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FaceTime missing when using another SIM card

A

AnonMac50

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Mar 24, 2010
1,582
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I have an iPhone 5 with iOS 6.1.4 which I purchased from Kuwait. One of the things that was working on it was FaceTime and it worked with both my email address and phone number.

Now I'm in Australia, and I'm using another carrier. As soon as I pop in the SIM card FaceTime disappears from Settings, Contacts, Messages, and the phone app.

I've done a clean restore (without restoring from backup) but same problem. And it's not isolated to iOS 6. I had the same problem with iOS 7.

Any help?
Thanks,
AnonMac50
 
Carriers need to approve the usage of hotspots, facetime, iMessage, etc.

So depending on the sim (and it's connected carrier profile) you might not be able to do one of those things.
 
BlankStar said:
Carriers need to approve the usage of hotspots, facetime, iMessage, etc.

So depending on the sim (and it's connected carrier profile) you might not be able to do one of those things.
Click to expand...

Same carrier works on other phones.

Globug said:
Which carrier are you on? Optus, telstra, and vodafail all have facetime. So do their subsidies.
Click to expand...

Boost (based on Telstra).
 
I contacted Apple. Super long story super short, no progress. A bit of digging around on my own showed that this is the Middle Eastern model, which means it checks the SIM card carrier bundle for a boolean called "AllowsVOIP" to be true. If it isn't true, or is missing, then all traces of FaceTime disappear. This is because some Middle Eastern countries ban FaceTime. Since Australian iPhones don't have this issue, the iPhone doesn't check the carrier bundle for it, and thus, the AllowsVOIP option is not needed and therefore is not included. This is the case here. Might have been quite a lot simpler if this AllowsVOIP option was available on all carrier bundles that are based in governments that do not ban FT. Anyhow, I tried to modify the carrier bundle to enable it, but I wasn't able to install it.
 
Modified carrier IPCC files can only be installed with older versions of iTunes, anything newer then 11.5 doesn't work anymore.
 
Last edited:
E2EK1EL said:
Modified carrier IPCC files can only be installed with older versions of iTunes, anything newer then 11.5 doesn't work anymore.
Click to expand...

Thank you. Since nothing before 11.1 seems to recognize my phone I'm stuck until a Jailbreak arrives?
 
AnonMac50 said:
Nope, still asks me for 11.1.
Click to expand...

I think iTunes 11.1 accepts modified IPCC files, there was a guide a long time ago that allows you to install them. Never tried b/c my speeds on Rogers Canada has always been 50-69 mbps.

This is as far as I can take you, hopefully this will help you in some way.

"It has. Sky and I at iTweakiOS.com have been hard at work with different carriers. Be warned, though, not to update to the latest update of iTunes as Apple has patched the method we use to update the hacked bundles. Here is a link to the Rogers Carrier Update Hack:"

http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...ce-to-have-a-Hacked-Rogers-IP5-Carrier-Update

http://www.itweakios.com/apps/blog/show/26453210-rogers-canada-iphone-5-hacked-carrier-update
 
E2EK1EL said:
I think iTunes 11.1 accepts modified IPCC files, there was a guide a long time ago that allows you to install them. Never tried b/c my speeds on Rogers Canada has always been 50-69 mbps.

This is as far as I can take you, hopefully this will help you in some way.

"It has. Sky and I at iTweakiOS.com have been hard at work with different carriers. Be warned, though, not to update to the latest update of iTunes as Apple has patched the method we use to update the hacked bundles. Here is a link to the Rogers Carrier Update Hack:"

http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...ce-to-have-a-Hacked-Rogers-IP5-Carrier-Update

http://www.itweakios.com/apps/blog/show/26453210-rogers-canada-iphone-5-hacked-carrier-update
Click to expand...

Alright, thanks a lot for your help.
 
Thanks for the explanation.

----------
AnonMac50 said:
I have an iPhone 5 with iOS 6.1.4 which I purchased from Kuwait. One of the things that was working on it was FaceTime and it worked with both my email address and phone number.

Now I'm in Australia, and I'm using another carrier. As soon as I pop in the SIM card FaceTime disappears from Settings, Contacts, Messages, and the phone app.

I've done a clean restore (without restoring from backup) but same problem. And it's not isolated to iOS 6. I had the same problem with iOS 7.

Any help?
Thanks,
AnonMac50
Click to expand...

Have you found any solution for this?
I have the same problem with Egyptian iPhone when i insert russian sim.
 
Olzolo said:
Thanks for the explanation.

----------



Have you found any solution for this?
I have the same problem with Egyptian iPhone when i insert russian sim.
Click to expand...

You can jailbreak and modify the carrier bundle to specifically allow it. Otherwise I think you may need your phone replaced. That's what happened for me, they had to replace it (that in itself is another complicated story).

Good luck
 
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