To those that returned & swapped - What did Apple do with SIM to make it work?

[meagain]

Could anyone tell me what happened when you swapped your bad phone for a new one? I want to know what they did with the SIM card issue. Did they merely swap the cards and do nothing else? Or did you have to go home and do something in iTunes (if so, what did you have to do?)

I ask because:

I swapped an activated/working iPhone SIM into a new unactivated SIM and all I got was the same "you have to activate with AT&T" message. The iPhone didn't work. I really need to get this to work for me and I'm puzzled as to what I must do. I assume Apple did some type of magic to the new phone besides merely swapping the SIM??

 

[unity]

You just swap sim cards and activate the phone in iTunes.

 

[meagain]

Unity - So I would:

1. select "current AT&T customer"
2. "replace a phone on my account with iPhone"
3. Transfer the phone number, account number, etc.
4. But then it tells you to pick a plan and sign up for at least data, etc.

When I put the good SIM in the dead phone, it gave me no other options besides what one would get with a new dead phone. Is it supposed to read my good SIM somehow?

This is what my problem is. I don't see how it's just a matter of swapping sims and merely 'activating' it. I don't know what to do with these menu options above, etc?

 

[unity]

the phone number and account are associated with the sim, not the phone. Do you maybe have the two sim cards mixed up?

 

[meagain]

Unity - No. Cards weren't mixed up. The Good SIM was put into the new dead phone. Can you tell me what exactly your screen looked like when you put your good SIM into the new phone and started iTunes?

 

[Natalia81]

Unity - No. Cards weren't mixed up. The Good SIM was put into the new dead phone. Can you tell me what exactly your screen looked like when you put your good SIM into the new phone and started iTunes?

You got a new "dead" phone?


I had a similar situation a few days ago. Here is the thread:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/333353/

I believe the laptop at Apple did read my original SIM information when inserted into the new iPhone. But because I had never used that laptop before it was asking me to verify my information to activate that phone. When I plugged my new iphone into my own laptop later that day it didn't ask me for my information. It asked me if I wanted to use my last successful back up of my first iPhone, then when I picked yes, it went to AT&T to verify my account and activate my new phone.

I never got to a screen that asks me to pick a plan. Your SIM must not be the same as in your first iphone.

 

[aristobrat]

Could anyone tell me what happened when you swapped your bad phone for a new one? I want to know what they did with the SIM card issue. Did they merely swap the cards and do nothing else? Or did you have to go home and do something in iTunes (if so, what did you have to do?)

If Apple swaps phones for you, I've always read that they take the SIM from your old phone and put it in your new phone. That's what they did for my friend, anyway.

Once that's done, your iPhone should work to make calls, but you'll have to resync it to get the data back. He plugged his new iPhone (that had his old SIM in it) in and iTunes restored his data back without asking him any questions.

I had AT&T switch my SIMs. They took the old one from me and destroyed it, giving me a new one. When I went home and plugged my iPhone into the dock, I had to run thru the wizard where I typed in my social security number and stuff again. I chose the option "replace equipment" and had to answer a few more questions, but it worked fine after that.

 

[meagain]

"replace equipment" Interesting. Now that I think about it, people who don't have stores by them have to send them in for repair and Apple instructs to remove the SIM before shipping. It should've worked for me.

I'll try again this evening. If it doesn't work on 2nd try (the card was installed properly, etc)... then perhaps I have a defective phone.

 

[mercury6966]

the genius at the apple store just took the sim from my bad iphone and put it in the new one (which by the way just went bad, talk about bad luck)going tomorrow once again to either exchange my phone or get a full refund.

 

[meagain]

I can't get it to work... Just now I:

1. Put husband's working SIM into my hacked (bypass activation) phone, linked to iTunes on his laptop. and...
2. Restored my iPhone to as new locked status then tried #1 again.

Both times I get a screen as if I was a current AT&T subscriber who just has the phone part. It wants me to OK acceptance of the $20 data plan addition to the phone. I did not accept this. This seems to be what Natalia got per the linked thread above.

I got no "replace equipment", etc. message. This is a nightmare. I am obviously incapable of putting my husband's sim card in my iPhone. Should I have accepted the $20 a month data plan screen? I didn't want to get hit with a $40 bill or a tangled mess I have to deal with AT&T to get out of. Plus I feel I shouldn't have gotten that screen each time.

IDK what I'm doing wrong. Will call AppleCare. EDIT: AppleCare feels that I should've been able to swap SIMS without this "sign up for $20 data" screen. That it should've just accepted the SIM and pretended it was my husband's phone. He did seem a tad sketchy on this though.
I wish people could remember exactly what their screen said during these cases.

 

[aristobrat]

I also got the $20 data-plan screen. I accepted it, and went thru the rest of the wizard (figuring if it mucked up the billing, the worst I'd have to do would be to call AT&T). This was maybe on 7/6 or 7/7. I've received my first bill (and have checked my balance since then) and everything has been fine.

The only problem I had was that iTunes did not restore the backup of my phone. I mean, it synced everything over, but I had to setup which playlists again, etc. I thought that was kind of dumb since it was the same phone, just a different SIM. I probably screwed something up, but I just wanted to mention that...

 

[meagain]

You just swap sim cards and activate the phone in iTunes.

So then does activate mean pretending to re-buy the $20 data plan on the iTunes screen?

I'd really like to know what "activate" means in this situation.

 

[Triton777]

when you change out the sims, apple has to make a change on their system to associate the imei number of your new phone to your current sims card. Some apple reps at the stores know to do this and some don't. Once they make the change you just connect to iTunes and it activates on seconds. I bought a new one as well and had to set ip an appointment just to have apple make this imei association change. Takes them about a minute to do.

 

[meagain]

AT&T told me they've been suggesting to just continue through that $20 data plan screen and people won't get billed for it. They made a note on the account just in case but assured me I wouldn't get billed and that's the way to do it.
I did it and activated the 2nd phone. I now have a Wifi iPhone with YouTube but no phone.

What's funny is BOTH phones run internet & Youtube without having a physical sim card or tray in them. Both phones working perfectly. When I re-hook my phone to iTunes I get the 'activate' screen. I hit Cancel which brings me to my Sync screen which remembered my priorly-hacked but later restored to stock phone. LOL

 

[janey]

When I plugged my new iphone into my own laptop later that day it didn't ask me for my information. It asked me if I wanted to use my last successful back up of my first iPhone, then when I picked yes, it went to AT&T to verify my account and activate my new phone.

I never got to a screen that asks me to pick a plan.

Ditto. Existing cingular->at&t customer, and had already activated my old iPhone...activating my replacement iPhone with the old sim went exactly as above. Backup then verification etc.

 

[snowboarder]

The first screen - AT&T - I had to input my phone number and last 4 of ssn.
Then - "restore" from the previously sync'd phone. That's it, less than 2 minutes...