at all. They use Verizon's CDMA network. "Unlocked" is not a term with any meaning for CDMA devices. They require specific firmware and that the device's information is loaded into the Verizon equipment database. The equipment gets into that database when Apple provides that information to Verizon. Had you brought in an iPad 3 or later, it wouldn't have mattered if it had been intended for sale on Verizon's network. The iPad 3 and later use 4G LTE and Verizon could have given you an appropriate SIM.
yes, I agree. I went to the Apple Store, and they told me it should be possible to use it on Verizon, but they don't sell the SIM cards. But Verizon said I couldn't use it on Verizon. I will try again in a bigger verizon store.
I want to use t-mobile when I'm in my hometown, but Verizon when I travel. t-mobile has great plans (my iPhone is t-mobile), but not great coverage.
Meg St._Clair wrote:
efb-westhartford wrote:
Later, I google searched and found this thread. It seemed inconceivable that Verizon could not provide a SIM for the iPad Air 2 unless they had sold it. The iPad is unlocked; it should work with any carrier as long as the carrier provides the SIM and wants it to work. I understand this, but I am not an expert and I did not want to argue with the staff at Verizon, so I just switched.
Verizon needs to do a better job educating its sales staff or they are going to lose a lot of business. They have the best network, but it is of little help if they turn away customers when they show up in their store looking to buy.
The Verizon staff gave you correct information. The iPad 2 is a 3G device. Verizon 3G devices do not use SIM cards at all. They use Verizon's CDMA network. "Unlocked" is not a term with any meaning for CDMA devices. They require specific firmware and that the device's information is loaded into the Verizon equipment database. The equipment gets into that database when Apple provides that information to Verizon. Had you brought in an iPad 3 or later, it wouldn't have mattered if it had been intended for sale on Verizon's network. The iPad 3 and later use 4G LTE and Verizon could have given you an appropriate SIM.
I realize I misread. The iPad Air 2 will work on Verizon, even if not purchased from Verizon. I suspect it's possible that the Verizon staff made the same mistake I did. 🙂
Meg, you might have been confused because I did not write clearly. But the salesperson at Verizon cannot say that. I physically handed him my new iPad Air 2 and asked him how I could put it on their network, how much I need to pay, etc. He said it could not be done after inspecting my hardware...
I just bought an iPad air 2 before I left the store I asked if it was a Verizon carrier they explained the situation with verizon and immediately switched out the sim card for a verizon card (I get to keep the original sim card in the iPad 2) I then called verizon and have the option to have the service billed with my verizon account or have the prepay set up. Now if I can just find the phone number that goes with the iPad air 2.
I would like to chime in to this discussion in the hopes that I will save someone the same aggravation I experienced. Five different Verizon stores told me that I had to buy the Air 2 from their store or from the Apple store or else it wouldn't work. I questioned them about the difference between the Air and Air 2 and the fact that it seemed like they were different, where you had to buy the Air for Verizon but not the Air 2 and they maintained their positions. After talking with Apple and many other stores, I was convinced I could buy anywhere and just switch out the SIM cards. So I bought at an online store where I was able to save $75 in tax, plus they had a $50 discount during "Cyber Week", plus there was no "upgrade fee" on Verizon when you buy through them. I took it to a Verizon store, they installed a FREE Verizon SIM card, AND IT WORKED JUST FINE. Simply put, the ONLY difference in the Air 2 between the carriers is the SIM card. Period. End of story. Don't let anyone (like Verizon tried to do to me) convince you that there's something internally different between the models. It's all in the SIM. Given how many different Verizon employees claimed it absolutely wouldn't work (including one who outright lied and said she had tried activating an Air 2 purchased elsewhere and couldn't, which would be impossible), I believe this could be a company-wide policy to say this in an effort to sell more iPads. Can that many people really be that in the dark about the technology they're selling? Not one of them thought to ask or research further to make sure.
Good for @Kimberly for being so clear and correct and helpful. (Why is it that on these forums folks with tens of thousands of posts and karma or whatever often post unhelpful nonsense about stuff on which they have no first hand knowledge?)
My experience was similar. I dont believe I got a choice of carrier when I ordered my ipad air 2 in the middle of the night when ordering first became possible--but after that crazy 3AM experience I don't recall if I actually got the order done on the web, ipad or iphone app. Whatever.)
Verizon store folks were friendly but after 45 min of looking, telling me yeah, somebody had the same issue a few days ago and they thought they got an email about that.....but they could not find it. They thought maybe I should buy a new ipad from them and sell my 128G air 2 in somewhere. The store employees seemed to be doing their best and are not well supported by corporate. Sadly they would spend long minutes staring at their terminals, waiting for them to respond. It was about 11am & I was only 1 of 2 folks in the store.)
At the apple store, I walked in, asked a young apple genius, he spoke into his mike connected to somebody in back, and in a couple minutes someone appeared with a verizon LTE 4FF nano sim for the genius to give to me. No charge.
You can activate the iPad Air 2 or iPad Mini 3 on any network, you just need the proper SIM card, and you have the freedom to change carriers, but will have to change SIM cards. For some reason, the people in the Apple store are not well informed about the interchangeability of the new iPads. There are two kinds of SIMs now which cover all 4 current carriers: the Apple SIM, which can be used on AT&T, Sprint & T-Mobile, and the Verizon which is exclusively for Verizon.
I read up about the features of the new iPads, and the interchangeability of the new iPads is the feature that convinced me to go ahead and spurge on a new one. I bought an "Open Box Buy" iPad Mini 3, and when i trieed to activiatee the cellular, I found that it had an AT&T branded SIM, and I got an "Invalid SIM" message. I made an appointment at the Genius Bar at teh Apple Store, and explained that I wanted to activate on Verison and needed a Verison SIM. The guy who was helping me said he didn't even know you could do that. He went in the back, talked to someone to verify that I could switch carrieers. They gave me the Verion SIM, I activated it and all is well. Read the articles linked below, and stand yuor ground since Apple isnt giving their emplyees the latest info. My theory is that Apple isn't making the interchangeability well known because they don't want to aileante their carriers. (I'm sure Apple willl save a lot of money not having to keep inventory of iPads for each of their carriers, and instead only have to keep 2 different types of SIM cards on hand instead).
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/drmac/article/Where-you-buy-an-iPad-Air -2-or-iPad-mini-3-matters-5851049.php
http://www.zagg.com/community/blog/how-does-apple-sim-card-work/
So then why does Apple sell the exact same iPads in just boxes labeled differently.
You have boxes printed as Verizon and other carriers on the back. Did they do that so thise units could be sold from retail stores?
I am assuming the label on the back of the box if it's a carrier will have the matching Nano SIM in it.
iPad air 2 (direct from Apple) and Verizon -- not possible?
