How to Fix SIM not Supported on iPhone

You are intending to insert the SIM card into your iPhone, but suddenly you receive an error message on iPhone, saying “SIM Not Supported”. Here in this guide, you will be given useful solutions to bypass the issue with no effort.

Possible Reasons Why iPhone Says SIM not Supported

The error SIM not supported always happens on a second-hand iPhone, and sometimes it even comes with the new iPhone.

The main reason why your iPhone says SIM not supported is that your iPhone is locked to a carrier. Therefore, you’re not allowed to insert a SIM card from any other carrier. Besides, any software problems and bugs can also result from the error.

Solutions to SIM not Supported on iPhone

To bypass SIM not supported problem on iPhone, you can try the solutions below one after another until your trouble gets fixed.

Quick workarounds to bypass SIM not supported on iPhone

You can try these quick workarounds first when your iPhone says SIM not supported. Sometimes, the issue is not too complicated to solve.

• Make sure the SIM card is active and working
Before inserting the SIM card into your iPhone, please make sure it has been enabled by the carrier to provide services, or the error message will pop up.

• Check if your iPhone is locked by the carrier
As mentioned, your iPhone may be locked to a carrier. Just in case, you can have a check by going to the Settings app > General > Select About > Scroll down to locate Carrier Lock.

If your iPhone says No SIM restrictions, then try other ways below. If your iPhone is locked, turn to the solution to contact your carrier and request an unlock.

• Eject and reinsert SIM card
Simply restarting your SIM card on iPhone may help you fix the problem. Just open the SIM card tray using an ejector and insert the SIM card again. Wait for seconds to check if your iPhone stops saying SIM not supported.

• Make an emergency call
It’s kind of tricky to bypass SIM not supported on iPhone by making an emergency call but it works sometimes. You can just have a try. Here are detailed steps.

Step 1. Press the Home/Side button on your iPhone > Choose Emergency Call from the screen.

Step 2. Dial 112 or 911, depending on where you are, and disconnect the call as soon as it is connected.

Step 3. Try to go back to the main interface of iPhone, and the issue should be bypassed.

Force restart your iPhone

You can choose to force restart your iPhone to refresh the services on your iPhone. It is one of the simplest troubleshoots that can solve common iPhone issues and SIM not supported may also be included.

For iPhone 8 and later: Quickly press and release the Volume + button > Perform the same operation on the Volume - button > Press the Power button until you see the logo of Apple.
For iPhone 7/7 Plus: Press both the Power button and the Volume - button > Press the Power button until you see the Apple logo.
For iPhone 6s or earlier: Press both the Power button and the Home button for seconds and release it when the Apple logo appears.

Reset Network Settings

Just in case, incorrect settings on your iPhone can also lead to SIM not supported error. It is suggested to check your iPhone settings and if necessary, you can reset network settings to restore your iPhone’s Cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and VPN settings to factory settings.

Go to the Settings app on iPhone > Choose General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Select Reset > Reset Network Settings. Enter your iPhone passcode to confirm.

Check for iOS updates

An outdated version of the operating system also brings problems and that’s the reason why iPhone always reminds you to update the iOS.

You can go to the Settings > Choose General > Software Update. If there is a new version available, please update it and check if you are able to bypass SIM not supported error.

Bypass iPhone SIM not supported with iTunes

If you have a computer on hand, you can download and install the latest version of iTunes and let iTunes bypass iPhone SIM not supported problem. Here are the steps.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to computer with USB > Run the latest version of iTunes on your computer.

Step 2. Choose Set up as new iPhone to let iTunes activate your iPhone.

Please be noted that after setting up iPhone as a new one, you will lose everything on your iPhone. Thus, it is necessary to create a latest iPhone backup in advance. To meet your different needs of iPhone backup, you can try AOMEI FoneBackup to help you backup all or important contacts, messages, photos, etc. on iPhone to PC.

Contact your carrier and request an unlock

If your iPhone is locked to a carrier, the only way out the SIM not supported issue is to contact your carrier and request an unlock. Follow the steps below to get in contact with your carrier.

Step 1. Check which carrier your iPhone is locked to with Check Coverage, which is an IMEI checker for iPhone.

Step 2. Go to Apple Support to check if your carrier supports unlocking. If it does, there should be an Unlocking under it.

Step 3. If the carrier supports unlocking iPhone, call them and submit an unlock request.

You may need to be patient because it may take 3 to 5 working days to finish the unlocking process.

Conclusion

Hope you can get out of the SIM not supported problem on iPhone after trying the solutions mentioned in this guide. Then, if needed, you can save contacts to SIM card on iPhone with the help of AOMEI FoneBackup.

If the problem still exists, you may need to seek help from Apple’s professors and describe your problem as extensively as possible. They may give you more solutions.