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iPhone 4 activation and sim card questions

J

JoelTGM

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 26, 2010
30
0
I got this iPhone 4 used for a good price and my plan is to use it like an iPod with a good camera, and not use the phone. Now I want to stay away from the jailbreaks because then I can't get OS updates until hackers make it safe again, so what happens if I buy a prepaid sim card and don't register it? Will I be able to activate the phone with it?

If that doesn't work, what happens if I buy a prepaid sim card that is registered properly, and it activated the iPhone... lets say the card expired like if I used the minutes up on it... will it continue to work as an iPod? I heard if you attempt to update the device with an expired sim card, iTunes will detect this and lock your device and require you to reactivate? Is this true?
 
If the iphone is locked to AT&T for example and you get any AT&T sim it will activate it. Even if the sim is inactive or minutes expire etc....
It will let you into the homescreen and you can use the phone for everything but calls.
So no, itunes will not lock your iphone with an expired sim. I use old inactive sims all the time to officially activate peoples iphones before I jailbreak and unlock them.
 
Thanks for the good news. Oh, and I'm unsure still, if I buy a prepaid sim card from telus's website, can it activate the iPhone even if I did not register this sim card? Like if it has no phone number connected to it or anything? Or does the sim card need to be connected to someone for it to do anything, even though it's prepaid.

edit: Nevermind, I know of a telus place here I will just buy prepaid card and register it and stuff and not bother trying to use it unregistered. Anyway I'm very happy I can use this like an iPod with no worries anymore of updates locking me out.
 
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Wow ok. So I try to buy a cheap prepaid sim card from the telus place here, and they won't sell me it unless I register it and pay for some kind of plan or w/e. I am told to buy a universal sim card to work in the iphone 4. So after googling that, I keep seeing that's is also known as a phone book sim card. I searched some more about it and apparently it doesn't work anymore. I already ordered one online though so I'm worried now that it won't work. Does anybody know if universal sim cards still work to activate an iphone?

OK, so as a backup plan I also ordered a prepaid Telus sim card from the telus website. So um... how come the people at the Telus store can't hand me the card for $10 without forcing some kind of payment plan on me, when the website casually takes the money and sends me the card with no questions asked?
 
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Ok I've canceled my order for the universal sim card, thanks. I wish Telus would have just given me the damn card though, instead of making me go onto the website and making the purchase there, and paying $5 shipping for an envelope lol, not to mention recommending that I buy something that doesn't even work. That's Telus, always willing to help you make the worst decisions.
Thanks again man, finally this mess is sorted out! :cool:
 
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