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Selling an iPhone 5 on contract - do I remove the Sim card?

Hooterville

Hooterville

macrumors 603
Original poster
Sep 24, 2012
5,354
8,831
Have 2 iPhone 5's on Verizon contract and I'm going to sell one on eBay.:eek:
I see how you can clear and erase all data and content.:rolleyes:
Will this remove my phone number from the phone?:confused:

Also should I remove the sim card before I ship it out?:confused:
Never sold an iPhone 5 before.:p
 
C

chilibball

macrumors member
Jun 17, 2008
64
0
I would definitely remove the SIM cards. I would also call Verizon to deactivate the iPhones from your account.

Kevin
 
lordofthereef

lordofthereef

macrumors G5
Nov 29, 2011
13,161
3,720
Boston, MA
Restoring the phone isn't going to remove your number. You will either need to replace the phone with another phone oine or by phoning Verizon. If all you do is restore, the next user technically would have your number in his/her hands. Your sim is also something you should keep, however they can always deactivate it for you as well. Nano sims should be reusable, so if you wanted to include it, as long as its deactivated, that would be fine.
 
dictoresno

dictoresno

macrumors 601
Apr 30, 2012
4,495
631
NJ
lordofthereef said:
Restoring the phone isn't going to remove your number. You will either need to replace the phone with another phone oine or by phoning Verizon. If all you do is restore, the next user technically would have your number in his/her hands. Your sim is also something you should keep, however they can always deactivate it for you as well. Nano sims should be reusable, so if you wanted to include it, as long as its deactivated, that would be fine.
Click to expand...

SIM cards are not reusable. The minute it's deactivated, it's done and garbage. The OP should keep his SIM card, since like any other gsm network, Verizon's new LTE needs a SIM card to operate. As long as the phone is deactivated on their account, SIM card removed, and phone restored as new, the OP should be fine. Don't send your SIM card with the phone, as it will be useless to the next person anyways. As long as the phone is officially removed off the OP's account, the new owner just needs to pop in his SIM card and call Verizon to have the phone activated on their account. The new owner won't have the original owners number or anything. It's not like an old CDMA phone and the troubles that happened when selling them in the past. Remove SIM card, make a phone call to Verizon to remove the phones MEID from the account and you're good to go.
 
P

PhoenixMac

macrumors 65816
Mar 7, 2010
1,009
1
dictoresno said:
SIM cards are not reusable. The minute it's deactivated, it's done and garbage. The OP should keep his SIM card, since like any other gsm network, Verizon's new LTE needs a SIM card to operate. As long as the phone is deactivated on their account, SIM card removed, and phone restored as new, the OP should be fine. Don't send your SIM card with the phone, as it will be useless to the next person anyways. As long as the phone is officially removed off the OP's account, the new owner just needs to pop in his SIM card and call Verizon to have the phone activated on their account. The new owner won't have the original owners number or anything. It's not like an old CDMA phone and the troubles that happened when selling them in the past. Remove SIM card, make a phone call to Verizon to remove the phones MEID from the account and you're good to go.
Click to expand...

Wrong I was able to swap an iPhone 5 from my account to my wifes account using the same sim.
 
H

hexonxonx

macrumors 601
Jul 4, 2007
4,610
1
Denver Colorado
I don't think the sim card in the Verizon iPhone is actually used until you use it to activate on A GSM network overseas. This explains why the phone can still make a phone call with the sim removed. It is not needed for use in the US although it will prompt you to insert one.
 
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CEmajr

macrumors 601
Dec 18, 2012
4,451
1,240
Charlotte, NC
hexonxonx said:
I don't think the sim card in the Verizon iPhone is actually used until you use it to activate on A GSM network overseas. This explains why the phone can still make a phone call with the sim removed. It is not needed for use in the US.
Click to expand...

It's used. When I would take my SIM card out of my Verizon iPhone 5 it would change to 'no service'.
 
H

hexonxonx

macrumors 601
Jul 4, 2007
4,610
1
Denver Colorado
CEmajr said:
It's used. When I would take my SIM card out of my Verizon iPhone 5 it would change to 'no service'.
Click to expand...

I was able to make calls without a sim card in mine.

I sold mine in January and I before I did, I tried removing the sim card to see if the phone would still work, it did. Verizon doesn't use sim cards on their network. The sim is included only for use overseas although the 5 is unlocked and will work on T-Mobile.
 
C

CEmajr

macrumors 601
Dec 18, 2012
4,451
1,240
Charlotte, NC
hexonxonx said:
I was able to make calls without a sim card in mine.

I sold mine in January and I before I did, I tried removing the sim card to see if the phone would still work, it did. Verizon doesn't use sim cards on their network. The sim is included only for use overseas although the 5 is unlocked and will work on T-Mobile.
Click to expand...

Did you have a 5 or a 4S? On my 5 it would say 'no service' when I took the Verizon sim card out. I know it doesn't matter for the 4S.
 
M

macalec

macrumors 6502
Mar 12, 2012
252
2
Hooterville said:
Have 2 iPhone 5's on Verizon contract and I'm going to sell one on eBay.:eek:
I see how you can clear and erase all data and content.:rolleyes:
Will this remove my phone number from the phone?:confused:

Also should I remove the sim card before I ship it out?:confused:
Never sold an iPhone 5 before.:p
Click to expand...

I would simply erase all content and settings, and then pull the sim card out of the phone- thus ensuring the number will not stay with the phone after you sell it.

If you wont be using that number anymore, destroy the card.
 
C

Charadis

macrumors 65816
Jul 3, 2010
1,003
209
hexonxonx said:
I had a 4S.
Click to expand...

Unlike the 4S, the 5 requires the SIM on Verizon in order for normal cellular features to work. I have a Verizon 5 with an AT&T SIM installed, and everything I do is directed to my AT&T account. If I remove SIM, No Service is displayed.

I currently still have this phone tied to a Verizon account for iPhone (fam plan, have not yet cancelled line). Sent from my iPhone 5.
 
dictoresno

dictoresno

macrumors 601
Apr 30, 2012
4,495
631
NJ
PhoenixMac said:
Wrong I was able to swap an iPhone 5 from my account to my wifes account using the same sim.
Click to expand...

I meant once a sim was unregistered or deactivated, it can't be reactivated, making it useless to the next person. Switching active SIM cards is a whole different thing. The op needs to remove the SIM card and not give it to the next person.

And on an iPhone 4S, the SIM card is only for overseas roaming and isn't required for domestic Verizon use. The phone will still work with it removed. However the iPhone 5 using Verizon's lte network needs a SIM card in order to work. Removing it gives you a "no sim installed" error and won't work.

So no, I'm not wrong.
 
lordofthereef

lordofthereef

macrumors G5
Nov 29, 2011
13,161
3,720
Boston, MA
dictoresno said:
SIM cards are not reusable. The minute it's deactivated, it's done and garbage. The OP should keep his SIM card, since like any other gsm network, Verizon's new LTE needs a SIM card to operate. As long as the phone is deactivated on their account, SIM card removed, and phone restored as new, the OP should be fine. Don't send your SIM card with the phone, as it will be useless to the next person anyways. As long as the phone is officially removed off the OP's account, the new owner just needs to pop in his SIM card and call Verizon to have the phone activated on their account. The new owner won't have the original owners number or anything. It's not like an old CDMA phone and the troubles that happened when selling them in the past. Remove SIM card, make a phone call to Verizon to remove the phones MEID from the account and you're good to go.
Click to expand...

Nano SIM cards are reusable now. This is new, and is only true for the nano sims (and presumably anything that comes after them).
 
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