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

Lawrence Finch wrote:

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.

There was a carrier update within the last couple of days.

I don't intend for any hostility. I said I could be wrong, I even hoped I was mistaken. It seemed odd that you didn't bring up having heard of this before nor go back to the first you posted in to inform him that you found others with the same issue. A simple clarification would have sufficed but then again you don't have to explain anything to anyone. I apologize if I offended you, it was not my intention, I wanted to express my concern and probably could have gone about it another way. Hope you can understand. Moving forward though, finally go off the phone with Apple rep from yesterday. He was convinced he had fixed it. Don't know what he did with my MEID that made him feel that way but... no go. He asked me to restore it once more from DFU mode and he was sure it would work this time. I just left him a message explaining that there was no difference. Now I wait for him to call back. I was really hoping I had a solution for you guys. Also, I've found at least 4 more cases on other forums and I registered to them all, minus one VZ forum, and posted link to this thread. I've found it useful to filter my search results to within the last month, I type something along the lines of CDMA iPhone 4 reset SIM required. I hope to possibly find an answer in another forum, but more realistically, at the least I can direct them here and consolidate our numbers and efforts.

This issue goes back further than a couple of days. The earliest I've found is January 1st but then again I'm filtering my search results to go back 1 month because it gets harder to weed out all the other junk otherwise.

Hi everyone,

I have a fairly busy business selling iPhones and I sell mostly the iPhone 4 for prepaid carriers. I want to provide some information. This is an Apple issue hands down. I had a random phone do this the other night, and being an experienced iPhone repair tech I thought it was a very weird problem. I've never seen anything like it. I opened the phone just to check to make sure a GSM logic board hadn't made it's way inside a CDMA shell which I felt was unlikely anyway since they are different sizes. Nope, CDMA iPhone 4 through and through. I put the phone to the side and figured I'd look into things when I got a chance. Lo and behold two other phones today have the same issue. So I am VERY concerned, considering I just shipped out 50 iPhone 4's for customers today. One thing I have noticed is that so far the only model I get the error with is the A1349 iPhone 4 White 16GB. I have 8GB in black and white, and 16GB in black which I am going to test as I write this.

Ok so I have confirmed. The only iPhone this is doing this to is the White A1349 iPhone 4 16GB. I just reset the 8GB in both colors no issues, the 16GB black no issues, and I grabbed another 16GB white and it is giving the same SIM card message. So that is now the 4th phone I have had this happen to in the last hour. I am on the phone with Apple now and I am going to try and see what they say. Would everyone with this issue mind saying what specific iPhone 4 they are using that is receiving this issue? I'd like to see if we can isolate a model.

I should also note that this issue occurs when the phone is validated by Apple's servers for activation. My guess is that something about their server is recognizing this specific model as a GSM phone.

iPhone 4

White 16GB A1387

wait.... why does my iPhone 4 have 4s model number?

wt??? am I reading this wrong?! what the heck is going on? I double checked the box, it clearly says iPhone 4 and the back of the box matches serial, MEID, and model number! ok. now I'm super confused...

Could be that at some point the back glass was replaced with a 4s back glass piece. The A1387 is the iPhone 4s model number and it's back glass also fits the iPhone 4 A1349 model. So your phone with the error is also a white 16GB iPhone 4?

...... my bad. You were right. 16GB white iPhone 4. the box says A1349.

I'm so sorry for the confusion, my wife told me she had the back glass replaced while I was deployed. Again I apologize for the confusion.

OK, let's forget the past and work together. If you enter your serial number here: Apple - Support - Check Your Service and Support Coverage what does it say your model is?

EDIT: Just saw your followup post. Please disregard.

I would agree it is an Apple issue if there were reports from Sprint users, as it's the same phone. But I haven't seen any; have you?

You may be right about that Lawrence. I want to give an update on my progress.

UPDATE: I just got off the phone with a Senior Apple tech with Apple Care. I knew this was a high level issue so I didn't even bother with the initial person I asked to escalate immediately. The guy I spoke with was extremely helpful and recognized right away that this is a big issue. I gave him the information regarding isolating it to a specific model. He kept me on the phone for 20-30 minutes and said that he was writing a ticket to the senior engineers at the highest priority they can escalate which means a response within 12-24 hours. I was assured that he would call me directly as soon as he heard anything and he even gave me his e-mail and phone number. He was given this thread and reviewed it while I was on the phone and agreed it appears to be a widespread problem. I e-mailed him the link and he is passing the link to this thread on to the engineers as well. As soon as I hear anything I will come back and update the thread. Any other fixes, solutions, or issues with other models would be helpful so I can pass the information along.

Sorry I forgot to write that he also said that his co-workers had received calls today for the same issues. Hopefully this gets fixed fast!

Some perhaps new info from my visit to the Durham, NC Apple Store:

The Genius I worked with (Alvin) was EXTREMELY helpful; lucky to get him as he noted iPhones are of interest to him and his in-store specialty. Alvin said this was a rare event but one he had seen a couple of times before. According to Alvin, the issue occurs when a CDMA iPhone 4 is set to be unlocked. Recall that Verizon reached an agreement during a spectrum auction a few years ago to leave their phones unlocked for world-band use as a condition of getting more LTE spectrum. According to Alvin, occasionally an iPhone 4 gets registered in "the system" (not sure if this is Apple or VZ system) as being in an unlocked state.

Of course, a CDMA iPhone can't be "unlocked" -- locked/unlocked only applies to GSM phones. As a result, when you try to go through phone setup, the phone's software awaits a SIM card, which it doesn't have. (That is to say, because the network database has a certain flag for unlock status, the phone believes it is GSM and the software's logic looks for a SIM card.)

Alvin took down my MEID and other info and escalated a case. He said the solution was to have the unlock flag flipped on my account and an activation message sent to my phone, if I understand correctly. I was told to expect a call in 24-48 hours.

In my excitement and in a hurry to make it back to a work meeting, I didn't remember to get a case number, but can do so when I get the call back.

Alvin said this was rare, something he saw perhaps 4 times out of what he estimated to be 2,500 or so cases he has worked on since the fall. I do wonder if something was pushed to phones recently (to Meg's point of a recent carrier update) that caused more phones than usual to go into this unusual state.

I can't vouch that this is the solution for sure but am hopeful that it is. I was relieved that Alvin didn't force me through another DFU, restore mode, etc.; based on my description and showing him the thread he knew what this was. So, hopefully this is progress.

FWIW, my iPhone 4 is black, not white; model A1349.

.... that's a really good point. I haven't. How about Christzsun, were any of yours Sprint?

I really hope this works for you! I think that's exactly what the rep I spoke with attempted to do with my MEID number to no avail, I'm crossing my fingers for you!! One interesting thing though, the second Apple rep I had spoke with while VZ was on the line, said the same exact thing, but he put the responsibility of fixing it on VZ's shoulders, that's when the VZ rep told me she'd call back after consulting with global support. She called the next day to say they had no capability to do that nor reverse it and she got Apple on the line. That's where I've been ever since. But maybe the Apple rep I spoke with was on the right path and mistakingly said VZ were the ones responsible for fixing it.

Thanks! I hope so too. On the other hand, if it doesn't -- it's a "good" sign that several people are having this problem and Apple engineering/escalated support seems aware. (Which is in part due to our complaints, and also the escalations of senior members here on this forum... thanks!)

One way or another am confident this means a resolution will be found, be it my technician's hypothesis or a different outcome.