''Sim Not Valid'' on activation screen! *PLEASE HELP*

I haven't denied people have a problem. But a solution has been posted that works. Your can either use the posted solution, or keep whining. You seem to prefer to whine than to have a working phone. Your choice.

you are really not informed enough on this issue, even though its clear you have some tech background. There is not a "magic bullet" question that will solve this because Apple and Verizon change the facts between phone calls. It's too hard to make you understand how this is working, but it is 100% deliberate on both their parts. SIM NOT VALID is like the Zika virus to them. "you have to call Apple" "you have to call Verizon" There is NO reasoning with them, even if the facts are on your side. Read everyone else's posts about this problem. Nobody resolves it. I got the furthest by finding out my phone is a locked Tracfone. My goal is not only to get my phone unlocked but uncover the corruption behind all this. (for my sake and all the others being given the runaround) It would be so easy for these companies to call each other and fix this major problem. But they avoid getting into it at all costs. Even Lying! Hopefully someone from the FCC will see this and I am happy to testify, in detail, to all my experiences.

spire88 has told you what to do. Either do it or don't.

do you care, even a speck, about uncovering the reason people are being deliberately given locked phones and then left in the cold. Or is it all about just getting your own problem fixed and hope it never happens again. Then we can just gamble and hope our fix works once we land half way across the globe. Maybe you could start thinking a bit more broadly.

For any future posts to forums, it would help if you had more paragraph breaks, it is very cumbersome to read a long, solid block of text wtihout breaks please.

>I asked him how my Applecare replacement phone could be replaced to any other than my original carrier, which is Verizon.

I told you why.

Because when an iPhone is damaged or turned in usually due to a hardware issue (let's say cracked screen), they get sent somewhere to be fixed and re-released back out into the market, usually as "replacement phones". Is there a reason you keep asking Apple for an answer you already have?

Someone like you had carrier service with Trackphone, they had a problem with their phone (ie: (cracked screen). It got replaced by a different phone. The original one (cracked screen) got fixed. They reset the operating system but the IMEI for that phone was never carrier-unlocked.

The phone ended up in your hands from Apple Care. NOT Verizon. You could have had AT&T or Sprint or any carrier you wanted to use.

>He told me that my IMEI said Tracfone locked but "he has seen this before and it's really Verizon even though it says Tracfone locked"

All MVNO’s use the lines of one of the big four network carriers. TracFone uses AT&T, Sprint/T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular, depending on the phone model. In your case the phone is using a Verizon network, but was locked to the Trackfone carrier.

>The Apple tech said my problem was with a Verizon phone and asked the Verizon tech to help.

They assume the problem is with Verizon because that's the carrier you use. Most customer service reps need to read the original post in order to understand the problem.

>I asked the Verizon to check if my Applecare replacement phone was previously with Verizon, and she said NO!.

I don't understand why you would even ask this question. She is right. It was with Tracfone, not Verizon.

> a locked Tracfone iPhone 6 128gb through Applecare but it's still Verizon's fault.

It is not Verizon’s fault. And it is not Apple’s fault. It is not Tracfone’s fault. It is no ones “fault”.

>Just can't understand why (Verizon) they would risk so much to give people internationally locked phones, which is illegal.

It is clear to me that you have not read what I have said multiple times:

The phone in your hands was never purchased directly from Verizon. The phone in your hands was never purchased directly from Apple. These are the only two scenarios where it would have been sold as carrier-unlocked.

Verizon did not hand you the phone. Apple Care did. This has nothing to do with Verizon. Nothing is illegal.

Your phone was originally purchased through Tracfone who had every right to carrier-lock the phone. It simply was never unlocked after being turned in to get fixed. It got fixed, ended up in the pool of phones that work under the Verizon network to be released to a Verizon customer. It’s that simple.

I do not have time to be reading about assumptions and conspiracy theories.

The sooner you accept the fact that no one is to blame, nothing is illegal, and there is no conspiracy, the sooner you will be able to move on.

I suggested a solution to you Apr 11, 2016 at 8:52 PM

>”take it back to Apple and get another replacement phone. Only this time, check the IMEI yourself online, to see if it is carrier-locked.

You want to end up with a carrier-unlocked phone when you walk out of the store. Then if you find it is internationally-locked, you can follow the instructions in the original post.”

So here is the thing, this whole problem about SIM NOT VALID has escalated because Verizon and Apple have turned their backs on the problem deliberately. These potential fixes you, and others, talk about are only good if you have a willing tech on the other end. But they are not interested in helping us. This is what people don't understand. Total denial. Even when I say to Apple that they told me 20 times I have a locked Tracfone Applecare replacement through IMEI lookup, he just says "no the computer is wrong, it's Verizon even though it does say locked Tracfone" Like, just to change the facts like that so they don't get blamed for giving the locked phone. Really, he said that. Do you really think any other reasonable enquiry will yield fruit? of course not. This is why people are pulling their hair out with this problem. The corruption has to be exposed to fix the problem. My IMEI with Tracfone has magically disappeared and so has my international profile and settings with Verizon. Are you getting the picture?

It shouldn't happen, and it doesn't happen very often. But other than you, of course, people make mistakes. If someone makes a mistake that affects you, you have my sympathy, but there's nothing I can do about it. It doesn't matter whether I care or not; I don't work for Apple, and I have zero influence over how they do things. And spire88 has posted clear instructions about how to resolve the mistake made by an Apple employee.

Sometimes decisions are made based on how easy it is, or is not, to deal with a client. Regardless, it is time to move on.

Here is what I see:

1) Your phone is no longer linked to Tracfone. Carrier-lock/unlock solved.

2) No international profile settings with Verizon.

It is unclear to me if this has to do with the international activation policy that only an Apple engineer can change.

Regardless, I only see one thing to do:

Call to ask to speak to an Apple engineer without all the back story, without assumptions, without blame.

Keep it simple and efficient.

The only thing you need to know is whether what the "activation policy" is for the phone in your hand.

No more.

No less.

>I asked him how my Applecare replacement phone could be replaced to any other than my original carrier, which is Verizon.

I told you why.

Because when an iPhone is damaged or turned in usually due to a hardware issue (let's say cracked screen), they get sent somewhere to be fixed and re-released back out into the market, usually as "replacement phones". Is there a reason you keep asking Apple for an answer you already have?

---is this ok (page break?)

**If you knew what Applecare's Policy is (According to more than 3 senior Apple Reps) Apple will replace your phone with a phone which has been previously on your network. a.k.a. Verizon. Maybe you know more then them, maybe you should work for Apple so you can help people like us.

Someone like you had carrier service with Trackphone, they had a problem with their phone (ie: (cracked screen). It got replaced by a different phone. The original one (cracked screen) got fixed. They reset the operating system but the IMEI for that phone was never carrier-unlocked.

The phone ended up in your hands from Apple Care. NOT Verizon. You could have had AT&T or Sprint or any carrier you wanted to use.

**yes, no kidding! but my IMEI has always been registered as a locked Tracfone. It was only because a Verizon tech contacted Apple, found my phone was locked to Tracfone and got back to me in about 30 seconds flat. 8 months both companies have been shrugging their shoulders. Verizon "uh, we don't lock our iPhones anymore" Apple "uh, everything looks fine from here, if it says SIM NOT VALID, you should contact Verizon" Read people's posts. I am the only one who figured out that people were really getting locked phones and not being told. We spend hours with Apple and Verizon, but they won't disclose this to us. Very very bad!

>He told me that my IMEI said Tracfone locked but "he has seen this before and it's really Verizon even though it says Tracfone locked"

All MVNO’s use the lines of one of the big four network carriers. TracFone uses AT&T, Sprint/T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular, depending on the phone model. In your case the phone is using a Verizon network, but was locked to the Trackfone carrier.

**and your point is? When we were speaking to the Verizon rep, the Apple rep didn't want to say "he has a locked Tracfone. That would put him in the hot seat and he would have to find someone else to pass the buck to. I thought you would be able to read between the lines there.

>The Apple tech said my problem was with a Verizon phone and asked the Verizon tech to help.

They assume the problem is with Verizon because that's the carrier you use. Most customer service reps need to read the original post in order to understand the problem.

**not true, they usually say "wow, there's a lot of notes here. Give me a few minutes to go through it" Takes about 10 minutes but I'm happy to hold

>I asked the Verizon to check if my Applecare replacement phone was previously with Verizon, and she said NO!.

I don't understand why you would even ask this question. She is right. It was with Tracfone, not Verizon.

**I asked the question because the Apple tech was presenting me as a person with a phone that was previously with Verizon. Not true. It was with Tracfone. So to prove the Apple tech was lying, I asked the Verizon rep to verify what the Apple rep was saying. So, she said "no, it has never been on our network before." Still the Apple tech said nothing. Caught red handed with trying to lie about where my replacement phone had been.

> a locked Tracfone iPhone 6 128gb through Applecare but it's still Verizon's fault.

It is not Verizon’s fault. And it is not Apple’s fault. It is not Tracfone’s fault. It is no ones “fault”.

**wrong! if it's no ones fault, then these people wouldn't be hiding or giving intentionally wrong information. This is a major issue because neither company will address the issue. I hope it never happens to you because all your "clever" reasoning will be thrown out the window.

Verizon did not hand you the phone. Apple Care did. This has nothing to do with Verizon.Nothing is illegal.

Your phone was originally purchased through Tracfone who had every right to carrier-lock the phone. It simply was never unlocked after being turned in to get fixed. It got fixed, ended up in the pool of phones that work under the Verizon network to be released to a Verizon customer. It’s that simple.

**yes, you are right, the phone was never unlocked. It IS that simple. Too bad the fix isn't that simple because neither company will even acknowledge you even have a locked phone through them. Is this what you do? Troll around and try to be an expert on things you know very little about?

-When properly identified, what Apple will tell you is that you have "a replacement device with an incorrect activation policy" (which takes 30 minutes to 24 hours for engineers to correct). Sometimes the iPhone needs to be restored after Apple makes the change to the policy for the phone, before it will work with an international sim.

**spire88, not sure if you are really trying to help people or not but this is NOT a fix. For those who think this will get them unlocked, don't. It is only theoretical and does not address the underlying issue. I have done this restore several times. No dice. The reason why is Tracfone is the only one who can unlock the phone and Verizon and Apple cannot unlock the device through that company. They have both told me they are not allowed to call Tracfone even though Verizon has called them numerous times. (see the facts changing?) If they unlock the device, then they have to admit these phones are locked and both companies are already backtracking. Apple is starting to refer to my locked Tracfone device as my locked device previously with Verizon (see the facts changing?)

Are you getting what's happening here? A senior Verizon support tech connected me to the highest person I have ever spoken to from Verizon. He kept telling me to call Apple and there was nothing he could do to help for about half an hour. Then he let it slip that he has been going back and forth with Tracfone for a long time. I said "really"? Then there was a big pause, and he said "yes". Then he said "well it's a very small number of phones, uh, like 1% of the phones have this international SIM NOT VALID problem." Holy cow, does he know how many phones that is, it's a ton. The way he downplayed it, probably was much more. But even with 1%, are any of you "experts" alarmed? Should they ALL go to your supposed fix before they travel and trust you? Maybe you could think of the tens of thousands of people who are still being given these phones, only to have Apple and Verizon turn their backs on them. Are you still so proud of your solution? Maybe you get a call from a family member overseas and your fix doesn't work. Will you be happy with that?

Where are people's conscience these days?

The post you quote is again, clearly not recognizing the difference between the international activation policy vs. a carrier-locked phone.

The posted fix was written based on facts and success at getting international activation policies corrected by Apple engineers, and has since helped others in this forum and others go through less headache and succeed as well.

carolfromsan luis obispoFeb 13, 2016 10:08 PM
in response to spire88

This is an excellent and accurate summary of the situation. I had the exact some issue. I asked the Apple Tech to read it and he agreed - sent the problem to the engineers and it was fixed. Thanks for such a well written explanation.

I provided you with an alternative suggestion based on your situation, without receiving so much as a single thanks from you for the multiple efforts. Which is fine, but also why I wish you luck from this point on.

My guess is you have a locked Tracfone:

Okay, so here is some breaking news today that the FCC has just mandated Tracfone to unlock all their phones:

Unlocking Compliance

Consumer Guide to TracFone Phone Unlocking Program | Federal Communications Commission

Applecare gave me a replacement phone that was internationally locked to Tracfone even though I am a Verizon subscriber.

Here is what will make your blood boil: It has been public knowledge that Tracfone's iPhones are locked and Tracfone has been speaking about it publicly since at least the beginning of 2015. So, why would Apple and Verizon hide the fact that these phones are being redistributed via the replacement phone program? Why wouldn't Apple just unlock the phones that are being sent out via Applecare? But, it's one big secret. Here is a link with Tracfone speaking about the locks:

TracFone Backtracks On Phone Unlocking | Prepaid Phone News

I had this issue with an iPhone 6s Service Replacement. It worked with domestic carriers but not with international SIMs.
I'm in New Zealand and use Vodafone, which does not lock phones to the carrier and the iPhones here are not region locked. However, when I had the iPhone replaced by Apple it was shipped out of Australia and they mistakenly applied the default "AU/NZ activation policy" instead of the default NZ, or Vodafone NZ, activation policy. This meant the iPhone was locked for domestic use only.

It took a full days work to resolve this issue, at first I didn't believe the iPhone was locked (because that's not a thing here) and assumed the international SIM was the issue, but the user was adamant the people he had taken his iPhone to overseas knew what they were talking about and they were saying the iPhone was locked. After much googling I found this thread, more specifically Spire's post with the answer. 4 hours of phone calls and live chat with Apple and Vodafone later Apple changed the policy to the correct one.

The hardest part about this is Apple will say it's locked by the carrier, and to call them to unlock it. The carrier will say they can't see a lock on that IMEI, so they can't possibly unlock it. The way I got Apple to escalate this was by using the text live chat instead of a phone call, this allowed me to paste in key phrase like "I have a service replacement iPhone with an incorrect activation policy", "my iPhone appears to be unlocked domestically, but locked internationally", "my carrier has checked and cannot see a lock on this iPhone". Apart from that, have the IMEI and serial of the original phone and repair ID. They'll compare the policy on the original iPhone to the current iPhone. In my case they said the original iPhone also had the incorrect policy, but I kept at them until they agreed to change it to the proper policy.

The downside is the iPhone is supposed to be restored by iTunes for it to download the updated policy, which is not an option for my user while he's overseas. I suggested a few tricks that might prompt it to download like these:
• Switch the SIM cards over, switch them back
• Restart the iPhone
• Turn airplane mode on then off
• If possible, connect it to a computer with iTunes, that alone may get it to download.
• Updating the carrier settings Tap Settings > General > About. If an update is available, a prompt will appear.
• Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings
But, I have no idea if any of these things will work and my user will probably end up buying a new phone while he's overseas (because he's there for a few months), as I don't like the idea of wiping his iPhone and risking losing settings/data.

Anyway, thank you Spire for the information! While Apple have screwed my user for this trip, this would have remained an unsolved mystery otherwise.

U need to get a SIM card from the new carrier in the country u r in now. Verizon is not gsm so does not go off Satellites. Only AT&T is GSM and can work in any country woledwide

Hi Ekro30,

I have the same exact problem.

Fighting with Apple and Verizon couple hours are useless.

The policy is the same as yours US GSM/VZW N61/N56 Service Policy.

Do you find any resolution yet ?