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Apple Allegedly Preparing for iPhones Without SIM Card Slot by September 2022 [Updated]

Getting rid of the SIM card would be great. During the pandemic, I had to get a new iPad
Air because the touchscreen on my iPad Air (joke name?) overheated and froze in locked mode. No way to unlock if the touchscreen won’t work. Apple store wasn’t able to fix it (didn’t try, claiming covid restrictions), and told me to go to the Verizon store to buy a new SIM card for $30. They didn’t have them anymore. They refused to set it up, leaving me to call Apple support for set-up help. At least phone support was nice and helpful for my $800. The Verizon guys were kind and gave me a new SIM card. Even put it in for me. Verizon won my heart that day, not Apple.
 
unless every carrier globally offer esim, i'll pass. and is there esim for prepaid? dont think i've heard of that.

its gonna a be a hassle if people travel internationally and use prepaid cards.
 
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(X) Doubt

that would eliminate our beloved Dual-SIM feature which many people now got used to, being able to either use local sims when travelling or using one phone private and business without much hassle.

For me, this would have such a significant impact that I would refrain from buying a new iPhone (or two for that matter) as long as anyway possible.

If it's in fact Dual-eSIM... that could be somehow acceptable for business/private combo, but not for travelling... most still providers hand out physical SIM Cards.
 
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contacos said:
Interesting. I have yet to find a country that offers eSims for prepaid
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It is available here in India but only one provider does(JIO). Other two major players don't allow eSIMs in prepaid. Since iPhones are far too negligible compared to Android mobiles even if providers don't have eSIM capabilities the tiny negligible fraction only will be affected here. It is a non issue hence providers won't adopt eSIMs.
 
contacos said:
Interesting. I have yet to find a country that offers eSims for prepaid
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Almost every country that one could go to have options for prepaid esims, although some country only have data only plans. There are websites like esimdb that shows you the options for each country.
 
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Just to note that it isn't only Apple - Google, Motorola, Plintron and Microsoft have all dipped at least a toe into the waters of eSIM.
 
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polyphenol said:
There is lots of negative feeling about eSIMs and, until we know the details of how they will be handled by all carriers and devices/software, I can easily go along with many of them.

However, we just might end up with some advantages!

Imagine being able to effectively retrieve the eSIM from a phone that has been lost or destroyed, and not having to await delivery or pickup of a new physical SIM. Indeed, just being able to immediately kill an eSIM on a stolen or lost phone. Or switch an eSIM from the phone we have left at home to the iPad we have with us or a cheap or borrowed, temporary replacement phone. Or being able to buy an eSIM from our holiday destination weeks before we travel.

My cynicism about carriers is such that I'm not hopeful of anything that requires them to be helpful, especially if there is the possibility of losing revenue. But we can hope until proved otherwise.
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eSIMs are great and I have a domestic prepaid connection using eSIM in my Samsung mobile.

eSIMs are available only in Samsung (flagships) and iPhone. But providers have to implement this only for specific devices unlike Physical SIM which are standard and compatible in all mobiles. I am not sure whether Chinese OEMs and midcrangers going to implement eSIM in their devices! It will be a very long journey for rest of the world as far as eSIMs are concerned
 
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I ended up using my old SIM from 12PM to 13PM since I could not activate the darn phone for hours on launch day back in Sept.

eSim is fine I guess...but if the carriers can't handle the overload on launch day, or even Xmas Day, then this will cause a ton of frustration and a phone you can't use immediately. (Good luck trying to get a human-customer service on the phone that day also!)
 
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MacRumors said:


Earlier this week, a rumor from Brazilian website Blog do iPhone claimed that iPhone 15 Pro models might not have a physical SIM card slot in at least some countries and regions, but the change might happen even sooner.

iphone-12-sim-card-slot.jpeg

Image: iFixit​

An anonymous tipster informed MacRumors that Apple has advised major U.S. carriers to prepare for the launch of eSIM-only smartphones by September 2022. The tipster shared a seemingly legitimate document outlining the timeframe for this initiative, although the document does not specifically mention Apple or the iPhone.

As part of the transition, some U.S. carriers will allegedly start offering select iPhone 13 models without a nano-SIM card in the box in the second quarter of 2022. iPhone 13 models sold at Apple Stores or on Apple.com already lack a nano-SIM card in the box, with users typically able to activate a cellular plan via eSIM by turning on the iPhone, connecting to a Wi-Fi network, and following the on-screen instructions.

Given the alleged September 2022 deadline, it is possible that Apple might remove the physical SIM card slot starting with some iPhone 14 models, rather than some iPhone 15 models as originally rumored, but nothing is definitive at this point.

An eSIM is a digital SIM that allows users to activate a cellular plan without having to use a nano-SIM card. It's worth noting that eSIM service is not available in all countries, so iPhones with a SIM card slot may remain available in some markets. Adoption is expanding rapidly, though, with over 100 carriers offering eSIM service worldwide and more planning to roll out support in 2022, including Three in the UK and Vodafone in New Zealand.

iPhone 13 models already support multiple eSIM profiles, allowing users to subscribe to several cellular plans digitally and switch between them, and this functionality could pave the way for the SIM card slot's removal in select countries.

Apple's former design chief Jony Ive once envisioned the iPhone as becoming a "single slab of glass," and the SIM card slot's removal would be another step towards a seamless design and improve water resistance in the process. Taking out the slot would also free up some valuable internal space in the iPhone — every bit counts.

Article Link: Apple Allegedly Preparing for iPhones Without SIM Card Slot by September 2022
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The SIM has long been a pointless anachronism. The last bastion of carrier real-estate in Apple's domain, an embassy in a foreign land.
 
azentropy said:
Just another way certain carriers can get their upgrade fee.
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Yep, there was NO way this time I could not escape the nonsense $35 "Verizon Upgrade Fee" this year with esim (I should have chose a "activate my own device option) Even though I never got to active the darn eSim on my phone since Verizon was so bogged down. But they had no problem on their end slapping the automatic fee. Money grubbing slimeballs.
 
Don’t get the fuss tbh. A SIM card is a relic, if you can do the same thing digitally why not do that instead to save valuable space?
 
Good, finally they are going to remove the simcard tray.
One hole less in the frame and if you check the iPhone xrays from the last years, the simcard alone needs 20% of the PCB area.
They will just add a second esim, so dualsim is still possible.
 
I don't really know the deep details, but I have the feeling that this means you are less free and that you lose ways for protecting your privacy by not being able to swap SIM cards (not that I swap SIMs, I never swap them in fact, but then I like to be the real owner of my devices, with ownership as opposed to a service).
 
verdi1987 said:
I don’t have a strong opinion one way or the other, but I‘m not sure how realistic it is to get all the smaller carriers and MVNO switched to eSIM before September.
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Apple would have shared this plan with carriers long before now. If the iPhone goes esim they will be ready
 
Bandaman said:
I’m saying I prefer SIM cards. It’s very convenient when getting a new device or having multiple devices. SIM-swapping is a huge convenience for me. I’m not sure if that convenience will disappear if they get rid of SIM cards. Unless all of that was asking EmotionalSnow, then never mind!
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Yes, I was asking @EmotionalSnow. :)
 
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This is a total non-starter for anyone that travels and wants to be able to swap sims.

Why?

- In many countries it’s still impossible to get eSims at all
- Even if you can, you can’t swap your local sim and foreign sim on demand. Activating a new foreign esim will deactivate your local sim
- Many providers initially require a physical sim to be able to activate an esim using two factor authentication (usually a provider login + an SMS verification code). So even if you could get an esim abroad, you might not be able to activate it without first using a physical sim.

Sadly if this is true and physical sims are leaving for good then this will be my last iPhone, because I do travel and I plainly require a physical sim.

Hopefully this is only for the non-Pro models.
 
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BurgDog said:
And that includes the US. Without the physical SIM I won't be able to upgrade with my cheap T-Mobile $15/mo plan.
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yes!!! same boat here. my family and i are on a special 3 line prepaid plan on t mobile and the price is insane. but requires sim card of course. this will be very sad if it happens. glad we all got iphone 13 in case we can never upgrade again now LOL
 
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