Carrier Switching phones and ATT SIM cards question.

[suncountry]

I purchased a iPhone 13 Mini a week ago and still not completely sure I made the right choice. I won't be returning it because it is the exact phone my daughter wants for Christmas. So my question is on SIMs.

How do I handle buying the iPhone 13 and possibly replacing with another 13 mini (if I decided the 13 wasn't what I wanted)? Do I just get a new SIM with each purchase at the Apple store or can the SIM be switched between phones? Also can SIM from daughter's SE (original) be moved to my old Mini? I would like to avoid a trip to the ATT store if I can avoid it.

TX!

 

[now i see it]

Just swap SIMS from one phone to the other. Connection is instant.
If you’ve got two functional SIMS and two phones, you don’t need any more SIM cards.

 

[suncountry]

Just swap SIMS from one phone to the other. Connection is instant.
If you’ve got two functional SIMS and two phones, you don’t need any more SIM cards.

Can you have more than one active SIM for one phone number? When the Apple store activated the Mini, they deactivated cell service for my iPhone 8+.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Switching SIMs between iPhone 13 models should be fine, but if you move an older SIM into an iPhone 13, you will not have 5G on the iPhone 13. I ran into that moving my iPhone 11 SIM into my iPhone 13. Wound up having to activate the SIM that came with the 13.

 

[now i see it]

There can only be one active SIM (either eSIM or card) per phone number

 

[KPOM]

Can you have more than one active SIM for one phone number? When the Apple store activated the Mini, they deactivated cell service for my iPhone 8+.

Apple likely activated your AT&T service through an eSIM. If you order a new phone, you enter your account information and when you activate the new phone, your AT&T service will automatically transfer to the new one. Otherwise, you can transfer the eSIM within the Cellular settings of the new phone.

 

[suncountry]

Still not completely sure how to move forward. My iPhone 13 is coming tomorrow and I assume my cell service will switch to it once I set it up. If I decide to return it, what is the best way to reactivate my iPhone Mini with my cell service? Thank you!

 

[chabig]

Still not completely sure how to move forward. My iPhone 13 is coming tomorrow and I assume my cell service will switch to it once I set it up. If I decide to return it, what is the best way to reactivate my iPhone Mini with my cell service? Thank you!

If you want to move back to your Mini, just move the SIM back.

 

[nburwell]

The 13's are utilizing eSIM, so if they end up returning the 13, they'd have to do a SIM swap either by calling AT&T or there should be a tool online when you're logged into your account to input the eSIM from your 13 Mini and it should take a minute or so for change to take effect.

 

[suncountry]

The 13's are utilizing eSIM, so if they end up returning the 13, they'd have to do a SIM swap either by calling AT&T or there should be a tool online when you're logged into your account to input the eSIM from your 13 Mini and it should take a minute or so for change to take effect.

yea.. I don't think either phone has a physical SIM. Will look to find the tool online.

 

[IconIc215]

yea.. I don't think either phone has a physical SIM. Will look to find the tool online.

I originally preordered and got a launch day AT&T Pro Max through Apple. I returned it and rebought unlocked. When I activated my launch day phone, it of course came with an ESIM which deactivated my old physical one. When I returned it for an issue and bought unlocked, I just stopped in the AT&T store which happened to be right next to Apple in my mall and asked for a phyiscal sim to be activated under my number. For me at least (and maybe I am old school), I upgrade every year and just am used to popping the old sim in rather than dealing with ESIM transfers. I always know my physical one is activate so really nothing to it.

 

[suncountry]

I originally preordered and got a launch day AT&T Pro Max through Apple. I returned it and rebought unlocked. When I activated my launch day phone, it of course came with an ESIM which deactivated my old physical one. When I returned it for an issue and bought unlocked, I just stopped in the AT&T store which happened to be right next to Apple in my mall and asked for a phyiscal sim to be activated under my number. For me at least (and maybe I am old school), I upgrade every year and just am used to popping the old sim in rather than dealing with ESIM transfers. I always know my physical one is activate so really nothing to it.

Do you happen to know if the physical sim will override the E-sim of a different number? Going to give 13 mini to my daughter and think her SE sim will work in it for now. I don't want it wiping out my 13 phone and number. Planning to switch all our phones to Verizon in the coming week or so.

I now have both 13 and 13 mini unlocked.