iPhone 4 Message:SIM Required (in phone that has no SIM card slot)

Thanks for posting the whole story. I don't know if it will help, but it at least gives background that may be useful to others.

I also escalated it through a channel that I have. I don't know if mine is any more effective than yours, but it can't hurt.

Ok I will chime in here and throw everybody on here for a loop. My mother passed down her old iPhone 4 CDMA to my daughter because she had upgrade to a new iPhone, she was through VZ as well. However, I converted the iPhone 4 CDMA to Straight Talk from VZ, I purchased the activation kit as well as the monthly plan for the phone. Friday night I called Straight Talk, got the iPhone 4 activated through them, got a new number and the phone worked perfectly fine until Sunday evening when my daughter and I did the "Erase All Content and Settings" reset. And low and behold when I tried to set it back up, I got the now famous message, "SIM CARD REQUIRED". I have done everything that all of you have done, along with calling Straight Talk (which is the new carrier), calling VZ, and back to Straight Talk, as well as google and what knot. Still NO LUCK! So to everyone who was pointing blame to VZ, I have to say I believe it's an Apple issue! This is why I do not own anything made by Apple, because clearly they are not an easy fix, especially when the Apple Reps can't even fix their own products!

Your experience doesn't let Verizon off the hook, as ST is a Verizon reseller. All ST does is register your phone on Verizon's network.

Hey guys, I'm back! I found something! First, the Apple rep called back today but I was busy running errands. Now I'm home, I returned his call but he must be busy so I left a message and now I'm waiting for his reply. I'm really interested in what he has to say. Also, I found another person on another forum with the same issue so I gave him this link. NOW! for what I've found, literally like a minute ago (I'm searching, I'm not quitting). It's not much but I think it's pretty freaking valuable! So, without further ado, from our very own Apple support forums: My cdma phone needs a sim card to activate

😮 😮 😮 I don't always use emojis, but when I do, I'm really making that face. THIS GUY GOT THE SAME ERROR FROM AN AT&T CDMA IPHONE! So his seems to be an iPhone 5c but otherwise it's exactly the same!! He reset the phone, it now is asking for a SIM card although it is a CDMA phone. If I'm reading his post correctly, this almost undoubtedly points the finger squarely at Apple. I could be wrong, but it sure seems that way more and more. rosindabow, thanks for the credit and special, special thanks for getting this thread started! amandajo1026, I'm sorry you dislike Apple products, but honestly, how many problems like this have you encountered? Lawrence Finch, Verizon is starting to look like their off the hook, assuming I've read it right. Unless, VZ and AT&T both screwed up the same? Or AT&T registers on VZ's network? ..... of course not, I know.

I hate to burst your bubble on this one, but AT&T does not have CDMA phones. AT&T is a GSM carrier. I really want to see a solution and closure to this one, but that user has got another problem.

I honestly considered the same thing which is why I left it kinda open, like if I'm reading it correctly, because at the same time, I have had Verizon's own reps tell me that their iPhone 4 DID have a SIM tray. I figured it'd be best if he could get in here and clarify, remember, Alltel was CDMA. Though I am not aware of iPhones being manufactured for Alltel.

I'm at a loss for words. It seems that Lawrence Finch was aware of this issue a whole day before posting to this thread. He posted on the same issue on Jan. 30th: Please disconnect and insert a SIM card in the iPhone message iPhone 4 . I hope this is just a misunderstanding, but why did you never bring up the fact that you knew of at least one other person with the same issue? In the other thread Lawrence Finch suggested just scrapping the 4 and upgrading. Are you an Apple rep? I hope I'm just mistaken.

No one here, except the Community Specialists are Apple employees. We are all volunteers. We do this as something to do, just as you are taking the time to post here. We do not get to see all material, especially dependent on what forum, or content you are looking at. If it is a busy day and a lot of people are posting, you can miss things on the front page, and you may not necessarily go hunting things. I have to tell you that Lawrence is a very dedicated member here and has helped a great number of people, including myself. I would ask you think twice before you start pointing a finger at someone for hiding things or something to that affect. Personal attacks and questioning someone's credibility are the quickest way to get those of us that have participated in these forums for a long time to question continuing to assist.

I think you should go and read ALL of my posts in this thread. But don't bother addressing me again, because I have nothing further to say to you.

I do appreciate the volunteers helping out and there's no reason for this to turn into a hostile conversation. I think this is a really weird issue that, while frustrating for us, is likely that rare exception where the technology actually is at fault. Usually it's the user having a problem, and all of us who work in IT (paid, or as message board volunteers) are accustomed to seeing the fault be on the user side.

No need for any accusations or the like. I don't think anyone is out to deceive any body.

Butcher, thanks for the detailed write-up last night on your experience with Apple culminating in them asking for your MEID. I will share that part of this thread with the Apple Store where I have an appointment in a few minutes. It's a good sign that cases are being escalated to engineering, as that will be the key to solving this.

Thanks all!

I have the same problem too. My mom gave my daughter her old iphone4 when she upgraded hers to iphone6. We are with Verizon as well.

Yesterday before I did the reset, everything was running fine...just without the cellular service. After I reset the iphone4, I got the 'SIM Required' message. I got similar message when I connected the phone to itunes.

This morning I took the phone to Verizon, and they sent me to Apple. I went to Apple and they upgraded the firmware and still couldn't get pass the 'SIM Required' message. They sent me back to Verizon. This time, Verizon tried to activate Iphone4, (deactivate my phone and use my phone line to activate iphone4), but still got stuck at the same message. Not sure what to do now.....

This appears to be a real issue, and it isn't clear whether Apple or Verizon (or both together) have to fix it. I suspect that a Verizon carrier settings update intended for the 4S and later was somehow distributed to the 4. Apple installs carrier updates, but the carrier provides them. I've reported the issue to the forum manager, who can communicate with Apple engineering. I don't know if that's a better channel than the one other users in this thread have taken, but it can't hurt. Yours is the 5th report I've seen of this issue. With probably 50 million Verizon iPhone 4's that not a big number, but, as everyone has described the same experience I expect more as people repurpose their phones.

What might be helpful to anyone reading who has both a 4 and a 4S with Verizon, compare the modem firmware versions.