lucyerin
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Factory Reset leaving iPhone 4 with invalid SIM

Hey,

 

My boyfriend has been having issues with his iPhone 4 for a wee while now and I decided last night that the best thing to do was to factory reset it. It was running very slow and it kept crashing.

 

The iPhone NEEDS a sim card for the set up process, so my boyfriend had a o2 P&G SIM in it, despite the fact it was never used for it’s intended purposes. He lives up the Glens in Scotland and signal is non existent, so the phone was being used as a tablet. Just for Facebook browsing and Skype through the WiFi.

 

So I factory reset it and now when it’s coming to the set up the iPhone isn’t accepting any SIM cards. Telling me that all the carriers are unsupported under the activation policy and the SIM is invalid.

 

I contacted o2 earlier who said that the sim was no longer usable and I needed to get a new one. So I tried the phone with two other active SIM cards from the household, one of which o2 and the other on 3. Neither of which worked, the same message was displayed.

 

So the iPhone now is SIMless, but before I go buy a new SIM I wanted to know what the best process to go through was. Do I need to unlock the iPhone?

iPhone 4

Posted on Jul 22, 2015 1:36 AM

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lucyerin

Q: Factory Reset leaving iPhone 4 with invalid SIM

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  • Helpful answers

  • by wegras,

    wegras wegras Jul 22, 2015 4:22 AM in response to lucyerin
    Level 6 (15,184 points)
    Wireless
    Jul 22, 2015 4:22 AM in response to lucyerin

    Have you  (boyfriend ) owned the iPhone from new ?

    That is often a message indicating the iPhone was jailbroken to release from a Carrier lock

    When you restore that removes the hack and the iPhone is left locked to a carrier

    OR

    if the above is not valid read this document

    If you see 'No SIM' alert on iPhone - Apple Support

    and finally only the carrier who holds the lock can unlock it

    You could try calling AppleCare in the UK  with the serial number and IMEI ad they may tell you who the carrier is

    United Kingdom

    0800 107 6285

  • by lucyerin,

    lucyerin lucyerin Jul 22, 2015 4:25 AM in response to wegras
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 22, 2015 4:25 AM in response to wegras

    My boyfriend hasn't had it since new, it was second hand off a female who owed him money. It was taking that long to get his money back he took this phone instead as a deal with the lass. I always thought the phone was a little iffy as it didn't run like my iPhone 4. So I had a slight hunch that it had been Jailbroken.

     

    I had a look at that document but I can't follow the steps on it due to not being able to get past the original screen of Activation, telling me the SIM is invalid.

     

    I'll call AppleCare and see what they say. Is there a charge at all?

  • by wegras,

    wegras wegras Jul 22, 2015 4:46 AM in response to lucyerin
    Level 6 (15,184 points)
    Wireless
    Jul 22, 2015 4:46 AM in response to lucyerin

    If he purchased second hand I would bet it was Jailbroken

    Only choice is Call Apple care

    Call is 0800 and they may not charge ,won't cost to find out ....................and that will tell you which carrier to approach for unlocking assuming it is a UK carrier

  • by lucyerin,

    lucyerin lucyerin Jul 22, 2015 4:50 AM in response to wegras
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 22, 2015 4:50 AM in response to wegras

    Just excuse my ignorance here, I'm fairly good when it comes to taking things physically apart but all this jailbreaking and such just confuses me!

     

    Say it is Jailbroken, which I believe it is. Does this mean that all that would need done now is it unlocked? Which would bring it back into usable terms?

     

    Thanks for all your help!

  • by wegras,

    wegras wegras Jul 22, 2015 4:53 AM in response to lucyerin
    Level 6 (15,184 points)
    Wireless
    Jul 22, 2015 4:53 AM in response to lucyerin

    Jailbreaking is forcing alien and illegal software on to the iPhone to circumvent the carrier lock ( the illegal bit )

    You may find it won't come back to life but you will never find out without a valid sim ,for that iPhone

    Read this

    Unauthorized modification of iOS can cause security vulnerabilities, instability, shortened battery life, and other issu…