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iPhone 7 simless rumor?

Simless iPhone 7.....

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cynics

macrumors G4
Original poster
Jan 8, 2012
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First off I'd like to mention, I know we won't know for sure until its announced...

But lets assume the rumors are true and the iPhone 7 is simless. I'm assuming it will be built in and require you calling or going to your carrier to set up. Maybe even through iTunes or the iPhone itself with basic account information.

Do you guys feel this will affect you in a positive or negative way? Or are you neutral?

For me this could be a serious problem. International travel would get tremendously more frustrating especially in non English speaking countries. But just in general its a negative for me because I buy a new phone and swap my companies sim into it, I don't have access to account information. This is what was keeping me with iPhones vs company provided Android devices.

Any thoughts?
 
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cynics said:
First off I'd like to mention, I know we won't know for sure until its announced...

But lets assume the rumors are true and the iPhone 7 is simless. I'm assuming it will be built in and require you calling or going to your carrier to set up. Maybe even through iTunes or the iPhone itself with basic account information.

Do you guys feel this will affect you in a positive or negative way? Or are you neutral?

For me this could be a serious problem. International travel would get tremendously more frustrating especially in non English speaking countries. But just in general its a negative for me because I buy a new phone and swap my companies sim into it, I don't have access to account information. This is what was keeping me with iPhones vs company provided Android devices.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
I'm in the same situation and I would like to see other opinions as well.
 
Drestin-Black said:
It would end my iphone days. I go between countries and unless you could set up multiple carriers on it somehow it would be a deal breaker for me.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm hoping it's nothing more than a rumor based on assumptions on leaks.

Seems odd to me because the iPhone is a pretty good world phone with its radio tech. However this would cripple it at its core.

At first I thought, this might be a good security feature but with activation lock that's moot. So I can't even think of one positive benefit aside from potential space savings but that seems like a stretch.
 
cynics said:
Yeah, I'm hoping it's nothing more than a rumor based on assumptions on leaks.

Seems odd to me because the iPhone is a pretty good world phone with its radio tech. However this would cripple it at its core.

At first I thought, this might be a good security feature but with activation lock that's moot. So I can't even think of one positive benefit aside from potential space savings but that seems like a stretch.
Click to expand...

This thread is actually the first time I have seen anything about it and I am skeptical, but nothing would surprise me.

The wife wants an iphone 7 but that would end it for sure. Like you say, it makes no sense to do it.
 
Drestin-Black said:
This thread is actually the first time I have seen anything about it and I am skeptical, but nothing would surprise me.

The wife wants an iphone 7 but that would end it for sure. Like you say, it makes no sense to do it.
Click to expand...

Well don't worry the more I look into it the more I think the rumor was based on misinformation. The iPhone 7 will likely be similar to the iPad. A built in Apple SIM for supporting carriers and thus no need for a dedicated SIM but should still have the option for a dedicated SIM card.

Hopefully thats the case, especially since I doubt many carriers will support Apple SIM still.
 
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If I will be forced into contacting my carrier in order to use the new iphone then I simply won't purchase one. I prefer to relocate my existing sim from one phone to the next - as I do now.
 
Based on the way the Apple SIM works now, I'm definitely against a SIM-less iPhone.

Until I can just pick any out of every carrier that exists and sign in with my information, SIM-less just isn't practical.
 
Not gonna happen. The sim is too popular and allows for easy movement between phones and also international travel.
 
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Drestin-Black said:
It would end my iphone days. I go between countries and unless you could set up multiple carriers on it somehow it would be a deal breaker for me.
Click to expand...

a virtual SIM would be wonderful.
i travel among several SE Asian countries monthly.
i have 6 SIMs total, including one for USA and Japan.
the way apple will make it work is downloadable/installable profiles.
available for all carriers that are officially recognized by the apple registry of carriers data base that pretty much has all mobile carriers in the world, that can be used to activate an iPhone (not carriers that are allowed to sell iPhone, but simply carriers that have the master correlational info for IMEI and tel number and associated carrier (locked or not).
probably first iPhone that offers virtual SIM is likely to still have a hardware SIM slot as well anyway.
and then starting with the next model after that one, totally virtual, giving carriers that were slow to respond a year to get their act together.
there is something already working in a similar way to this: since one or two iOS updates ago, carrier profiles now are downloaded automatically to your phone on a needs be basis, these profiles contain APN settings, etc.
you can not now set/update (most) carrier APN settings as carriers change them manually.
the APN/network data settings and MMS settings are handled through these carrier updates (not profiles), no longer allowing users to (usually) type in the wrong settings (anyway).
the only problem would be if there was a carrier update while you were away, and you can't get data over mobile data, in which case you would need to connect to WiFi to be able to get the update.
probably you can drag your carriers in order of preference and set roadability or not.
 
I think you are being far too optimistic on how well this would work and I have to manually download the gsm virgin mobile apn profile as it is now.

You have more faith in apple getting something like that right, at least until it becomes an industry standard. A lot of guessing in that post.

Also, they are simless. Simless would mean it has no sim slot at all. That's what I am going by.

Don't care for the apple sim or apple simless.

If the apple sim was that great then the phone I just got from apple would have one of those and not an at&t sim.


niji said:
a virtual SIM would be wonderful.
i travel among several SE Asian countries monthly.
i have 6 SIMs total, including one for USA and Japan.
the way apple will make it work is downloadable/installable profiles.
available for all carriers that are officially recognized by the apple registry of carriers data base that pretty much has all mobile carriers in the world, that can be used to activate an iPhone (not carriers that are allowed to sell iPhone, but simply carriers that have the master correlational info for IMEI and tel number and associated carrier (locked or not).
probably first iPhone that offers virtual SIM is likely to still have a hardware SIM slot as well anyway.
and then starting with the next model after that one, totally virtual, giving carriers that were slow to respond a year to get their act together.
there is something already working in a similar way to this: since one or two iOS updates ago, carrier profiles now are downloaded automatically to your phone on a needs be basis, these profiles contain APN settings, etc.
you can not now set/update (most) carrier APN settings as carriers change them manually.
the APN/network data settings and MMS settings are handled through these carrier updates (not profiles), no longer allowing users to (usually) type in the wrong settings (anyway).
the only problem would be if there was a carrier update while you were away, and you can't get data over mobile data, in which case you would need to connect to WiFi to be able to get the update.
probably you can drag your carriers in order of preference and set roadability or not.
Click to expand...
 
Unless there is a simple way to flip between carriers within iOS 10. what ever, I doubt well see this. Once again this would require I'd imagine manual setup from each carrier and ensuring all is activated for when you want to use them.

If it's simple and easy to do then great bring it on, if not let others companies fail at it first, then come in with the correct way if doing it :p
 
What about people with unlimited data from Verzion wireless ? I usually move my SIM card to the new phone.
 
International travel would make this a massive inconvenience for me.

It's frustrating enough as it is currently landing at some, shall we say, less developed airport and trying to get a local sim…

But if this harebrained scheme from Apple takes off I'll have to get hold of the local network operator to explain to them, then inputting codes and trying to get your message through in a foreign language while jet lagged?
And when I return home I have to go through all this again? Yikes!

That'll be the day I say goodbye to iPhone.
 
They won't go straight to SIMless. When you have companies like AT&T locking down the built in SIM to only work on their network, or Verizon refusing to use the built in SIM and insisting you use their SIM card, it would be a horrible decision to go SIMless.

I think we might see them do like they have on the iPad with the built in SIM. That way you can use it if your carrier supports it, but you still have the option to use a SIM card if your carrier doesn't support it, or it is easier.

A few years from now if companies like AT&T and Verizon quit being so stupid about it we may see them drop the SIM tray altogether, but not right now.
 
From a consumer perspective, this is a bad move in many ways, starting with making it more difficult to swap credentials on the fly. We would basically go back to the way CDMA devices were handled; a phone call to the carrier or online activation and waiting for "the system" to update everything.

I can, however, see this bumping security (i.e. Theft) in some ways. A their couldn't just pop the sim out in order to get around device tracking software. Couple that with rethinking how/when a locked phone can be turned off (I never understood not requiring Touch ID or passcode to turn off a locked phone) and you've got a potentially more secure device.
 
Is it really that difficult though? I thought I remember people with the iPad saying it worked pretty seamlessly with providers that support it.
 
I can see a simless apple watch, maybe next year. I personally don't
see the need for simless iPhones.
Modern sims can't be cloned but maybe the apple watch will piggy back off the iPhone sim some how using the same number.
 
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