SIM NOT VAILD. NEED HELP

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Level 1

4 points

SIM NOT VAILD. NEED HELP

i have just purchased a second hand iphone 5s, i checked the what network it was on from going into settings and it said (O2 24.0) im from uk. i have tried putting my o2 simcard from my iphone 4 into my new iphone 5s. i've started the phone up and it has said "SIM NOT VALID" the sim card that you have currently installed in this phone is from a carrier that is not supported under the activation server... ect.. i keep clicking try again it says "this will take a few minutes to activate your iphone" but then goes straight back onto the "SIM NOT VALID". also in the top left i have a few bars of signal?? i really need help as i feel like ive just wasted alot of money. Thanks in advance

iPhone 5s, iOS 9.3.1

Posted on Jul 15, 2016 8:12 AM

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Answer 1

erin_b1

Community Specialist

Jul 16, 2016 5:19 AM in response to trollop150

Hello there, trollop150!

Thanks for reaching out to the Apple Support Communities! It sounds like you are having an issue activating your iPhone 5s with a SIM card from your iPhone 4. I know how important it is to be sure the iPhone is activated with the proper SIM card as well. The iPhone 4 uses a Micro-SIM and the iPhone 5s uses a Nano SIM so what you're seeing might be an error due to the SIM not working. Take a look at this article here to Find out which SIM card your iPhone or iPad uses. What you might want to do is contact O2 and let them know you're trying to activate an iPhone that needs a Nano SIM card. They can also verify the phone can be activated on their network, just in case.

Also, check out this article for steps If you get an alert about the SIM card in your iPhone.

Cheers!

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Answer 2

KiltedTim

Level 10

227,388 points

Jul 16, 2016 6:14 AM in response to trollop150

Sounds like you bought a phone that's locked to a carrier other than the one you're trying to use. Only the carrier it's locked to can authorize unlocking it. You'll have to contact them.

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